Learn how to launch, fund and grow your own business at SWIFT event Feb. 9 in Kenosha

Join advisors assembled by the Wisconsin Technology Council for a free session to help entrepreneurs of all types learn more about the basics of launching, funding, and growing a young business by attending the Friday, Feb. 9 event in Kenosha.

This workshop will be held at UW-Parkside Student Center – Oak Room; 930 Wood Dr., Kenosha. Registration, breakfast and networking begin at 8:30 a.m. with the program running from 9 a.m. to noon. Click here to register.

Mentors will speak and answer questions on areas such as legal steps to starting a company, funding sources for such firms, and public resources generally available to entrepreneurs. Attendees will engage in an exercise aimed at bringing forth their ideas and any challenges that lie ahead.

Speakers include Mark Ehrmann, a business attorney and partner with Quarles & Brady; Joe Kremer, director of the Tech Council’s Investors Network; and Heather Lux, regional director with Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC), which provides resources to underserved individuals interested in starting, strengthening, or expanding businesses.

“Contrary to the popular image of entrepreneurs and startups, innovation isn’t confined to Wisconsin’s largest cities or major cities outside the state. The goal of SWIFT, which will engage people in less-traveled places in Wisconsin over the next year, is to tap into people who want to learn more about the basics of launching small businesses,” said Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council, who will moderate.

The State of Wisconsin Initiative to Fast Track Entrepreneurs, or SWIFT, is made possible through a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration and supported by U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin. The goal of the statewide program is to connect entrepreneurs of all types – not just tech-based – with resources, advice and networking through the Tech Council and others to help them succeed.

The Wisconsin Technology Council is bipartisan science and technology advisor to Wisconsin’s governor and Legislature. Its programs are geared towards growing the state’s economy. A significant portion of our work is dedicated to offering hands-on assistance to entrepreneurs through programs such as the annual Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest. To join, go to www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com or call 608-442-7557.