MILWAUKEE – The proposed creation of a state-leveraged venture capital fund will be the topic of a panel discussion at the Thursday Aug. 11 meeting of the WIN-Milwaukee chapter.
The luncheon will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 10499 Innovation Drive, Wauwatosa. Registration and networking begins at 11:30 a.m., lunch at noon and the presentation at 12:30 p.m. The cost is $10 for students, $25 for WIN members, Governor’s Business Plan Contest participants and Milwaukee County Research Park tenants, $35 for non-members and included with WIN corporate memberships.
Register here
The Legislature ended its spring floor period without taking action on the Wisconsin Jobs Act, legislation that was introduced in both the Senate and the Assembly. The bill authorizes tax credits and bonding to make available $400 million in investment capital, and which leverages private investments of at least double that amount. The bill would also create a Wisconsin Venture Capital Authority through the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
Gov. Scott Walker has reiterated his broad support for a venture bill, and alternative approaches are being developed by Republican and Democratic lawmakers. In addition, the Wisconsin Growth Capital Coalition has been reactivated to provide bipartisan advice. The coalition represents 50 Wisconsin and national investors, economic development groups and tech companies, and is organized through the Tech Council and the Wisconsin Angel Network.
Panelists include: Eric Apfelbach, president and chief executive officer of ZBB Energy Corp.; Brian Birk, managing director of Sun Mountain Capital, Santa Fe, N.M.; Tim Cooley, director of capital development for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.; and Zach Brandon, director of the Wisconsin Angel Network. Tom Still of the Wisconsin Technology Council will moderate. The same topic was addressed at the July 26 WIN meeting in Madison; click here to watch a “WisconsinEye” video of that discussion.
This month’s WIN meeting is sponsored by UW-Milwaukee.
WIN is the membership arm of the Tech Council, the independent, non-profit science and technology adviser to the governor and the Legislature. It has chapters in Milwaukee, Madison, Northeast Wisconsin, Central Wisconsin, the Lake Superior region and Western Wisconsin.
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