More than 50 successful entrepreneurs, investors and other startup business experts will be featured throughout the June 7-8 Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference, to be held at Madison’s Alliant Energy Center.

To learn more and register for the 14th annual event, with a theme of “Why Wisconsin,” visit www.witrepsconference.com.

Fifteen panel discussions and seminars organized around three distinct stages that matter to all startup companies — launch, grow and succeed – will tap into the experience and expertise of investors, entrepreneurs and advisors from around the region.

Investors who will take part in the sessions include: Mark Bakken, HealthX Ventures; Dan Blake, HealthX Ventures; Scott Button, Venture Investors; Dan Einhorn, Capital Midwest; Paul Jones, Michael Best & Friedrich / Ventures on the Water; John Philosophos, Three Oaks Venture Fund; Troy Vosseller, gener8tor; Kyle Weatherly, Vliet Street Capital; and Bob Wood, Wisconsin Investment Partners.

Entrepreneurs and emerging company leaders include: Dr. Ed Barthell, EmOpti; Justin Beck, PerBlue; Brenda Broberg, Forever; Todd Connor, Bunker Labs; Matt Cordio, Skills Pipeline; Mike Dawson, CloudSpotter Technologies; Mike Ertmer, Bunker Labs Wisconsin; Darren Fisher, Spearity.com; Kerry Frank, Comply365; Roland Green, Invenra; Mark Hope, Pegasus Sustainability Solutions; Tera Johnson, teraswhey; Shree Kalluri, Forte Research Systems; Alex Kubicek, Understory; Sean Maday, Stabilitas.io; Robin Martin, Kinetic Compliance Solutions; Ane Ohm, HarQen; Luella Schmidt, Fine Point Consulting; Mark Schmitz, ZEBRADOG; Perry Sieber, Digital Fertilizer; Alec Slocum, ABODO; Gregory St. Fort, 100state; Heidi Strand, Blue Door Consulting; Dan Sullivan, NeuWave Medical; Jason Weaver, Heilo; Richard Yau, Bright Cellars; and Matt Younkle, Murfie.

Other business leaders and experts taking part include: Justin Anderson, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation; Jennifer Cook, WiSys Technology Foundation; Jacquin Davidson, BizStarts; Matt Duffy, QTI Group; Mark Ehrmann, Quarles & Brady; Sarah Grooms, Wintrust / Town Bank; Joseph Hill, Medical College of Wisconsin; Susan Healy, Ascendancy Advisors; Denise Hegland, JP Morgan Chase; Audra Hoy, Greater Oshkosh Economic Development Corp.; Mark Lange, UW-Extension Division of Business & Entrepreneurship; Greg Lynch, Michael Best & Friedrich; Steve Lyons, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek; John McDonald, Godfrey & Kahn; Colleen Merrill, UW-Oshkosh Small Business Development Center; Rachel Neill, Nordic / 1 Million Cups Madison; Dan Olszewski, Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship; Jessica Silvaggi, UW-Milwaukee Research Foundation; Eric Stoffel, Goldman Sachs & Co.; Melissa Turczyn, Michael Best & Friedrich; David Volz, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.; and Susie Younkle, MERLIN Mentors.

Produced by the Tech Council, the Entrepreneurs’ Conference is one of the largest events for entrepreneurs and early stage investors in the Upper Midwest. More than 500 people are expected to attend the two-day conference at the Alliant Energy Center, 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, just off Madison’s South Beltline Highway. Other highlights will include:

  • Pat Quirk, UW graduate and software expert whose companies have been involved in more than $10 billion in exits over time;
  • Erik Iverson, the new managing director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation;
  • Representatives from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation;
  • The 2016 Ken Hendricks Memorial “Seize the Day” award recipient, Mark Gehring;
  • Diligent Dozen: Top 13 finalists from the Governor’s Business Plan Contest square off;
  • Innovation Showcase featuring more than 40 companies from around the state; and
  • Plenty of chances to connect with seasoned entrepreneurs and investors over food and refreshments

Sponsors so far include: Aberdean Consulting; Advanced Materials Industrial Consortium; Alliant Energy; Altapure; American Family Insurance; American Transmission Co.; Ascendancy Advisors; AT&T; Baird Capital; Baker Tilly; BDO; BloodCenter of Wisconsin; BMO Harris Bank; Capitol Bank; Carroll University; Center for Technology Commercialization; City of Fitchburg; Dedicated Computing; DeWitt Ross & Stevens; Findorff; First Business Bank; Godfrey & Kahn; Google; HealthX Ventures; Hewlett Packard Enterprise; Madison College; Madison Gas & Electric; Makin’ HEY! Communications; Marquette University; Michael Best & Friedrich; Midwest Prototyping; Mortenson Construction; Murphy Desmond; Neider & Boucher; New Horizons of Wisconsin; Perkins Coie; Quarles & Brady; RDC National; Red Arrow Production; Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c.; Rockwell Automation; Uber; University Research Park; UW-Madison Discovery to Product (D2P); UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations; UW-Madison Office of University Relations; UW-Milwaukee Research Foundation; Venture Investors; WERCBench Labs; Whitewater University Technology Park; Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek; WIPFLI; Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation; Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.; Wisconsin Technical College System; World Wide Technology; and WTN Media.

For more information, visit www.witrepsconference.com or call 608-442-7557.