New startup hub ‘@1403’ opening in heart of UW-Madison campus

New startup hub ‘@1403’ opening in heart of UW-Madison campus

By Laurel White, The Capital Times

Madison is about to get another startup hub.

Nestled in the heart of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, right across the street from the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, a (formerly purple, as some Madisonians know) brick building was christened “@1403,” named for its location at 1403 University Ave., last week.

“We’re basically trying to create a space on campus where the entire community can come together and collaborate and innovate,” said Aaron Olver, managing director of the University Research Park, a research and technology park affiliated with the UW-Madison.

The building is owned and will be operated by the University Research Park. The research park, which is located on the west side of town, at 510 Charmany Dr., was founded in the mid-1980s and supports early-stage businesses in various ways, including renting coworking space and providing networking and mentorship opportunities.

Olver said the University Research Park hasn’t had trouble drawing interested entrepreneurs to the west side from campus (“There’s really good transit access at the Research Park,” he said), but he acknowledged the campus location will be a major asset of @1403.

“We recognize that there are folks in the College of Engineering or Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery who might need a place to start a company, and this building is a perfect space to serve that audience where they’re already working,” he said.

The research park purchased the building that houses @1403 a couple years ago. The facility houses UW-Madison’s Discovery to Product program, which provides resources to early stage projects conceived by UW faculty, staff, or students.

In the past several months, the facility has added the UW-Madison Law and Entrepreneurship Clinic, which provides free legal services to less experienced entrepreneurs and early stage companies, and the clinic’s related startup accelerator program, the Madworks Accelerator. Read more …