An inside look into the Madison, WI entrepreneurial hub

An inside look into the Madison, WI entrepreneurial hub

By Emma Peck, Tech.co

madison-1809575_1280-e1501717956704Madison, Wisconsin is the home to Badger football and some of the best ice cream and cheese in the country. It’s also has a booming entrepreneurial ecosystem that is seeing some significant growth in the last few years.

Scott Resnick, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at StartingBlock, and Sara Woldt, Director of Business Development at gener8tor are making moves in the tech scene to bring more startups and businesses to the cheesehead state.

This time for the #StartupsEverywhere, series, they talk with me about running an accelerator, the new entrepreneurial hub with a 50,000 square-foot building and local startups.

Talk about your roles in the Madison ecosystem?

Scott Resnick: Ten years ago, I cofounded Hardin Design & Development, an enterprise web application shop, in Madison. The startup now has a nationwide presence with offices in Madison and Dallas and clients such as FedEx, IBM, and Coleman Campers. Over that same period, I’ve also been involved in a number of endeavors to help grow the Madison startup ecosystem. I helped to found Capital Entrepreneurs, a 200 member association of startups, and most recently was named the Resident-in-Entrepreneur for StartingBlock, a soon-to-open entrepreneurial hub in downtown Madison.

Sara Woldt: I currently serve as the Director of Business Development at gener8tor, a “Top 15” U.S. accelerator with offices in Madison, Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. I execute the accelerator’s corporate and industry partnership strategy, as well as manage relationships with our sponsors, investors, key stakeholders and the media. I am also the cofounder of the OnRamp Conference Series, a series that brings together industry leaders, top venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs transforming different verticals. OnRamp benefits startups at all stages of growth, regardless of their connection to gener8tor.

Talk about gener8tor and StartingBlock

Sara: gener8tor is a nationally ranked accelerator that invests in high-growth startups. Three times per year, we invest up to $140,000 in each of five startups who participate in our 12-week program. gener8tor supports the growth of these startups through our network of experienced mentors, technologists, corporate partners, angel investors and venture capitalists.

Scott: StartingBlock Madison will be a 50,000 square-foot entrepreneurial hub where entrepreneurs, investors, advisors and community members can connect, share innovative ideas, and create next-generation businesses. Through the leadership of partners like gener8tor, Bunker Labs, and the Doyenne Group, StartingBlock will provide an affordable and flexible workspace, access to professional advisors/mentors, accelerator programs, and education and community programming.

Sara: We’re excited that gener8tor will be one of the core members of StartingBlock once it opens in 2018! Read more …