Author: larson42@illinois.edu

7/29/2019

A position is open within the Center for Technology Commercialization where the incumbent will have some physical presence in the Milwaukee area.  One-third of the clients are in this region so it is important to maintain the contacts there.  Primarily, the Center for Technology Commercialization will have a need for someone who has had some business experience in a small technology company. This could be at some higher level, but not necessarily founder, owner, or CEO.  They should be able to council new or less experienced entrepreneurs in business models, business plans or perhaps a bit of fundraising.  Secondarily it is preferable that the person has Lean Startup/I-Corps experience and SBIR writing experience.  These last two features would be nice to have, but the team is primarily focused on finding first-hand business management experience.

The Center for Technology Commercialization is interested in talking to anyone in the MEEN group who might be interested or anyone in their contacts who they think might be a good fit.  The center is flexible on a number of things including full-vs. half-time.  The start date will be around the first of the year. If interested, contact todd.strother@uwex.edu. The center’s website is https://wisconsinsbir.org/.

7/16/2019

“Michigan’s unicorns demonstrate a fertile startup ecosystem with unlimited opportunities. A couple weeks ago, StockX became the state’s newest in a quickly-growing cohort of unicorns, which includes two other startups that also earned the elite status this year. In February, OneStream Software announced that it had not only become a unicorn but that it is profitable as well, an achievement that few startups can claim — even by the time they exit. In the same month, electric vehicle startup Rivian also earned a billion-dollar valuation when it received a significant investment from Amazon. The startup secured another large round of funding just two months later from Ford.”

Read the full article here.

06/25/2019

“With nearly 50% of millennials looking to start their own business in the next three years, it is not a surprise that the new generation of entrepreneurs aren’t based – or even particularly interested – in Silicon Valley. With students and recent graduates all over the country experiencing startup fever, college towns may just be the next big thing for entrepreneurship.”

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7/26/2019

“Start-ups are often thought of by many as seekers of financing; after all, lacking resources is part of the classic picture of companies in their early stages of development. That’s why it may come as a surprise that a number of universities are finding their own start-ups as excellent sources of funds for research — true industry partners, even as they are seeking to solidify their own futures.”

Read the full story here.