American Family Insurance is giving $1 million to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s new Lubar Entrepreneurship Center to create a specific education space for future startup founders.
American Family announced Wednesday that it will provide the university $1 million over four years to create a space known as the "American Family Insurance Dream Studio," which will be used as instructional space for entrepreneurship and technology programs.
The Lubar Entrepreneurship Center held its grand opening yesterday. The 24,000-square-foot space, which also holds the school’s new welcome center, was built after a $10 million donation in 2015 from Lubar founder Sheldon Lubar and his wife, Marianne.
The center will hold classrooms, spaces for speakers and innovation labs for students. Local tech accelerator and VC firm gener8tor will use the space to hosts its gBeta accelerator program.
The "Dream Studio" is the latest investment Madison-based American Family has made in Milwaukee. After announcing plans in January to purchase the naming rights to Miller Park, American Family said it also plans to open a Milwaukee office that will hold high-tech roles around data analytics, engineering and business innovation. The space is expected to open within the next 2-3 years.
"There is a private-sector passion for revitalization in Milwaukee, and we want to be part of that effort,” Peter Gunder, American Family chief business development officer, said in a statement. “Through partnerships that encourage entrepreneurship, we can empower our communities to be better, more inclusive and resilient places.”
