The organizers of Startup Milwaukee Week, as well as Startup Wisconsin Week, are moving the weeklong series of events to a virtual setting this year given the Covid-19 pandemic.
Like in year's past, Matt Cordio, co-founder of the event, announced this year's series will include pitch competitions, networking opportunities, conversations with investors and company founders, and educational programming to help those starting a business. Now in its fifth year, Startup Milwaukee Week, the largest setting of the weeklong events, will take place Nov. 11-18 and feature over 30 events.
Organizations from other cities in Wisconsin also will hold virtual events for Startup Wisconsin Week, which takes place the same week. Those organizations represent Beloit, Green Bay, Eau Claire, Madison and Sheboygan and will together host over 100 virtual events.
“Going virtual gives us an advantage by enabling us to showcase Milwaukee’s startup ecosystem on a national level; anyone in the world curious about what’s happening in Milwaukee’s startup scene can attend our programming in 2020,” said Cordio in a statement. “We’ve been able to secure prominent speakers and content from the country that might not typically be able to engage in Startup Milwaukee Week events in-person.”
Among the pitch events taking place from Milwaukee are Reverse Pitch Milwaukee on Nov. 11, hosted by Northwestern Mutual and Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin. Froedtert & MCW is seeking solutions for how to address the impact of social isolation and loneliness on health, given the recent impacts of Covid-19. Northwestern Mutual, meanwhile, is looking for new ways to create a diverse talent pool, as well as building financial security.
After hearing the two challenges from the host companies that day, entrepreneurs will be invited to pitch their solutions in February 2021 for a chance to earn a $10,000 prize and a seed investment up to $90,000 from either Inception Health, the innovation arm of Froedtert Health, or Northwestern Mutual’s Cream City Venture Capital. They can also win co-working space and up to $2,000 in legal services provided by Milwaukee-based Godfrey & Kahn SC.
Other planned events included for the week are Madison's P5 Project partnering with Jet Constellation's Milky Way Tech Hub Annual Pitch Competition for $15,000 in prizes; a conversation with Richelle Martin, who managed Madison-based Winnow Fund; and a panel discussion about improving the landscape for startup founders featuring investor and former Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, and Amanda DoAmaral, founder and CEO of online learning startup Fiveable.
