Wisconsin-based startup accelerator operator gener8tor Management LLC has now served 800 startups across all of its programs since its founding in 2012.
Those alumni include some of the Milwaukee area's most successful startups, such as education technology platform Fiveable, personalized wine subscription box purveyor Bright Cellars and floor-sensing technology firm Scanalytics Inc.
To support the growing group of startups that have participated in its 77 programs across the U.S. and Canada, gener8tor has created a director of startup community position and promoted Gisela Ortega into the role. She's based in Milwaukee and has a background in community organizing.
Ortega is putting grassroots organizing strategies to work at gener8tor, talking to alumni startup founders to gather data about the type of supports they need, she said.
"That is my main approach when I am looking into building stronger and connected community spaces, is that we have buy-in from our founder network and our community as a whole to make this space thrive even further," Ortega said.
Initial feedback has shown that founders would like more facilitated community gatherings with other founders, Ortega said, which could look like gener8tor-organized community dinners, happy hours or a potential alumni summit. She also aims to bolster resources for supporting founders with raising capital and hiring teams.
Before joining gener8tor in 2019, Ortega worked for the city of Milwaukee's Department of City Development and was previously a community outreach manager for Milwaukee's VIA Community Development Corp.
gener8tor has at least 14 programs across Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Madison, Beloit and northeast Wisconsin. Its newest Wisconsin program is gBETA Urban League in Madison, a free startup accelerator open to local Black businesses through a partnership with the Urban League of Greater Madison.
The first cohort of the gBETA Urban League will be sometime in 2022. The program is accepting applications.
