The latest Milwaukee cohort of the highly ranked equity startup accelerator program gener8tor includes four companies with Wisconsin ties, including two with founders that grew up in the city.
Although gener8tor's equity accelerator programs are based in Milwaukee and Madison, they often select companies from across the country and even the world. Some of those companies have permanently moved their headquarters to Wisconsin, as was the case with education technology startup Fiveable and personalized wine subscription box Bright Cellars.
The five companies selected for the gener8tor Milwaukee 2021 cohort were announced Tuesday. They include Eau Claire-based workplace reporting software company Speakfully and Los Angeles-based vintage clothing e-commerce site Bidstitch, whose director of engineering is in Appleton.
The 12-week program kicked off in late October and will run through the end of February. Gener8tor invests $100,000 in each selected company, offers intensive individualized coaching, and makes connections to its network of mentors, customers, corporate partners and investors.
The program is largely being conducted virtually with an optional in-person gathering in Milwaukee halfway through the program, said gener8tor Milwaukee managing director Molly Dill.
The participating companies are:
- Bidstitch: Founded and led by Lundon Attisha, the vintage e-commerce site launched in July and has earned $30,000 in revenue to date, with more than 10,000 listings on the site, according to gener8tor.
- DocuMentor: This agency management platform for home health organizations was founded by William Birdsong and has headquarters in Indianapolis. It reported nearly $100,000 in annual revenue so far in 2021.
- Farmstand: This London-based meal delivery service is led by Steven Novick, who grew up in Milwaukee. Since launching in February, it has hit $1.5 million in annual recurring revenue.
- Speakfully: Founded and led by Jana Morrin, Speakfully's platform is designed to help organizations receive and manage anonymous workplace feedback. It said it's had an average monthly recurring revenue growth rate of 30% since January.
- Without a Trace: Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and led by Brookfield native Brooke Navarro, who attended Milwaukee High School of the Arts, this food startup makes allergen-friendly, gluten-free snacks. It said it generates $10,000 in monthly revenue.
This cohort marks the first time since 2018 that gener8tor has run its traditional flagship accelerator program out of Milwaukee, Dill said.
Since 2012, gener8tor has generally run two equity accelerator programs in Wisconsin each year — one in Madison and one in Milwaukee. But in 2019 and 2020, it instead ran its Venture Studio program in Milwaukee, in which it partnered with aspiring entrepreneurs to create startups from scratch. That program is now being run in Beloit.
