The five startups selected for the latest cohort of the gener8tor Milwaukee startup accelerator program hail from Wisconsin, Georgia, Indiana, California and Toronto.
And while the program's aim is ultimately to prepare the startups for business success, including raising future venture capital funding, gener8tor has a secondary goal: Potentially relocate new companies to Wisconsin, gener8tor Wisconsin managing director Molly Dill said.
"When they’re here we really try to show them a great time and show them how wonderful Milwaukee is," Dill said.
Gener8tor is a well-known venture firm and startup accelerator network based in Wisconsin that runs programs internationally. Its 12-week startup accelerator has an intensive agenda of one-on-one coaching and mentorship-driven programming. Gener8tor makes a $100,000 investment in each startup selected for the program.
The startups will come to Cream City for one week at the beginning, middle and end of the Milwaukee program, which already kicked off. They'll stay at local hotels, use rideshare services and eat at area restaurants, Dill said. The startups will pitch their companies to investors, community partners and the public at a showcase event in Milwaukee on Sept. 21.
Gener8tor received more than 420 applications from across the world for its gener8tor Milwaukee 2023 cohort. It selected the following companies, according to a Tuesday announcement:
- eCourt Reporters: A court reporter scheduling tool based in Burlington;
- Optikal: A contact lens subscription service based in Norcross, Georgia;
- Traduality: A translation services marketplace based in Bloomington, Indiana;
- Tutorly.ai: An AI-enabled platform based in Fremont, California, that offers coursework assistance for students;
- UPI Study: A platform based in Toronto, Canada, that offers online college courses for international students.
The last time gener8tor Milwaukee took place was in 2021, Dill said. The gener8tor Milwaukee 2021 program was largely conducted virtually, with one optional in-person gathering in Milwaukee. Last year, there was a cohort of the gener8tor Madison accelerator program.
Several startups have previously moved to Wisconsin after participating in a gener8tor accelerator program in Milwaukee or Madison. Most recently, a transgender mobile app company called Trace relocated its headquarters to Madison and a startup called Wellacy Health moved to Milwaukee from Dallas.
Other local startups that came to Wisconsin via gener8tor include the education technology startup Fiveable and the personalized wine subscription company Bright Cellars.
