AOL-founder Steve Case is set to speak at Launch Wisconsin. The Lambeau Field event is one of only five venues to be included in Case’s “Rise of the Rest” tour this year.

Ideas and Resources Collide at a Northeast Wisconsin Event

Northeast Wisconsin entrepreneurs have a chance to win $100,000 for their startup, thanks to the Launch Wisconsin Conference coming to Lambeau Field in October. Wisconsin’s premier entrepreneur, innovation and startup conference, the event will host AOL-founder Steve Case as its keynote speaker.

As part of his Rise of the Rest road trip, Case is providing a $100,000 prize to the winning northeast Wisconsin startup pitch. This is one of only five stops Case will make in the United States this year, and candidates for the award must be based within a 75-mile radius of each tour-stop city. Launch Wisconsin will award another $100,000 to the winning pitch for a national startup. Those looking to pitch their business at the Oct. 17-18 event need to apply to do so in August.

Launch Wisconsin was developed to produce events and services that cause a “collision” of entrepreneurship, innovation, culture and talent in Wisconsin. More than 200 speakers will present at the conference in more than 25 tracks that include gamification, health, music, sports, food, social and many more. The event provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to engage with business mentors, colleges and universities through workshops, exhibits, demonstrations, and a “Mentor Collision” with executives and investors.

St. Norbert’s Donald J. Schneider School of Business & Economics will have representatives participating in the Mentor Collision, which will work somewhat like a “speed-dating” experience for students and other participants to learn from multiple mentors in a short period of time. 

As a sponsor of the event, St. Norbert College community members will provide programming in several of the tracks, including examples and stories of how the Schneider School has helped local companies expand or launch their businesses.

Dave Wegge, interim dean for the Schneider School of Business & Economics, says, “Our research capabilities are unparalleled in northeast Wisconsin. The vision for the Schneider School of Business & Economics is to be the intellectual hub for business in northeastern Wisconsin. We are fortunate to have a strong faculty that brings talent and resources to the table for startup and long-term businesses in northeast Wisconsin.

“St. Norbert College and the Schneider School are the home for the Strategic Research Institute (SRI) and the Center for Business & Economic Analysis (CBEA). We believe that the Schneider School of Business & Economics has valuable resources that we can offer to the business community.” 

Wegge, emeritus professor of political science, says that the Schneider School is proud to be a sponsor of Launch Wisconsin and serves as an ideal resource for startup companies as well as companies at any stage of their life cycle. The school offers classes in entrepreneurship and is working to engage students in “The Pitch” contest as part of the Fox Connection consortium of academic institutions in northeast Wisconsin. Faculty members also can provide assistance to anyone preparing their pitch for one of the $100,000 prizes. Representatives from the Schneider School will be on hand at Launch Wisconsin to offer information about research, business planning and economic analyses.


Aug. 1, 2017