Milwaukee-based accelerators spur success

This list highlights a few of the many resources available to startup entrepreneurs. For a more comprehensive list of accelerators and other resources available to support startups and small businesses, visit startinwi.com, supported by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.

¥.€.$. Blueprint

Operated by the Young Enterprising Society, this accelerator combines bootcamp-like technical and business training along with a traditional business accelerator curriculum. The program offers $100,000 of seed capital to selected urban startups.

Sparc

Offered by Scale Up Milwaukee, this tuition-based business accelerator provides business education and mentorship to BIPOC and womenowned businesses with annual revenue between $25,000 and $1 million. SPARC has had 167 companies complete the accelerator since it launched in 2017. Collectively, those companies have increased their revenue by 36% on average.

Ampdnr

Accelerating Medical Product Development with Networked Resources is a collective that includes the Medical College of Wisconsin, University of WisconsinMilwaukee, Concordia University Wisconsin, Marquette University, Blood Research Institute/Versiti and Milwaukee School of Engineering to accelerate commercially viable development in the Healthcare and HealthTech industries.

Food Finance Institute Fellows Program

Funded by the WEDC, this six-month program is free to food-based entrepreneurs with an active business.

BREW 2.0

Presented by The Water Council, The Business, Research and Entrepreneurship in Water (BREW) Accelerator 2.0 is for companies working in water technology. The free program attracts a global pool of applicants with market-ready technologies.

FOR-M

Sponsored by the Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition, this program is a startup incubator, rather than an accelerator, but it provides many of the same services accelerators provide. The free program is open to entrepreneurs at any stage in the business development process. With support from the WEDC and Bader Philanthropies, FOR-M has awarded more than $240,000 in grants to local startup businesses.

UW-Milwaukee Business Innovation Incubator

The tuition-based, 11-month program provides $5,000 in funding to participants. The business is open to all entrepreneurs with businesses at any stage.

707 Hub

Presented by Marquette University, this five-week program is open to anyone looking to scale up an existing business.

Check out these additional resources for new businesses:

•Barley to Barrel Incubator

•BizStarts

•Brew City Match

•Center for Technology Commercialization

•Doyenne- Milwaukee Office

•FaB Wisconsin

•Food Finance Institute Fellows Program

•Health TechMKE

•KIVA

•LISC Milwaukee

•MEDC Capital Access Program (CAP)

•MKE Tech Hub Coalition

•Scale Up Milwaukee

•SizeUp from WEDC

•SCORE Mentors of SE Wisconsin

•Small Business Association (SBA)

•Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

•Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR)

•Start in Wisconsin

•StartSmart from the City of Milwaukee

•The Commons

•UWM Research Foundation

•WiSys VentureHome

•Wisconsin Small Business Development Center

•Wisconsin Technology Council

•Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce

•WWBIC