Center for Entrepreneurship
We are here for you.
Our staff is available via email and video conferencing for questions and initial consultations. Our team is also available to meet in person by appointment if necessary and/or warranted following initial virtual consultations. Please email us to set up an appointment.
We guarantee kindness and safety in mind as we navigate the new normal. Learn more about our health and safety plans.
The mission of the Madison College Center for Entrepreneurship is to strengthen communities through education, innovation and collaboration. We strive to plant the seeds of entrepreneurial thinking and to foster a culture of entrepreneurial action across all of Madison College. Our goals are to:
- Assist in the creation of new businesses within our district.
- Assist in the retention of businesses within our district.
- Provide tools for startups to launch and for early stage businesses to improve planning and to achieve growth.
- Focus on providing resources to underserved populations within our district such as women and minority entrepreneurs.
Our Center seeks to leverage the talents of our distinguished faculty and our world class campus infrastructure to add value to our regional entrepreneurship ecosystem while collaborating with existing organizations and promoting what others do best.
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- WorkshopsResident Entrepreneurs
Workshops
The Center for Entrepreneurship provides a variety of workshops and events designed to provide hands-on information and planning tools for both novice and experienced entrepreneurs. This ongoing series covers topics from the exploratory stage of learning what entrepreneurship is, through the fundamental elements of putting together a business plan.
All entrepreneurs who may find interest in the workshop topics are encouraged to attend.
Thank you for joining us for our Spring 2021 webinars. If you would like to browse our recorded webinars, visit us on YouTube.
We are currently working on our workshop schedule for Fall 2021. If you would like to be notified when our schedule is live please subscribe here.
ResourcesResident Entrepreneurs
Meet with the experienced and knowledgeable Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIRs) and learn about our workshops and events that will prepare you for success as an entrepreneur in a rapidly evolving business world, or schedule a one-on-one consultation to talk about your business idea.
Office hours: Walk-ins available, however appointments are encouraged. Please email us at EntrepreneurCenter@MadisonCollege.edu or contact on of the EIR's directly to set up an appointment
2021 EIR's
Genia Stevens
Genia Stevens is the owner of Belwah Media, an integrated marketing communications agency and founder of Belwah Strategy, a strategic planning agency. Genia’s also a design thinking practitioner who helps organizations develop strategies that focus on success through collaborative problem-solving. Her agency Belwah Media has been awarded the LGBT Business of the Year Award and is also part of the Forbes Agency Council, an invite-only organization for successful and diverse executives in marketing, PR, media, and advertising. Genia’s areas of expertise are strategic planning, marketing strategy development, social media marketing, marketing analytics, business plan development, and community outreach and engagement.
Genia is a Forbes columnist and you’ll also find her writing on Business.com, Social Media Today, and Business 2 Community. Currently, Genia is serving as a board member of Collaboration for Good and the Foundation for Madison Public Schools. She volunteers 10 hours each month coaching and training nonprofits and social enterprises on marketing, volunteer recruitment and retention, and improving their fundraising strategies. She’s also currently volunteering as a coach for the Social Good Accelerator, a collaborative initiative with the purpose of building ways and means for individuals and organizations that intentionally operate to address inequalities and expand prosperity.
Genia received her Bachelor’s degree from Beloit College (Beloit, WI) and her MBA from Cardinal Stritch University (Milwaukee, WI).
Please contact Genia at rkstevens@madisoncollege.edu or Click here to schedule an appointment with Genia.
Scott Kohl
Scott Kohl is a serial entrepreneur, public speaker and product designer who has 20+ years’ experience advising fellow startups and consulting with F500 enterprises on innovation, engagement, business model creation, and organizational development. He believes in the power of failure, discomfort and small data as means to develop trust, empathy, relationships and innovative cultures.
Scott is a UW Alumni with MBA from UW Madison and bachelors in Economics. He’s certified in project management and has trained in lean startup from Intuit Alumni of the 100 startups in 100 days initiative. Recently his company, ThirdSpace, was a finalist for the most innovative company in Madison.
When he’s “not riding the white lightning” of startup life, he enjoys landscaping, outdoor hikes, building Legos and playing Minecraft with his 5-year-old son.
Please contact Scott at sekohl@madisoncollege.edu.
Brian Lee
Brian Lee, APR, is the president of Revelation PR, Advertising & Social Media, an integrated communications agency he founded in January 2011.
In addition to serving as an entrepreneur-in-resident at Madison College, Brian is a part-time lecturer on social media in the School of Continuing Education. He also is an instructor in the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation’s UpStart program for female and minority entrepreneurs.
Brian earned his Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) in 2011 and a certificate in reputation management in 2017. In 2015, he was selected for the State of Wisconsin’s Business Intelligence Team (a part of the National Center for Economic Gardening) as a digital marketing specialist who works with second-stage companies throughout the state.
A serial entrepreneur, Brian is the editor-in-chief of Madison Startups, an online publication that covers startup news in town. He also runs EatDrinkMadison.com, a restaurant and bar guide that is searchable by amenities, as well as Revelation Events, a corporate events planning business.
Brian graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in journalism and major in strategic communications.
Office hours for Brian are: 9 – 11 a.m. on the second Tuesday of the month at Truax and 9 – 11 a.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month at West campus. Please contact Brian directly to schedule one-on-one meetings outside of these hours.
Please contact Brian at blee1@madisoncollege.edu.
Resources
2-Minute Trep-Tips
These 2-Minute Trep-Tips are quick sound bites of information to help grow your entrepreneurial mindset and launch your small business. Checkout the different playlists of videos based on where you're at in your entrepreneurial journey.
Madison College Legal Clinic
The free Legal Clinic at Madison College is sponsored by the State Bar of Wisconsin and is staffed by several Madison-area partner organizations. The clinic can help with many types of legal issues which can be found here.
Madison College Libraries
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Creator Studio The Madison College Libraries Creator Studio is a place that encourages innovative thinking and creative exploration for group and individual learners. It is designed to build community and self-discovery by providing tools that offer hands-on experiences and learning.
Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC)
WWBIC assists individuals who are interested in starting, strengthening or expanding businesses by providing direct lending, quality business and financial capability education and one-on-one technical business assistance.
Services are open to anyone, but our focus is women, people of color and people of lower wealth – those most likely to face barriers in accessing financing or educational support.
WiSys Technology Foundation
Madison College has a formal technology transfer agreement with the WiSys Technology Foundation. If you are a Madison College student, faculty or staff with an idea or product in development WiSys may be able to help you protect your intellectual property and/or commercialize your product. WiSys works with innovators with discoveries from all disciplines and stages of development.
For more information on how to access WiSys resources contact entrepreneurcenter@madisoncollege.edu
American Family Dream Bank
The American Family Dream bank offers valuable talks and events for entrepreneurs. View their current offerings.
FACES OF FOUNDERS
#Faces of Founders: A discussion of entrepreneurship, race, place and gender.
American Bar Association
ABA guide to starting a new business. This resources explains the fundamentals of funding a small business, typical laws and regulations that impact small businesses and issues that are unique to home-based businesses.