Pam Christenson
WI Dept. of Commerce
Bureau of Entrepreneurship
pchristenson@commerce.state.wi.us
Creating the Wisconsin
Entrepreneurs’ Network
• Result of WI Act 255, Spring 2004
• Three Components of the Act
– Angel Tax Credit Program
– Technology and Commercialization Grants
and Loans
– Entrepreneurial Centers
Center Requirements
• Serve multiple regions of the state
• Assist all types of entrepreneurs at
various stages of development
• Provide specialized, hands-on
assistance to entrepreneurs having a
potential significant economic impact.
Center Selection
• WEN was selected through a
competitive RFP - “request for
proposals”
• Proposal submitted by UW Extension,
WARF, WI Tech College System,
DATCP/WI Agriculture Innovation
Centers.
What is WEN?
• A network of more than 50 partnering
organizations that ….
– are located across Wisconsin
– provide direct assistance to entrepreneurs
– and are committed to working as a “system”
• System includes
– Intake Centers (50+ and growing)
– Four Regional Technology Transfer Centers
– 26 Agriculture-based Counselors
Two KEY Components to WEN
• A way to identify the most appropriate
and effective services for the
entrepreneur.
• A system to connect the dots between
key Wisconsin assistance
providers.
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College
TechStar Early Ventures
The Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce
ADVOCAP
UW Barron County
Ag Innovation Center
UW Eau Claire Small Business Development Center
Barron County Economic Development Corporation UW Extension
Blackhawk Technical College
UW Green Bay Small Business Development Center
Center for Advanced Technology & Innovation, UW UW La Crosse Small Business Development Center
Parkside
UW Madison Small Business Development Center
Chippewa Valley Technical College
UW Madison College of Engineering
Fox Valley Technical College
UW Milwaukee Small Business Development Center
Gateway Technical College
UW Oshkosh Small Business Development Center
Green Bay Chamber of Commerce
UW Parkside Small Business Development Center
Juneau County Economic Development Corporation UW Platteville Small Business Development Center
Heart of Wisconsin Alliance
UW River Falls Small Business Development Center
Lakeshore Technical College
UW Stout Technology Transfer Institute
Madison Area Technical College
UW Stevens Point Small Business Development Center
Madison Area Technical College-Business Procurement
UW Superior Small Business Development Center
Center
UW Whitewater Small Business Development Center
Madison Area Technical College - Portage
WARF/WiSYS
Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry Waukesha County Technical College
Mid-State Technical College
Western Dairyland
Milwaukee Area Technical College
Western Wisconsin Technical College
Moraine Park Technical College
Wisconsin Angel Network (WAN)
Nicolet Technical College
Wisconsin Business Development Finance Corporation
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
Wisconsin Department of Commerce
Northcentral Technical College
Wisconsin Department of Veteran’s Affairs
Oneida County Economic Development Corporation Wisconsin Technical College System
Racine County Economic Development Corporation Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College
Sauk County Economic Development Corporation
Wisconsin Innovation Service Center, UW Whitewater
Southwest CAP
Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation
WEN PARTNERS
WEN Links All Phases of Business
Development
VII –
Workforce Training
VI – Building
V – Funding
IV – Business
III – Product
Plan
Feasibility
II – Technology
Assessment
I – Finding
Help
How does WEN do it?
•Through a statewide client tracking system to
avoid duplication of services and repetition of client
information: WEN Tracker
•With a database to identify most appropriate and
effective services: Resource Navigator
•By targeting high-growth and high-growth potential
firms for expanded services: Tech team
•Via information sharing among partners: WEN
Intranet, web conferences, WEN web site
WEN Tracker Brings…
• Shared, secure, web-based client management
information system that gathers data from
businesses and entrepreneurs that use the services
of the network
• Automated, centralized data collection
• Added functionality to measure client satisfaction for
specific WEN partner interactions
• Tracking of evaluations and impact data
Customer Data – Capturing information about the client
Customer Data – Capturing the details of a “session”
WEN Resource Navigator
• Provides a directory of local, regional and
state agencies and organizations that offer
business-building services for entrepreneurs.
• Links entrepreneurs and small businesses to
the right resource.
• Gives WEN outreach partners and business
owners access to local community resources.
Categories (22) and Services (156)
• Business Planning
– Business plan consulting and development
– Business plan training
– Market Research
• Financial Resources and Assistance
– Assistance in finding debt, equity, government funding
– Loan packing, loan provider
• Office, Lab & Meeting Space
– Incubator space
– Meeting space
• Product Development
– Patents, trademarks, copyrights
The “Categories and Services” Page
The Search Results Page
The Electronic Request for Assistance Form (accessed from the Resource Navigator)
Generating Reports from the Search Results Page
Choose the profile(s) you
wish to include in your report.
Click “View Report”
An Example Report in Microsoft Excel Format
WEN Intranet
Available to all WEN partners
The WEN Web Site
http://www.wenportal.org
WEN Regional Centers
• Four centers, focusing on high
potential/high growth companies
• Assist companies with technology
transfer, commercialization,
intellectual property, market analysis,
debt and equity financing, etc….
WEN Regional Directors
• Pat Dillon
– Northwest Regional Director, Eau Claire
• Kurt Waldhuetter
– Northeast Regional Director, Green Bay
• David Linz
– Southeast Regional Director, Milwaukee
• Ayla Annac
– Southwest Regional Director, Madison
WEN Tech Team
• Jerry Johnson
– UW Stout Center for Innovation
• Phil Sobocinski
– UW Madison Office of Corporate Relations,
SBIR expert
• Deb Malewicki
– Wisconsin Innovation Service Center at
UW Whitewater which specializes in new
product and invention assessments
WEN Tech Team
• Maliyakal John
– WiSys General Manager
• Nancy Fawcett
– Marketing Specialist
• Matt Wagner
– CATI – Center for Advanced Technology and
Innovation
• Larry Casper
– UW School of Engineering for technology
assessments
WEN Phases
• Phase 1
– Initial partners in the proposal/intake centers (25)
• Phase 2
– Interested organizations that contacted WEN after
announcement (25+)
• Phase 3*
– Outreach to other organizations working with
entrepreneurs (ED corps, SCORE, tribes, etc.)
*current stage – in the process of signing agreements with 18 new
partners.
Becoming a WEN Partner
• Any organization providing direct
assistance to entrepreneurs is invited
to become a WEN partner.
• First step – a discussion with WEN
managing director Erica Kauten
All WEN partners agree to:
• Sign a formal agreement with the UW
Board of Regents
• Provide a point of contact to WEN
• Participate in monthly web-conferences
• Market WEN and its services
• Share success stories
• Complete contact information in the
Resource Navigator
• Attend training on the WEN Tracker
Commerce and WEN
• Any organizations receiving
Commerce funding to assist
entrepreneurs need to establish a
partnership with WEN.
– Wisconsin Technology Council
– Wisconsin Angel Network
– TechStar
– Regional Revolving Loan Pilot Project
Thanks for your attention…
Questions?