8 Events To See at Startup MKE

The 42. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Startup Milwaukee Week is returning on November 5 for a week of collaboration and connection with entrepreneurs in the Southeastern Wisconsin area.

Startup Milwaukee is the most popular part of Startup Wisconsin Week and will host more than 40 different events by at least 35 different local partners and organizations. These events are meant to connect, cultivate, and develop startups and entrepreneurs alongside a variety of local business partners and networks.

Although most events will be in Milwaukee, other cities like Appleton, Madison, Eau Claire, Kenosha, and more will also participate in advancing Wisconsin’s tech and startup ecosystem.

A full schedule of events taking place in Milwaukee and all around the state of Wisconsin can be found on the Startup Wisconsin Week website. Events on the schedule can be sorted by city and by category, including marketing, finance, technology and diversity.

With such a large number of events taking place, we’ve picked out eight to give a taste of what to expect at Startup Milwaukee:

1. “Startup Milwaukee Showcase” will host an expo for local startups and entrepreneurs to showcase their products or services in an informal setting. In this casual expo, anyone from founders to college students are welcome to attend and discover what local startups have to offer. Important note: there will be beer.
2. “People Strategy – setting and growing thriving culture”: an interactive discussion to help businesses ensure they provide a healthy work environment for their employees and develop a culture that fits the goals of the company or organization. Hiring employees is one thing, but bringing out their best is what this event will be about.
3. “Reverse Pitch MKE” will give teams of local startups and entrepreneurs the opportunity to solve business challenges and form useful ideas for Northwestern Mutual. Teams can sign up to hear pitches from Northwestern Mutual and potentially win a seed investment of up to $85,000 as well as access to Cream City Labs, the new innovation lab reported on by Urban Milwaukee earlier in October.
4. “Building a Craft Beer Ecosystem” will spur conversations and advice for those seeking to delve into Milwaukee’s craft brewing community. This is perhaps one of the most city-appropriate events, as the brewing industry here is constantly growing. Registration for this event is $20; however, the ticket gets every attendee one beer and free snacks.
5. “Startup Legal Advice” is pretty straightforward: local startups and entrepreneurs get the chance to receive important legal advice relating to their business. Whether you are just starting out or simply looking to be proactive when it comes to developing a startup, having the right legal advice could be very beneficial.
6. “Boss Ladies MKE: A Panel Discussion on Women’s Entrepreneurship” will provide useful discussions for women entrepreneurs, whether they are just looking for somewhere to start or need support from women with experience in business. Boss Ladies MKE is a networking group founded in January 2018 whose goal is to help motivate and develop prospective entrepreneurial women.
7. “WordPress for Small Business Owners”: promises to teach the necessities of WordPress for small business owners without being too technical. With the reliance on technology by modern businesses, it is crucial to have a solid baseline of knowledge for making your business stand out on the web.
8. “88Nine x Capitol Records Hackathon” will invite musicians, designers and developers the opportunity to brainstorm and produce new ideas for the local music industry. Hosted in collaboration with 88Nine Radio Milwaukee and Capitol Records, presented by Northwestern Mutual and held at its new Cream City Labs, this event will challenge those in the music industry to generate ideas for distribution and how to connect fans with local artists.

Startup Milwaukee began in 2016 and has been coordinated each year by co-founders Matt and Michael Cordio as well as the director of operations Christina Haidemenos. Last year, over 4,000 attendees were attracted to events in Milwaukee: an increase of more than 50 percent over 2016 attendance.

The same coordinators are also responsible for developing the overarching Startup Wisconsin Week.

The week of events will kick off with the “State of the Startup Community” at the Northwestern Mutual Commons and Tower (805 E. Mason St.) starting at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, November 5.