Universities of Wisconsin proposes new investment in startups, commercialization
By: Anna Lardinois, Startup Storyteller
The Universities of Wisconsin is asking the state to make a new investment in university technology transfer and programs designed to help Wisconsin entrepreneurs build and grow companies.
Ecosystem leaders gathered at UW-Milwaukee Wednesday to announce Tech for Tomorrow and Accelerate Wisconsin, two proposed initiatives included in the UWs’ 2027-29 budget request.
Together with other workforce-focused proposals, the initiatives are part of a broader plan with ambitious 10-year goals: create 300,000 career-ready workers, upskill 1 million workers and help create 2,500 new businesses.
For Wisconsin’s startup ecosystem, the two initiatives represent different points along the path from innovation to company creation.
Tech for Tomorrow would focus on moving new technologies from university research labs toward commercialization. Accelerate Wisconsin would support entrepreneurs as they create and expand businesses and develop new products and markets.
“The Universities of Wisconsin play a critical role in developing talent, spurring innovation, and sparking entrepreneurship,” Universities of Wisconsin Regent President Kyle Weatherly said. “This proposal will generate career-ready graduates, speed new technologies to market, and support state entrepreneurs.”
Weatherly joined UWs Interim President Renée Wachter, UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Thomas Gibson, UW-Stout Chancellor Katherine Frank and UW-Parkside Chancellor Lynn Akey at UW-Milwaukee to announce the initiatives.
Ilya Avdeev, PhD, director of innovation at UW-Milwaukee’s Lubar Entrepreneurship Center, opened the presentation by highlighting the role university programs can play in moving innovation from the lab to the marketplace. Avdeev is principal investigator for the NSF I-Corps Site of Southeastern Wisconsin, a program that helps researchers explore the commercial potential of their innovations.
Two graduates of the program, Paige Peters, PhD, founder of Rapid Radicals, and Lindsay Roddy, PhD, founder of RoddyMedical, shared their experiences building companies and credited the program with playing an important role in their early development.
Kelly Armstrong, president of the Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood, also spoke about how partnerships with UW-Parkside have created opportunities for area businesses while providing students with technical work experience needed in a rapidly evolving job market.
The proposals place entrepreneurship and commercialization within a larger effort to address Wisconsin’s workforce needs.
“The Universities of Wisconsin have long helped Wisconsin address some of its biggest challenges,” Wachter said. “Our budget will offer opportunities to invest in people and education that will help Wisconsin meet its workforce challenges, while providing targeted funds to help grow the next generation of businesses.”
The Universities of Wisconsin comprises 13 public universities serving more than 164,600 students and awarding more than 37,000 degrees annually. Nearly 90% of in-state graduates remain in Wisconsin five years after earning their degrees.
Tech for Tomorrow and Accelerate Wisconsin remain proposals. The UW Board of Regents is expected to vote on the full 2027-29 budget proposal next week.
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