The UWM Research Foundation (UWMRF) and UWM Lubar Entrepreneurship Center are teaming up with three key partners—the Universities of Wisconsin Center for Technology Commercialization (lead applicant), Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition, and Midwest Founders Community—to launch Founder Factory. This new, coordinated venture-creation initiative is powered by a $772,000 grant from the Wisconsin Development Corporation (WEDC)’s inaugural Ignite program.

Jessica Silvaggi, UWMRF President, emphasized how strategically important the initiative is for both the region and the university: “We are thrilled to be part of WEDC’s inaugural Ignite cohort and deeply appreciative of this investment in Southeast Wisconsin’s innovation future. The strength of the team behind Founder Factory is what makes this work possible, and this initiative is an important first step toward better educating and preparing founders.”

What Founder Factory Will Do

Built to address critical early- and mid-stage gaps in the startup pipeline, Founder Factory will combine structured programming, milestone-based nondilutive seed funding and coordinated regional support to move founders from idea to investment readiness. Over its initial two years, the program aims to launch and support promising startups, increase follow-on investment and commercialization grant success, strengthen founder leadership, activate underutilized intellectual property, and create a durable, data driven venture engine for the region.

A Founder-Centric Pipeline

Founder Factory strengthens the region’s innovation ecosystem by integrating existing assets with new, targeted supports delivered through four connected components:

“Wisconsin’s economy thrives when we give entrepreneurs the support they need to turn bold ideas into scalable companies,” said John W. Miller, Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of WEDC. “Founder Factory strengthens that pipeline by helping innovators move from concept to investment readiness, activating university research, and building a more connected startup ecosystem in Southeast Wisconsin. This effort will grow high potential ventures, attract follow-on capital, and expand the state’s long-term innovation capacity.”

A Regional Collaboration with Statewide Impact

Founder Factory is guided by a 20-member consortium representing universities, healthcare and research institutions, investors, and regional innovation organizations across Southeast Wisconsin. This broad coalition—which includes partners such as Marquette University, the Medical College of Wisconsin, Versiti, Forward BIOLABS, Golden Angels Investors, NVNG Investment Advisors, and others—creates a shared infrastructure that reduces duplication, aligns resources, and strengthens venture creation capacity across institutions. This collaborative model ensures that founders benefit from a unified, highly coordinated support system spanning the region.

“Through extensive stakeholder interviews and ecosystem analysis, we heard loud and clear that too many promising founders in Southeastern Wisconsin were falling through the cracks between early discovery and true investment readiness,” said Brian Walsh, Founder Factory Director and UWMRF’s Senior Technology Commercialization Manager. “Founder Factory was designed to close those gaps. By delivering structure, seed funding, and coordinated support, we’re setting up startups to emerge as real contenders for follow-on funding from investors, industry partners, and grants. And now we’re ready to execute.”

Timeline & How to Get Involved

Founder Factory programming begins mid-2026, with applications for the first Innovation Bootcamp and Pre-Accelerator cohorts opening later this year. Entrepreneurs, researchers, mentors, industry experts, and others who want to participate can submit an interest form here.