EC Wisconsin News

Lakeland University has been awarded an $84,500 Entrepreneurship Partner Grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). The grant aims to enhance programs and services for entrepreneurs and startups in the region.

The university's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (LUCIE) will conduct grant programming both on-campus and at Jake, a Lakeland Community, located in downtown Sheboygan.

“It’s gratifying to receive state support for our ongoing efforts to build entrepreneurship and innovation in this region,” stated Stephanie Hoskins, Lakeland’s Herbert Kohler & Frank Jacobson Chair in Business and Entrepreneurship. “We are one of only a few resources outside of Wisconsin’s metropolitan areas and are in a unique position to focus on helping rural entrepreneurs, so this grant is especially important as we work with those individuals and groups to realize their business goals and support their dreams.”

The WEDC grant will fund several initiatives including:

- Seed, Start, Scale: A series of workshops for startups and entrepreneurs which includes seed funding for initial startup costs.

- New events such as:

- Patentpalooza: Collaborating with companies, universities, and individuals who have ideas they wish to patent or have already patented.

- A buyer's conference at Jake’s: Connecting procurement employees from large companies with smaller business suppliers.

- An angel investor event: Linking local startups with potential investors statewide.

- Ten one-year coworking memberships at Jake’s for startups/entrepreneurs and ten six-month Maker Memberships at the new Community Design Studio space.

- A capital access literacy platform: Assisting entrepreneurs in identifying financing sources.

- Technical assistance grants through Lakeland’s Community Design Studio covering costs like website design, branding, prototypes.

- Piloting a program for new B2B startups seeking their first five customers. Grant funds will cover half the cost for the customer.

For more information on these services, visit this link.

The Entrepreneurship Partner Grants were established in 2021 to support organizations offering training, financing, mentorship, and technical assistance to startups across Wisconsin.

“Entrepreneurs play a vital role in driving Wisconsin’s economy forward,” said Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of WEDC. “With the help of our partners, entrepreneurs will be able to bring new ideas and businesses to life.”