Students who have an idea for a business or would like to develop an idea could see it take off at the fourth annual 3 Day Startup on campus Friday, Oct. 11, to Sunday, Oct. 13, at University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Students as well as faculty and staff from UW-Stout will be joined by participants from UW-Eau Claire and UW-River Falls.
Participants become entrepreneurs without needing to start their own companies, said Mary Spaeth, event coordinator and an assistant professor of international business and entrepreneurship. They assess problems, select ideas and test the market opportunities while gaining valuable feedback from mentors.
The experience gives participants the basic skills, confidence and an increased network to advance an idea or at some time in the future, Spaeth said.
The free event will be held in the atrium of Jarvis Hall Science Wing.
The first day includes brainstorming, the second day features business model generation and the third day includes a business pitch to a group of experts.
Hundreds of companies have launched nationally and internationally through 3 Day Startup events, which are held at universities around the world.
The event is presented by the Entrepreneurship Club at UW-Stout. Sponsors include WiSys Technology Foundation and three UW-Stout units, the business department, Discovery Center and the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Management.
WiSys is a nonprofit organization that works with faculty, staff, students and alumni of the UW System to facilitate research programs, develop and commercialize discoveries and promote innovative and entrepreneurial thinking across the state.
The Entrepreneurship Club is new this fall, and minor in the subject will be available in 2020-21.
On Thursday, Oct. 17, UW-Stout will send a team to the annual Hatch competition, a startup funding pitch platform that turns business ideas into early-stage companies. Hatch was created by the BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation and NEWaukee as a way to empower entrepreneurs in Wisconsin.
This year’s Hatch in western Wisconsin is hosted by the Chippewa County Economic Development Corp. While the purpose of Hatch is to accomplish serious business growth, the event is designed to be fun, highly social and open to everyone.
The competition will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at Cowboy Jack’s, 1432 Front Porch Place, Altoona. Entrepreneurs will have five minutes to pitch their case to a panel of judges and the audience about their business ideas. The top prize is $5,000.
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UW-Stout students present a business idea during an entrepreneurship class.
