Ready, Set, Grow in Fox Cities, WI
Higher education institutions fuel entrepreneurship and small-business growth in the Fox Cities.
Small businesses are the backbone of Fox Cities‘ economy and play a critical role in making the region a great place to live, work and explore. The area’s higher education institutions not only keep a pipeline of talent flowing to existing businesses, but also help support a new generation of entrepreneurs and business startups.
Learning Startup Skills
At Lawrence University (LU), a liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, innovation and entrepreneurship are interdisciplinary areas.
The university hosts the Launch LU pitch competition that allows students to present their business ideas to an outside audience and gain entrepreneurial experience off campus. “This gives students practice in what it is like to be an entrepreneur outside a college setting. It also gives them a goal to work toward in the classroom, as it provides students a strong incentive to develop effective communication and persuasion skills. On top of all that, the winners earn cash prizes that they can then use to further their startup idea,” says Claudena Skran, chair of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship program at Lawrence University.
Skran says the program teaches students a hands-on, problem-solving approach that allows them to take a creative idea and move it into reality. Students also learn basic business skills, such as financial literacy and how to create a business plan.
Students who complete the program either create their own business startups, join a family business or take jobs in established businesses consulting or nonprofits, she says.
“Entrepreneurship is essential if we are to introduce innovative ideas, products and services to our community,” Skran says. “The Wisconsin economy has been stable and prosperous for a long time, but we still need to adapt to our changing world, especially due to shifts in technology, globalization and the need for sustainable practices.”
Launch Pads
The Venture Center at Fox Valley Technical College helps entrepreneurs launch and scale new businesses and helps current small-business owners streamline their operations to grow stronger. The center provides access to training, technical assistance, and a regional ecosystem of resources that help them leverage their skills into business ownership and business success.
“Our focus at the Venture Center has always been our own backyard, meaning we work each day to drive more business startups and support established business owners in the college’s district. This work and focus have resulted in more than 650 business launches and expansions, hundreds of jobs created, and millions of dollars of investment in the region,” says Amy Pietsch, director of the Venture Center at Fox Valley Technical College.
“The FVTC Venture Center is like a big front porch. People come to us with an idea or an early-stage company they recently launched; some are established solo, micro and small-business owners, or sometimes it’s a business owner looking to solve a business problem or make a connection. We sit down, or these days, log on to Zoom, grab a cup of coffee, and have a conversation.”
Amy Pietsch, Director of the Venture Center at Fox Valley Technical College
Cultivator of Talent
One of the ways the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh supports entrepreneurs is by hosting an Elevator Pitch Competition, during which students from various programs pitch their business idea in 90 seconds and compete for cash prizes.
“The pitch competition plants the seeds in many students’ minds that they are capable of doing something that they never thought they would be able to – and that is to have an idea, cultivate that idea, have that idea supported by others, and in some instances, have that idea turn into a business. I think that’s a really powerful thing,” says Andy Leavitt, chancellor of the university.
“The university is a cultivator of talent that drives economic development as well as entrepreneurship in northeast Wisconsin. The vast majority of our students come from the area, and after graduating, end up staying here, which is very beneficial for the region. Most businesses in any community are small businesses, and what we do is create opportunities for those businesses to be formed and to succeed.”
Other higher learning institutions that serve the Fox Valley area include Lakeland University, Marian University, Rasmussen College, St. Norbert College and Concordia University.
Get to Know Fox Cities
Want to learn more about living and working in Fox Cities, WI? Check out the latest edition of Livability Fox Cities, WI, Economic Development.
