BizStarts Milwaukee: Kicks off BizLearn to better educate and retain bright young entrepreneurs

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Kristin Settle

Zizzo Group Advertising + Public Relations

414-651-2976

kristinsettle@zizzogroup.com

MILWAUKEE – March 3, 2009 – BizStarts Milwaukee, Inc. has announced the launch of the 2009 BizLearn College Consortium, aimed at growing the number of entrepreneurial opportunities offered by 20 colleges and universities in the region.

Leading business educators from these institutions met today at WE Energies to begin discussing best practices for building small business initiatives in southeast Wisconsin.

“Many colleges offer entrepreneurial courses, programs and activities, but there is no infrastructure to communicate with other campuses“ said John Torinus, President of BizStarts Milwaukee. “We need a way to facilitate regional collaboration and sharing of those efforts. The BizLearn College Consortium will provide that much-needed forum.”

Torinus was joined at the event by Debra Malewicki, Assistant Professor, UW-Whitewater Management Department and Doug Arion, Director of Science Works, Carthage College. The featured speakers discussed best practices for fostering entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial education programs at institutions of higher learning.

BizStarts Milwaukee will coordinate at least three BizLearn College Consortium meetings this year. It will also produce a year-end annual report summarizing the region’s college entrepreneurial education efforts, along with more in depth information on each consortium member and their campus efforts. The report will highlight members’ goals for 2010 and 2011.

“As a result of the BizLearn initiatives, we expect to see a growing interest in entrepreneurship as a career path with more students electing to start their own companies after graduating,” said Torinus. “This will result in the region retaining more college-educated talent. Entrepreneurs tend to stay local, usually growing their firms in the states where they live. As an indirect result, we expect to see more entrepreneurial thinking taking place on campuses in the M7 region among faculty, staff and students.”

About BizStarts Milwaukee, Inc.

BizStarts Milwaukee, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping create a vibrant, innovative and prosperous entrepreneurial business climate in the seven-county greater Milwaukee area. By inspiring, nurturing, connecting and celebrating entrepreneurs and their companies, BizStarts Milwaukee seeks to encourage new businesses and business expansion throughout southeastern Wisconsin. It is led by a Governing Council of business professionals and entrepreneurs and a 13-person board of directors.

For more information, visit http://www.bizstartsmilwaukee.com