This is an excerpt from a column posted at BizOpinion
Wisconsin start-ups looking for help in making the next step have a new resource – InventureXcel, a new program offered through UW-Oshkosh.
This free business boot camp program will be held over three weekends during the month of November. InventureXcel is designed to provide entrepreneurs with customized curriculum focused on customer validation, executive summaries and elevator pitches with access to a mentor network of industry experts, says program director Kim Biedermann.
“We’re limiting it to five start-ups so we can really tailor the program to their needs,” she says. “We’re hoping that once they come through this program they’ll be ready for a business accelerator or another similar program to keep advancing their idea forward.”
Shelby Smykal, accelerator coordinator at the UW-Oshkosh Business Success Center, says the InventureXcel participants will work on putting together a well-written executive summary that they can present to potential investors about their business idea.
“A business plan is important, but a lot of investors just want that summary and want to understand what the business is,” she says. “We’ll also work on putting together an effective elevator speech since that is key when connecting with investors.”
