Contact: Dan Blake or Tom Still at 608-442-7557
Or visit www.wisconsinangelnetwork.com to learn more
MADISON – George Mosher, a Milwaukee early stage investor who defines the term “super-angel” based on his investment activity over time, will be inducted Monday night into the Wisconsin Investor Hall of Fame.
Mosher was elected during a recent meeting of investors in Madison. He joins Dick Leazer, the retired co-manager of Wisconsin Investment Partners, who was the inaugural inductee in 2012.
Mosher will be honored during a dinner about 50 angel and venture capitalists preceding the annual Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium in Madison. The dinner is hosted by Baird Capital and produced by the Wisconsin Angel Network.
An investor in about 150 angel deals over time, Mosher is a long-time Milwaukee resident who got his start in the furniture business.
Mosher said he sees a greater need to support entrepreneurs, especially given the economic environment in recent years.
“My sense is that it’s getting harder and harder in this environment for companies to break through and be successful,” said Mosher, who is a member of several angel investing groups based in Milwaukee and also makes investments as an individual.
“My sense is that it’s just gotten harder, with all sorts of constraints on the economy,” he said. “A lot of young people are floundering trying to get a business started.”
Mosher grew up in the Boston area, graduating from Harvard University’s business school in 1963. He moved to Milwaukee in 1965 to become president of Business and Institutional Furniture, a company that specialized in selling furniture via catalog to churches and schools.
In 1975, Mosher and his wife, Julie, started National Business Furniture. That company made a number of acquisitions over time, including Business and International Furniture. After the dot.com boom faded, NBF bought Office Furniture.com and Furniture Online. Sales for NBF and other combined companies grew to $125 million. In January 2006, NBF was purchased by K&K America, which was owned by TAACT, a German company expanding its operations in the United States.
Mosher’s civic and board ties include BizStarts Milwaukee, the Chamber Theatre, Downtown Milwaukee Rotary and the UWM Library.
“George Mosher was a ‘super-angel’ before people were using that term,” said Tom Still, president of the Tech Council. “He has made more than 20 investments in the last year alone, and his passion for working with entrepreneurs helps to define him.”
Among the Tech Council’s programs is the Wisconsin Angel Network, which works with the state’s angel groups as well as early stage funds and other private equity investors.
Visit www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com and www.wisearlystage.com to learn more.
