MADISON, Wis. – Dan Olszewski, whose career spans teaching, mentoring and running a young company, will accept the “Excellence in Entrepreneurial Education” award over lunch on Nov. 13 at the Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium. The conference will be held in-person at the Monona Terrace Convention Center.
General registration is also now open by clicking here!
Also known as the “Triple E” award, the designation was launched by the Wisconsin Technology Council to highlight the importance of teaching and mentoring entrepreneurs. The selection of Olszewski by the 2024 conference steering committee was based on:
- Delivering outstanding quality in teaching entrepreneurship and/or mentoring entrepreneurs, in or out of the classroom
- Stimulating innovative methods for teaching or mentoring entrepreneurs
- Promoting entrepreneurial education and mentorship among scholars, policymakers, practitioners and others
- Providing a significant contribution to the development of best practices in the field
Previous winners of the “Triple E” award are Tim Keane, an investor and entrepreneur who was one of the first college-level educators in Wisconsin to design courses around entrepreneurial studies; Thomas “Rock” Mackie, a scientist, entrepreneur and educator who has helped build an entrepreneurial culture on the UW-Madison campus; Jan Eddy, tech company founder and a tireless mentor of startups through her work on and off campus; Allen Dines, who has mentored entrepreneurs and helped instill a startup spirit in UW-Madison students and faculty; Terry Sivesind, a co-founder of MERLIN Mentors; Anne Smith, who launched the UW-Madison Law & Entrepreneurship Clinic; Lorrie Keating Heinemann, whose career has spanned a quarter-century of support for the startup and investing sectors in Wisconsin; Joe Boucher, who has worked with hundreds of young companies, taught at the UW-Madison and pioneered Wisconsin’s limited liability company; and co-founders of gener8tor Joe Kirgues and Troy Vosseller; and Matt and Susie Younkle, who have launched companies and mentored scores of startups separately and together as husband and wife.
Olszewski teaches the capstone Entrepreneurship WAVE course and was one of the co-founders of the Morgridge Entrepreneurial Bootcamp program for UW-Madison graduate students. He was previously CEO and chairman of Parts Now! during which time revenues increased from $26 million to more than $400 million through the company’s organic growth and its acquisition.
Before joining Parts Now! Olszewski was a consultant at McKinsey and Co., with a focus on strategy, technology and finance. He has also worked for IBM, the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and Yasuda Fire and Marine Insurance in Tokyo.
Olszewski serves on the board of First Business Bank and National Guardian Life Insurance Co. A Wisconsin native, Olszewski graduated from UW-Madison with a bachelor’s degree in economics and computer science and earned a master’s in business administration from Harvard University. The conference will also feature:
- A Nov. 14 keynote session featuring Microsoft and its planned data center
- Targeted panel discussions featuring leading entrepreneurs, investors and others tied to state, regional and national tech sectors
- Two-dozen companies pitching in the five-minute Tech Council Investor Networks pitch sessions, where one founder can ‘win’ and advance to Startup World Cup competition in October 2025
- 15-plus startups pitching in the 90-second Elevator Pitch Olympics on the afternoon of Nov. 14
- Exhibit hall showcasing innovative Wisconsin companies.
- A Nov. 13 conference reception, two luncheons, two breakfasts and other networking opportunities, including an investors-only dinner.
The Tech Council produces the conference. Sponsors thus far include: Advocate Aurora Health, Amazon, ark data centers, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals,AT&T, ATC, Baird Capital, Baker Tilly, BDO, Business Fitness, City of Fitchburg, CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen), DeWitt, EUA, Exact Sciences, Findorff, Fine Point Consulting, First Business Bank, Foley & Lardner, gener8tor, Godfrey & Kahn, Google, HealthX Ventures, Husch Blackwell, In Business Magazine,Isthmus Project, KW2, Lost Boys Interactive, M3 Insurance, Madison Development Corp., Madison Gas & Electric, Makin’ Hey! Communications,Marquette University, McClone, Michael Best, Microsoft, Morgridge Institute for Research, Neider & Boucher, One City Schools, ORIN Remediation Technologies, Quarles & Brady, Raven Software, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, RSM US, Ruder Ware, Sadoff E-Recycling & Data Destruction,SustainableHR PEO, State of Wisconsin Investment Board, Technology Entrepreneurship Office at UW-Madison, Technology Innovation Center – Milwaukee, UMOS One Workforce – TechStars, University Research Park, UWM Research Foundation, UW-Madison Center for Dairy Research, UW-Madison Dept. of Computer Sciences, UW-Madison Office of Business Engagement, VC3, Venture Investors, von Briesen & Roper, Walmart, WIPFLi,Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Wisconsin Center for Manufacturing & Productivity, Wisconsin Counties Association, Wisconsin Dept. of Financial Institutions, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., Wisconsin Energy Institute, Wisconsin Historical Society, Yahara Software and Ziegler Link-Age Funds.
To learn more about sponsorship information, please reach out to Angela Schlobohm at angela@wisconsintechnologycouncil.com.
