UW-Madison has launched the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub, which will take a new “founder-focused” approach to supporting startup growth at the university.
That’s according to Jon Eckhardt, a professor at the Wisconsin School of Business who was appointed as a special advisor to the entrepreneurship initiative. It was launched recently after being approved by campus governance in May.
“By implementing a founder-focused approach, we can more fully embrace all forms of entrepreneurship that occur on our campus and in our economy and provide entrepreneurs with the support and infrastructure they need to strengthen the state’s economy and improve the world,” Eckhardt said in a statement.
The concept for the hub was outlined in a study commissioned by UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and released in October 2024. Study authors called for putting a new focus on the individual company leaders, rather than the technology-focused strategy that they say dominates academic startup efforts.
This new approach involves three main activities: recruiting entrepreneurial people, developing startup talent and launching related careers and companies.
“This strategy will enable UW to get more companies to the starting line and then get them from the starting line to impact,” study authors wrote. “A central aspect of the strategy is the increase in the volume of entrepreneurial activity at all stages of the process.”
To lead these efforts under the newly formed hub, the university has begun the search for an executive director under a search committee chaired by Eckhardt. That committee includes company leaders who also have appointments with the university, other professors and deans, at least one student and representatives of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
In a statement on the hub’s formation, Mnookin references the university’s history of innovation. That includes its role in developing and patenting the blood thinner warfarin — where WARF got its name — as well as newer startups developing technologies such as fusion energy systems.
“The university is a home for founders, the people who drive entrepreneurship, and by providing them with the right support and infrastructure, we can create even greater economic growth throughout the state,” she said.
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