The 10th annual Chancellor’s Entrepreneurial Achievement Awards honored four outstanding innovators and alumni from the University of Wisconsin Thursday night for furthering the Wisconsin Idea, according to a email press release from the chancellor’s office.
Honorees Tyler Kennedy, Winslow L. Sargeant, Wesley Schroll and Anne Smith received this award for their outstanding individual accomplishments. The four are leading innovation through entrepreneurship and creating a powerful impact on Wisconsin and the world, Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin said.
The event began with a reception for the honorees to allow them, their families, friends and all other attendees to recognize their outstanding accomplishments. The program then continued in the Discovery Building’s DeLuca Forum where each honoree was celebrated and recognized by the evening’s host, Mnookin, and the audience.
“They share a set of core commitments that drive their work, and that includes a commitment to follow their curiosity to collaboration, to service and the creativity to make something that didn’t exist before,” Mnookin said. “Curiosity about how something might be done differently or better, collaboration to people who bring the right mix of resourcefulness, resilience, passion, knowledge, a dedication to service, that’s the Wisconsin Idea.”
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Sargeant was recognized for his multiple career achievements ranging from receiving an engineering Ph.D. to providing leadership for various startup companies, including his position as Chief Executive Officer at Purple Team Technologies.
Smith was recognized for her ability to bring great minds together, co-founding the UW Law & Entrepreneurship Clinic and her participation in founding StartingBlock Madison, a thriving hub for entrepreneurship that continues to form generations of entrepreneurs.
Kennedy and Schroll were highlighted for founding and creating the country’s fastest-growing digital rewards and marketing platform, Fetch. With over 17 million users and a company value of nearly $3 billion, the two were celebrated for their entrepreneurial drive, skill and teamwork gained through their UW education.
The Chancellor’s Entrepreneurial Achievement Awards were established in 2011 to recognize individuals from UW who further the Wisconsin Idea. The Office of the Chancellor collaborates with the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association to organize this annual event, produced by the University Relations and Discovery to Product.
Award recipients are given this honor based on their entrepreneurial success that demonstrates and promotes economic growth and social welfare, serves as examples for the UW community and inspires entrepreneurship within the campus culture, according to the website.
“They are shaping the entrepreneurial ecosystem and driving the economy in our state and beyond. They are inspiring a new generation of innovators who create opportunity for others, making our communities strong and vibrant,” Mnookin said. “Simply put, Wisconsin entrepreneurship changes lives.”
