A new project organized under local startup accelerator, Gener8tor, hopes to bridge the divide between Madison and Milwaukee’s startup environments.
The currently unnamed initiative would bring complementary businesses together for both creative and technical gain. Organizers said up to now, the two cities have existed as two distinct entrepreneurial bubbles, much to their collective detriment.
Creating a network for business people in both Milwaukee and Madison will help join the financial resources of Milwaukee with University of Wisconsin support and innovation in Madison, Gener8tor Director Scott Resnick, an organizer, said.
Ian Abston, Millenian founder and an organizer, said after meeting with entrepreneurs in both cities, he has concluded they are not as connected as they could be. Better collaboration among businesses would provide added support to fledgling startups while also bringing the populations together, he said.
“The businesses in these two cities think about progress and change in different ways,” Abston said. “If we can get young smart people together with different philosophies, it’s going to help everyone.”
The push to bring the two cities together is aimed primarily at new millennial business leaders, Abston said. But it is also open to all business leaders. Already, he said there are plans to take business owners on trips between the two cities.
This means fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation for the uniqueness of both cities, Abston said, both as fertile ground for new business ventures and as cultural hubs.
“We want them to not just be tourists in these cities, but to really understand the city and the business leaders there,” Abston said.
Many startups often fail because of funding shortfalls, incompatible visions among founders and other reasons. Abston said combining the capital and talent of the two cities will give each new business a better chance at success, even if most fail.
Abston said he believes the Midwestern mentality found in Madison and Milwaukee will play a crucial role in cementing connections made through the program. In addition, he said entrepreneurs are risk takers who thrive when connected to one another.
Matt Cordio, Startup Milwaukee co-founder, is another organizer and said he’d like to see a greater exchange of people and ideas between the cities. Still, he realizes it is unlikely the cities will ever become closely connected enough to warrant construction of a rail line between the two.
As to why Abston is undertaking the project, he said he has selfish motives.
Abston said he would like to see greater cooperation between the two cities because often times he sees many good startups fail in Milwaukee because they don’t understand the different culture in Madison.
Personally, Abaston said he finds joy in connecting people together and this will be another way for him to continue doing so. All three organizers said the initiative will have a positive impact on the state as a whole.
“Our goal is to link these communities and unlock the their economic potential for the state of Wisconsin,” Resnick said.
