Startup Wisconsin Blog  |  October 2026

Featured article

Ten Wisconsin Biohealth Startups Join Forward BIOLABS' ICP Program

In biotech, $75,000 doesn't go very far. Getting the space, equipment, and safety systems in place for a founder's first experiments can take months and hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Forward BIOLABS' ICP program isn't trying to cover all of that. It funds one milestone, the one standing between a company and its next raise.

On October 14, ten companies from Madison, Milwaukee, Brookfield, and Hartland landed $25,000 to $75,000 each in non-dilutive funding. Four of them are in Milwaukee. And some Round 1 awardees, including Axio BioPharma, have already gone on to raise.

Read the story →

  The Startup Wisconsin Blog is sponsored by  

A Full-Cycle Product Studio for the AI-Native Era AI-ready design systems, new products, and AI, built with your team. Forward deployed, built to last and adapt. Learn More

Also published recently

Dirac Labs Joins the Push to Make Lake Michigan the Navy's Area 52 The Madison quantum navigation startup signed on with the Wisconsin Security Research Consortium, which wants the lake to become a test range for autonomous ships and submarines.

Skylark Energy Solutions Wins Launch Wisconsin 2026 by Pitching the Grid We Already Have The $50,000 grand prize went to a pitch for more capacity out of today's transmission lines. All four category winners came from Madison.

Don't Have a Startup Idea? Founder Factory Has a Few Waiting for You University technologies from Marquette, MCW, Versiti, and UWM are looking for founders. Letters of intent for the next cohort are due October 23.

Events to check out

The Osthelder Experiment: Rural Innovation in Action
October 20, 4:30 PM | Sheboygan Falls
A 148-year-old rural bar brings its real operating problems to founders, investors, and operators in a reverse pitch.

+Venture Health 2026
October 21, 9:00 AM | Milwaukee
NVNG and BioForward's day of dealmaking for healthcare, life sciences, and medtech, with investors, health systems, and founders in one room.

Lunch with Hudson Hollister, CEO of HData
October 21, 12:00 PM | Madison
How he raised a Series B while investor expectations shifted mid-round, and what he'd tell founders raising now. Hosted by StartingBlock.

2026 Wisconsin Biohealth Summit
October 21 and 22 | Milwaukee
BioForward Wisconsin's flagship summit. A startup showcase and reception on day one, then a full day of science, business, and tech hub sessions.

Founder/Fest
October 21, 6:00 PM | Milwaukee
The Midwest Founders Community at Penrod. No panels, no pitches. Founder stories, food, drinks, and people who get it. Free for founders.

Founders Day at MKE Tech
October 28, 9:00 AM | Milwaukee
Free open coworking, mentor office hours, and a networking happy hour. Come for an hour or the whole day.

The Workshop: Milwaukee Mentorship Session
October 28, 3:00 PM | Milwaukee
Small-group time with experienced operators to work through a real challenge. Apply to join.

Fireside Chat with Aaron Towns
October 28, 5:00 PM | Milwaukee
BMO's Director of Commercial Banking and new WEDC board member on founders and how they spend their time.

Hackreation 2026
October 31, 8:00 AM | Milwaukee
A one-day hackathon at Penrod that closes out Wisconsin Tech Month.

See every event on the calendar →

Upcoming deadlines

Founder Factory Pre-Accelerator
Letters of intent due October 23 | Southeast Wisconsin
Up to $50,000 in non-dilutive seed funding across two stages. Bring your own idea or start with a university technology.

New North Pitch Series
Applications due October 31 | Northeast Wisconsin
Six local contests in November, $1,000 and $500 at each, and the top two advance to the December 2 regional at TitletownTech. For businesses under $300,000 in revenue or capital raised.

gener8tor Madison Accelerator
Rolling applications | Madison
Six high-growth startups per cohort, any industry, any business model.

Level Set by StartingBlock
Open enrollment | Madison
A six-week program to build and validate your business model. Runs six times a year.

FOR-M by MKE Tech
Rolling applications | Milwaukee
A first step for turning the idea in your head into a Milwaukee tech startup. Limited to 25 founders.

See all accelerators and pitch events →

Ten more biohealth companies are on the clock now. If you're building in biohealth, Forward BIOLABS says it's never too early to reach out.

If you're in Northeast Wisconsin, the New North deadline is October 31. If you know someone who should apply, forward this to them.

And if there's a founder or a story I should know about, reply and tell me. I read every one.

Keep building.

Jacob