February Code and Coffee
February 1, 9:00 am [Milwaukee]
This gathering is designed to foster connections within our local tech community. Whether you are a seasoned professional, a hobbyist, or just getting your feet wet in the world of coding, there's a place for you here.

StartingBlock's Lunch with a Founder - featuring Ben Camp
February 4, 12:00 pm [Madison]
Recovery.com was founded to help those struggling with addiction and mental health issues find trustworthy treatment options. Ben Camp is the CEO & Co-Founder of Recovery.com.

Appleton Founder Stories - Brian Reimer of Graphic Composition
February 6, 6:00 pm [Appleton]
Join us for the next Appleton Founder Stories featuring Brian Reimer, sharing his journey of entrepreneurship through acquisition.

MadJS Monthly Meetup: Roundtable Discussion
February 10, 6:15 pm [Madison]
Continuing with our happy hour format for a while. Just a handful of JS developers talking about what they're working on and what new frameworks and tools catch their interest.

StartingBlock Lunch & Learn: Tactical Skills Series - featuring Amy Calder
February 11, 12:00 pm [Madison]
Amy Calder is the Founder of Golden Innovation Group. Amy's expertise is in business analysis, process optimization, project management, financial management, and communication. She looks at technology, workflows, expenses, staffing, and structure to make sure you've got the right fit for your business.

How Internet of Things (IoT) & AI Are Making Manufacturing Smarter
February 11, 5:00 pm [Milwaukee]
Explore the synergy between IoT and AI in enabling smarter systems, predictive insights, and automation across manufacturing and supply chains.

What is Git?
February 13, 6:30 pm [Madison]
Git hardly needs an introduction; in 2025 one would be hard-pressed to find a programmer who doesn't use it. Overall, Git is a revision control system. But did you know that it's also a content-addressable filesystem? And a directed acyclic graph? And don't forget the merge algorithm!

Sip & Sync in Milwaukee
February 14, 8:30 am [Milwaukee]
Join us for Sip & Sync - your casual networking meetup where meaningful connections happen over complimentary coffee. Drop in for relaxed conversations, share insights, or simply enjoy meeting fellow WIT members and friends in a laid-back atmosphere.

UW Entrepreneur Meetup #7
February 14, 7:00 pm [Madison]
This meetup is the official bi-weekly community meetup of the UW-Madison entrepreneurship community. If you are a UW student looking to begin your entrepreneurial journey, an experienced founder wanting to get tapped into the UW entrepreneurship ecosystem, or anything in between, you have come to the right place.

Taking AI Agents to Production
February 18, 10:39 am [Virtual]
In this session, attendees will hear from Heiko Zuerker, Enterprise Architect Principal at Northwestern Mutual (NM). NM has embraced generative AI since it went viral, immediately recognizing its value and the opportunities it provides. Learn how they took the next step forward by leveraging AI agents to create an advanced internal support bot.

Madison's Geek Lunch
February 18, 11:45 am [Madison]
If you've never been to a Geek Lunch, it's an engaging conversation with your geekiest friends, where the topic bounces around depending on whatever anyone wants to contribute. All are welcome regardless of where you lie on any imaginary geek scale. Think "The Algonquin Round Table" with an emphasis on tech.

Midwest Founders Retreat
February 20-21, 9:00 am [Milwaukee]
The Midwest Founders Retreat is an exclusive two-day experience nestled into the grounds of the wintery landscape of the Wingspread campus in Racine, Wisconsin. Our curated guest list is designed for the top Midwest startup founders, creating a haven for those who seek a reprieve from the daily grind of building their companies among a group of peers looking for growth, connection & a bit of relaxation.

UW Founders Day
February 26, 9:00 am [Milwaukee]
This is a day of free resources for Milwaukee's growing startup founders. We've got open coworking, mentor office hours, coffee, snacks, and a networking happy hour. Come for part of the day or the entire thing!

UW Entrepreneur Meetup #8
February 27, 7:00 pm [Madison]
This meetup is the official bi-weekly community meetup of the UW-Madison entrepreneurship community. If you are a UW student looking to begin your entrepreneurial journey, an experienced founder wanting to get tapped into the UW entrepreneurship ecosystem, or anything in between, you have come to the right place.

2025 Wisconsin Esports Summit
March 3, 12:00 pm [Milwaukee]
In its fourth year, the Wisconsin Esports Summit is bigger and better than ever! This action-packed, one-day event brings together gamers, industry leaders, businesses, and community visionaries to dive into the future of esports and make powerful connections that will shape the region’s gaming landscape.

StartingBlock's Lunch with a Founder - featuring Tatum Kepler
March 6, 12:00 pm [Madison]
Tatum Kepler, Director of Product Management of the Proven Process Group, has substantial experience recruiting for Engineering positions, servicing over 500 clients, and building a brand new department, optimizing your current team, or working on a special project.

MadJS Monthly Meetup: Roundtable Discussion
March 10, 6:15 pm [Madison]
Continuing with our happy hour format for a while. Just a handful of JS developers talking about what they’re working on and what new frameworks and tools catch their interest.

UW Entrepreneur Meetup #9
March 13, 7:00 pm [Madison]
This meetup is the official bi-weekly community meetup of the UW-Madison entrepreneurship community. If you are a UW student looking to begin your entrepreneurial journey, an experienced founder wanting to get tapped into the UW entrepreneurship ecosystem, or anything in between, you have come to the right place.

Chippewa Valley Code Camp 2025
March 15, 8:00 am [Chippewa Valley]
Maybe you sling code, maybe you just use scripts to transform data. If you’ve ever had to edit a configuration file or parse a response payload, you’ll probably fit in great. If you've ever had to debug a stack trace, you belong here!

2025 Wisconsin Tech Summit
March 17, 8:30 am [Milwaukee]
The goal of the Wisconsin Tech Summit is to bring together major firms and emerging companies in a setting that allows them to meet and explore likely business relationships around technology needs and innovation. Major firms will hear from emerging companies with innovative products or services.

Madison's Geek Lunch
March 18, 11:45 am [Madison]
If you've never been to a Geek Lunch, it's an engaging conversation with your geekiest friends, where the topic bounces around depending on whatever anyone wants to contribute. All are welcome regardless of where you lie on any imaginary geek scale. Think "The Algonquin Round Table" with an emphasis on tech.

Capital Entrepreneurs - March Meet Up
March 19, 6:00 pm [Madison]
Capital Entrepreneurs is dedicated to fostering a supportive, collaborative culture where growth and innovation lead the way. We host monthly meetups and an annual Founder Day!

StartingBlock Lunch & Learn: Tactical Skills Series - featuring Nikki Brown
March 27, 12:00 pm [Madison]
Learn how to delegate your busy work with AI and automation to focus on your most important deep, meaningful, and human work. Nikki Brown is a Senior Product Operations Manager at Zapier and brings Product and Go-To-Market teams together by collecting, analyzing, and sharing the customer feedback that brings innovative new features to life.

Six Local Companies Receive SBIR Advance Funds - Startup and Tech News
Atrility Medical (Madison), Stem Pharm (Madison), GoDX Inc (Madison), ImgGyd LLC (Middleton), Immuto Scientific (Madison) and Medical Cyberworlds (Verona) join three other Wisconsin companies in receiving up to $800,000 in matching grants.

Tom Still: Wisconsin needs to catch its neighbors in venture capital
No matter how the numbers are crunched, Wisconsin still lags almost all its Midwest neighbors when it comes to the broad category of early-stage investing.

HypeUp makes attendees part of the show
Peter Smith, founder of Milwaukee-based Neon Labs, is making waves in the live events industry with his innovative product, HypeUp. Designed to elevate the attendee experience, HypeUp transforms crowds into synchronized light displays using only their smartphones—no apps or wristbands required.

Microsoft acquires 240 acres in Kenosha for major data center project
Few details were made public, but the project would be in addition to the $3.3 billion center the company has under construction in Mount Pleasant in Racine County.

Freyja cuts costs while improving maternal care
The company’s products, Freyja Cares and MaternityMetrix, are revolutionizing maternal health in Wisconsin, combining technology with evidence-based guidance to support expecting mothers and their communities.

Polco, Tyler Technologies to Partner
According to a release, the partnership will allow Tyler Technologies to act as a reseller of Polco’s product suite in combination with its own budgeting and ERP solutions.

Wisconsin's most active investors in 2024
According to PitchBook, 28 Wisconsin-based investors made a total of 99 disclosed startup investments in 2024.

Baldwin pledges to fight for ‘robust’ Tech Hub funding under new administration
She added “there will be some changes” due to the new administration’s differing priorities and Republicans gaining control of the U.S. Senate in the 2024 elections, but aims to keep the tech hub program running.

Sixth-generation dairy farm flourishes by embracing innovation, technology
Family owned operation added the 360 RAIN system to the farm last year.

Grant program awards funding to seven UW startups
University of Wisconsin’s Discovery to Product awarded funding to seven UW startups Monday through a grant program managed by D2P and a matching fund of $250,000 from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, according to D2P Interim Director Abram Becker.

Port Washington council OKs annexation deal for data center
Port Washington Mayor Ted Neitzke IV told WPR he believes a data center’s advantages “far outweigh the cons.” He claimed it would almost double the city’s total tax valuation.

Madworks Seeks Startups for 2025 Cohort
According to a release, each participating company receives a $5,000 grant and a one-year membership to StartingBlock. Participants must be able to commit at least 20 hours per week toward working on their venture, including active attendance and participation in Madworks Accelerator classes and mentor sessions.

How gener8tor Lightning Rounds Help Founders Secure Startup Funding
One of the biggest challenges for startups is breaking through the noise and accessing the right audiences. Our mission with Lightning Rounds is simple: to provide opportunities for founders while delivering deal flow for investors.

Exact Sciences releases data showing effectiveness of cancer test
Exact Sciences is touting new results for its Oncodetect cancer test, which demonstrate its “strong performance” in detecting disease and predicting recurrence.

Wisconsin VC Funding for December 2024
According to PitchBook, Wisconsin startups raised at least $13.97 million in December.

Dane County ‘sustainability campus’ could break ground later this year
A “sustainability campus” — to include a sustainable business park and a new landfill — will serve as the county’s central location for treating and processing waste, and for recycling.

New Beloit-based VC fund receives investment from Badger Fund of Funds
Mastercraft Ventures, led by fund manager Mason Cook, is the sixth venture capital fund to receive support from the Badger Fund.

A Wauwatosa company's Series C funding round was one of the top in the state
The deal came as venture capital activity in Wisconsin surged in the fourth quarter.