Creating and Funding Ventures at UW-Madison

The University of Wisconsin-Madison has a long history of fostering the formation and growth of startup ventures on campus and beyond. In the last 40 years, university researchers, staff and students have participated in creation of more than 230 companies. This Webinar will focus on the diverse set of programs and services that collectively serve entrepreneurs seeking to create startup ventures based on their research and ideas.


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Allen Dines
( Assistant Director UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations )

Bio

Mr. Dines is Assistant Director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Office of Corporate Relations (OCR). Operating within the Office of the Chancellor, the Corporate Relations office assists the business community in accessing the diverse resources of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison). As Assistant Director, he serves as Program Manager for OCR’s entrepreneurship programs including its Startup Initiative and the UW-Madison Kauffman Campus-wide Entrepreneurship program. Mr. Dines joined the UW-Madison in 2001 bringing with him more than 25 years of experience in industry and technology management. He founded, grew and sold two biotech startups and in his initial position at the university he served as Assistant Director for Business Development, within the Graduate School where his major focus was commercialization of university technology through startup business development. In 2002, Mr. Dines co-founded the Midwest Research University Network (MRUN), an alliance of Midwest research institutions dedicated to regional cooperation in the commercialization of university research through new business creation


Click Here for Slides on Creating and Funding Startup Ventures at UW-Madison by Allen Dimes

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Craig Christianson
( Director of Licensing, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation )

Bio

Craig Christianson is the Director of Licensing for the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the patent management and licensing organization of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. As Director of Licensing, he manages a proactive team responsible for the marketing, licensing and monitoring of technologies developed by UW researchers. Prior to joining WARF, Mr. Christianson spent 14 years at IBM, in various sales, management, program management and executive positions. Thereafter, he led two technology startup companies to the stage of profitability. Mr. Christianson earned a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, a J.D., and an M.S. in Biotechnology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.


Click Here for Slides on Start-up Companies Craig J. Christianson

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Dan Olszewski
( Director Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship,
University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business )

Bio

Dan Olszewski is the Director of the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business. Prior to joining the UW he was CEO and Chairman of PNA Holdings where by organically growing Parts Now! LLC and acquiring Katun Corp. revenues increased from $26M to over $400M during his tenure. With the assistance of private equity sponsors, he also led the successful buyout of the founder in 1999. Before joining Parts Now! Olszewski was a consultant at McKinsey and Company, with a focus on strategy, supply chain, technology and finance. He has also worked for IBM, the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, and Yasuda Fire and Marine Insurance in Tokyo. Olszewski graduated with distinction from UW-Madison with a bachelor's degree in economics and computer sciences, and he received an MBA from the Harvard Business School. Olszewski is on the board of directors of World Data Products Inc. and the advisory board of Cascade Asset Management and Parts Now! LLC. He has also served on the nonprofit advisory boards for the Henry Vilas Zoological Society, WHA Public Television and the Erdman Center for Manufacturing and Technology Management at the UW-Madison School of Business.


Click Here for Slides on CREATING AND FUNDING START-UPS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN: ROLE OF THE WEINERT CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP by Dan Olszewski

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Joe Kremer
( Director, Wisconsin Angel Network )

Bio

Joe Kremer is the director of the Wisconsin Angel Network (WAN), a public-private initiative launched in January 2005 to fuel the growth of entrepreneurial, early-stage financing throughout Wisconsin. WAN, a division of the Wisconsin Technology Council, originated from Governor Jim Doyle’s Grow Wisconsin plan and the Legislature’s Act 255 initiative. Kremer is the co-founder and former CFO of Madison-based PowerDesigners LLC, a high-tech power electronics firm. He served as an economic development policy advisor for the Wisconsin State Legislature, worked in the European headquarters’ finance departments of Kraft and PepsiCo Restaurants International, and consults for entrepreneurial and non-profit organizations on business and financial strategies. Kremer has been an instructor for the “Entrepreneurial Training Series” for Wisconsin’s Small Business Development Center and has guest lectured on entrepreneurship and small business fundamentals at the UW Madison School of Business. He currently serves on the board of advisors for AIESEC-Madison, a university student organization. Kremer, an MBA in Finance, is also a graduate of the University of Wisconsin’s Weinert Applied Venture in Entrepreneurship. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin.


Click Here for Slides on Wisconsin Angel Network by Joe Kremer