Faculty/Staff Start-Ups

UW-Whitewater Small Business Development Training

Research has shown that entrepreneurs who receive training prior to and during the launch of their business have a far greater chance of success. The failure rate for new businesses has been estimated at about 70% to 80% in the first year. According to Dunn and Bradstreet reports, businesses with fewer than 20 employees have only a 37% chance of surviving four years and only a 9% chance of surviving ten years. Some types of businesses, like restaurants have only a 20% chance of surviving two years. Lack of business management skills and insufficient planning contribute to the majority of failures. You can increase your chance of startup success by gaining core business ownership knowledge and skills. The UW-Whitewater Small Business Development Center (SBDC) offers a variety of business start up training programs to support faculty/staff, students, and other entrepreneurs.

Support for Business Development / Start-up--The Innovation Hub

The Whitewater-University Technology Park and its cornerstone facility-the Innovation Center-serves as the regional nexus for entrepreneurial initiatives and serve as a force to positively impact relevant economic indicators. The Innovation Center is a business incubator designed to leverage the capacity and resources of the community-including the University-to support business growth.

The Innovation HUB (or iHUB) is both a collaborative space located in the Innovation Center and a series of programs designed to accelerate the successful development of entrepreneurial companies (particularly start-ups) through an array of business support resource and services. UW-Whitewater offers limited funds to support release time and/or stipends and other expenses to support technology commercialization through iFellowships. 

iFellows receive up to $10,000 to develop and/or implement a suitable plan to establish a start-up company or to conduct applied research leading to the development of intellectual property that could be commercialized. There is also support available for faculty/staff conducting market analysis of a business/technology concept.

WiSys Entrepreneurship E-Learning Tool

WiSys launched its Entrepreneurship E-Learning Tool to educate potential entrepreneurs on fundamental issues in starting or managing a high-tech business based on proprietary technologies. The content is also valuable to those who may become employed in technology companies or become inventors on a technology patent and may consider starting a business. The tool is available to all UW system students, faculty and staff to use individually or in a classroom setting. Current topics include confidentiality, intellectual property, market research and licensing. The learn-at-your-own-pace course consists of approximately 10 hours of material.

To receive a login to preview or use the tool, contact Jon Cook at jcook@wisys.org or 608.316.4036.