Join Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection for a hosted business luncheon where speakers will discuss the many opportunities for your food, wine, and ginseng exports to the lucrative Hong Kong market. There is also an opportunity for two companies to share booth space at the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair taking place November 10-12, 2016.

Hong Kong is a mature and sophisticated market with a growing demand for gourmet foods and alcoholic beverages. It is also home to one of the largest US expatriate communities in the world with over 50,000 Americans living, working, and studying there. Hong Kong is a long-established regional trading hub that acts as a buying center for China, Southeast Asia, and other parts of the continent. Establishing market presence here can quickly turn to a foot-in-the-door to the rest of Asia.

Hong Kong is the 4th largest market for U.S. consumer-oriented food products, which have reached record levels in recent years. Top U.S. exports of processed food products in 2014 included ingredients and beverage bases; wine; prepared/preserved beef; cooked and prepared shellfish; sausage; ginseng roots; and more.

View the event flyer, and RSVP by July 8 to Jennifer Lu, Lisa Stout, or Madison Niemann.

The Pressure Chamber and Startup Showcase are back as part of the 2016 Forward Festival! These evening pitch events are in coordination with the Forward Technology Conference and neXXpo on August 23, 2016, all happening at the Monona Terrace in Madison.

Both Pressure Chamber and Startup Showcase are open to companies in any industry, as long as the company meets the following requirements:

• Must be a member of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce or Capital Entrepreneurs
• Must be located in Dane County or plan to locate to Dane County by August 23, 2016
• Must have raised at least $25,000 (excluding personal investment by company founders)
• Application must be received by Friday, July 8, 2016

You may apply to pitch at one or both of these events. Learn more, and contact Kevin Little at klittle@greatermadisonchamber.com for more information.

Come learn how revolutionary technology platforms easily integrate with your current infrastructure enabling automation, collaboration, analytics, mobile, and rapid response to change.

Register today for a complimentary day of innovation and learning including:

• Timely presentations on government cloud computing and more
• Live demonstrations to visualize your offices’ innovation
• Learn how other state agencies are leveraging Salesforce

Contact Allison Mackin with the Salesforce Government Team at 703.889.9819 with questions.

Apply to be part of Madworks’ Summer 2016 Cohort by June 7th. Madworks is a seed accelerator operating in Madison, Wisconsin that provides grants, mentors, lean startup methodology, structure, access to next-round finance and much, much more to selected early-stage companies. Madworks will provide you with capital and office space and surround you with fellow entrepreneurs, mentors, industry experts, service providers and anyone else you need to get off the ground and grow.

Madworks accepts early-stage companies created by UW-Madison faculty, staff, alumni and students, as well as early-stage companies from the greater Madison community to its high energy, 10-week program.

Learn more and apply online.

Looking to go full-time in your venture? Grow and expand from where you are now? Introduce a new product line? Or gain exposure for your venture? Sometimes the biggest obstacle holding you back is securing a little money and support from others to take your business to the next level of success.

Apply to pitch at Doyenne Group’s 5x5x5 Pitch Event, where 5 women-led businesses will make 5-minute pitches, and one will receive a $5,000 seed grant. Applications are open to Women-led Wisconsin businesses in any industry and in any level of startup phase. Selected businesses will present their pitches on Wednesday, August 24th during Madison’s Forward Festival.

Doyenne Group is partnering with 1 Million Cups Madison for this year’s event. 1 Million Cups Madison is a weekly entrepreneurial showcase event featuring startups from across the Greater Madison area. 1 Million Cups Madison is part of the National 1 Million Cups network sponsored by the Kauffman Foundation with chapter organized by local community members.

Learn more. Applications are open until June 4, 2016