Entrepreneurons is a WARF series focused on bringing the fundamentals of getting a new venture started to the UW–Madison community.

Wisconsin’s potential to be the right environment for high-tech business is a special two-part series moderated by Lisa Johnson of BioForward.

Part one: Mergers & Acquisitions
Why do some companies choose to stay in Wisconsin?

What factors induce some large companies to keep their new acquisitions in Wisconsin? What can we learn from them? What challenges do they face? Leaders at companies that have recently acquired high-tech Wisconsin businesses including Accuray and Shopbop will talk about their company’s decisions.

Learn more and register by January 19.

The Certified In Wisconsin® Program, offered in partnership by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) and Deloitte Consulting, will accept new applications from property owners starting January 12.

The program is open to industrial properties 20 acres or larger in Wisconsin. A Certified Site designation indicates that a wide range of concerns have been considered — environmental and geological factors, transportation access, utility and infrastructure capacity, zoning, property rights — and that the site is ready for industrial development.

Certified In Wisconsin sites also benefit from WEDC’s comprehensive marketing strategy, including a dedicated webpage and print piece offering details about each individual site, and inclusion in a database that allows site selectors to quickly and easily search for sites that meet their criteria.

“Certified Site designation is a fast track for your property to get the attention of site selectors and real estate developers,” said Wade Goodsell, who manages the Certified In Wisconsin Program for WEDC. “WEDC subsidizes part of the cost for the sites that are chosen to move forward. We recognize that this process can be costly for property owners and developers, and we know that having a broad selection of Certified Sites supports the health of the Wisconsin economy.”

Wisconsin currently has 15 Certified Sites. Since the program’s launch in 2012, seven development projects have taken place on six Certified In Wisconsin sites, with a total capital investment estimated at $230 million. “These investments probably would not have occurred, or may have happened in other states, were it not for the Certified In Wisconsin Program,” said Goodsell. “This program paves the way for faster development and mitigates risk in the development process, both for the site owner and for the company making the investment.”

The 2016 application process kicks off with a free webinar on Tuesday, Jan. 12, at 1:30 p.m. Applications are due by Feb. 19, 2016. More information and application details are available at InWisconsin.com/certifiedinwisconsin.

It’s time to tinker with like-minded “mad” inventors! See what happens when your imagination meets a box of junk at the 7th annual Wacky Invention Contest hosted by the Evansville Area Inventors & Entrepreneurs Club.

This free annual event organizes participants into three spontaneous teams. Each team is given a box of “treasures” and has just 30 minutes to create something wild and wonderful. The gadgets are then judged on creativity and sales performance by the team. Winners earn bragging rights! Judges this year are Jim Brooks, Evansville Community Partnership director and City Council president; Jason Sergeant, City of Evansville community development director; and Walter Shannon, multi-faceted attorney and proprietor of Shannon Law Office.

The laughter-evoking event  includes light refreshments. RSVPs are appreciated but not required. More information is available from Sue Berg at 608.882.0986 or suebergsolutions@gmail.com or Halina Zakowicz, 608.698.4259 or admin@haelix.com. Information is also available on Facebook.

StartingBlock is excited to announce its entrepreneurial conference series, StartingBlock: Second Gear. This inaugural event will feature keynote speaker, Robbie Bach, former Chief Xbox Officer at Microsoft, and will be produced by Madison Startup Grind. Following Bach’s presentation, Capital Entrepreneurs, VR Meetup and the Madison Game Alliance will each hold their monthly meetup.

The free evening program features our keynote speaker, Robbie Bach former President of Entertainment and Devices Division, Microsoft & author of  Xbox Revisited: A Game Plan for Corporate and Civic Renewal.  Bach led the division that was responsible for Xbox, Xbox 360, Zune, Windows Games, Windows Mobile and Microsoft TV.  He was the Chief Marketing Officer for Microsoft Office when it grew from 20% to 80% market share during his tenure.

Following the interview, three co-located monthly meetup groups will hold gatherings: Capital Entrepreneurs, VR Meetup, and the Madison Game Alliance. Capital Entrepreneurs is a group dedicated to creating new connections and a community around the amazing startups in and around Madison. Madison VR is a meetup group comprised of game developers, artists, students, and other members from the community that are interested in the future of virtual reality. Madison Game Alliance is a network of video game industry enthusiasts set on growing the greater Madison region. Meetups will begin at approximately 7:30 pm.

The event is free but RSVP is highly encouraged: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/startingblock-second-gear-tickets-20114663500

One of Midwest’s premiere conferences for the dairy farming community will be held Jan. 12-14 at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison, Wis.

Dairy Strong 2016: Partners in Progress will bring together more than 600 farmers, corporate professionals and government and university representatives from across the Midwest to explore the future of an integral part of the culture and economy of Wisconsin and the nation.

The conference will include a panel discussion about sustainability of farming and food production as part of a national outreach program called the Food Dialogues, developed by the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance.

In addition to the Food Dialogues, the event will feature breakout sessions and panel discussions on topics ranging from investment funding for new dairy technology to the evolving relationship between farmers and veterinarians.

Learn more.