Last year, Madison Gas & Electric was making the headlines for a proposed restructuring of the cost of electricity for their customers, residential and commercial alike. Now, Justice & Sustainability Associates is working with MG&E to host community conversations to gather feedback about our community’s energy needs and priorities. Join us for this important Sustainable Business Network meeting and learn about the community conversation process and why your business should care about Madison’s energy future.

Plus, Sustainable Business Network members are welcome to join in one of two special community conversations geared toward the business community.

Learn more and register.

Wisconsin’s premier thought leadership event featuring parallel tracks in information technology, marketing, supply chain — and for the first time, customer service.

Opening Keynote: Patrick Dixon, Influential Futurist and Author
Patrick Dixon is often described in the media as Europe’s leading futurist. Patrick has successfully identified hundreds of future business innovations and is a global leader who has spoken to audiences in more than 50 nations. He is a dynamic, provocative and visionary speaker who advises many of the world’s largest corporations, including Google, Microsoft, Ford and FedEx. Patrick is the author or 16 books that have been translated into more than 30 languages, and his newest book is “The Future of Almost Everything.” During the morning keynote, Patrick will inspire change with specific insights and key trends to help you manage risk and seize opportunity

Closing Keynote: Adam Steltzner, NASA “Rock & Roll” Engineer
Adam Steltzner made history as the lead engineer of the team that landed the Curiosity Mars Rover. Often called a “rock and roll” engineer, Adam is recognized for his leadership and commitment to collaborative innovation. The challenges he and his team faced and the lessons learned from those struggles provide valuable insight on leading high-performing teams in high-stakes environments. What makes a team gel and enables truly innovative thinking? How do team dynamics drive that process forward or inhibit it? And how can organizational culture create an environment for sustained performance? Adam brings his true story of teamwork and leadership to the afternoon keynote of the UWEBC conference.

Learn more.

Entrepreneurons is a WARF series focused on bringing the fundamentals of getting a new venture started to the UW–Madison community. At the next session of WARF Entrepreneurons, local experts will discuss the entrepreneurial resources available on the UW–Madison campus. Panelists include:

• John Biondi, Discovery to Product (D2P)
• Anne Smith, Law & Entrepreneurship Clinic
• Mike Williams, Business Clinic
• Dan Olszewski, Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship
• Leigh Cagan, WARF
• Elias Meyer-Grimberg, Student Business Incubator

Register by October 8.

Recent high profile  trademark and copyright infringement cases drive home the fact that companies must plan ahead to protect  their patents, intellectual property, ideas and trademarks.

Even the most astute global companies struggle to do so in a globalized markets where US Intellectual Property Right laws confer little or no protection.

Learn how to protect your company’s ideas, products and business practices by attending MITA’s October event.

Topics covered:

• Filing for foreign patents
• Learn how to streamline the process and file in multiple countries at once
• Develop the right blend of protections for your company
• Decision making process regarding filing for patents in challenging countries
• Strategies for protecting your US trademarks abroad
• Effective management of intellectual assets to create value for any business

Find out more.

The Early Stage Symposium is designed to unlock Wisconsin’s entrepreneurial potential by providing the right combination of ideas, innovation, intellectual property and investment – as well as hands-on instruction and advice targeted to early stage companies ready to make the leap.

More than 45 companies will have an opportunity to make presentations and meet with investors, along with other entrepreneurs and business leaders. Many firms have cited participation in the conference as a key factor for significant business growth. Nearly 500 companies have presented during the conferences in one format or another since 2004, including some of the largest technology companies that call Wisconsin home.

Mike Splinter, former CEO and chairman of Applied Materials, will speak during the annual SBIR/STTR Awards Luncheon on Nov. 4. Splinter currently serves as general partner of WISC Partners, a strategic operating capital fund focused on building wealth and entrepreneurship in Wisconsin.

Zach Halmstad, founder of JAMF Software and UW-Eau Claire graduate, will speak at 9 a.m. on Nov. 5. The company currently has 7 offices, more than 450 employees and more than 5,500 customers worldwide. Halmstad, along with JAMF co-CEO Chip Pearson, was named 2014 EY “Entrepreneur of the Year” from the Upper Midwest.

The two-day event also features:

• Nationally known speakers.
• Presentations by more than two dozen companies selected for the Wisconsin Angel Network investors’ track. Investors from across Wisconsin and beyond will attend.
• The 11th annual Elevator Pitch Olympics, which will provide 90-second presentation opportunities for additional companies. A panel of experienced investors will judge the pitches and offer feedback.
• More than a dozen panel discussions or plenary sessions featuring leading entrepreneurs, investors and others tied to the tech sector.
• “Office hours,” offering the opportunity to meet with subject experts on a variety of topics in small discussion groups.
• SBIR/STTR awards luncheon to recognize grant recipients from the past year.
• The 2nd annual “Excellence in Entrepreneurial Education” award presentation.
• The annual “First Look” forum featuring selected campus-based technologies.
• Exhibit hall showcasing more than 40 Wisconsin companies.
• A first-night reception, two luncheons, two breakfasts and other networking opportunities, including an investors-only dinner.

Learn more and register today.