UW-Whitewater will host the WiSys Big Idea Tournament—a statewide entrepreneurship competition for University of Wisconsin System students—on Saturday, April 22 from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The WiSys Big Idea Tournament—which focuses on creating an effective business model—will take place in UW-Whitewater’s Hyland Hall, located at 809 West Starin Road. The event is open to the public, but attendees are encouraged to RSVP at wisys.org/bigidea.
The competition will feature 11 student teams, including:
- Fitness & Strength LLC, Jackson Anderson, UW-Eau Claire.
- Engineering Designs for Communication, Mitchell Bell, UW-Green Bay.
- International Travel Advisor (ITA), Mitchelle Lyle, UW-Milwaukee.
- iSense Data, Jessica Solano, UW Oshkosh.
- Zeki Tea, Alex Ziegler, UW Oshkosh.
- Biz Optimization, Juan Torres Meza, UW-Parkside.
- PoliMarket, Marc Aruguete and George Case, UW-Platteville.
- Productive Practice, Kyrie Kons, UW-River Falls.
- Endeavor Pressure Washing, Luke Heggestad, UW-River Falls.
- Stain Saver Pro, Ben Schmitt, UW-Stout.
- RaritiesMarket, Inc., Chad Tjugum, UW-Whitewater.
To land a spot at the statewide competition, the students competed in a local qualifying competition on a UW System Campus or earned a spot through WiSys’ review of at-large submissions.
The competition was established to connect the Wisconsin entrepreneurial ecosystem to University of Wisconsin students with the goal to help students think critically about their business ideas and implement lean business methodologies. Leading up to this statewide competition, students received mentorship from campus and statewide entrepreneurship experts.
WISYS SUPPORTS ENTREPRENEURS
Since 2020, WiSys has been launching local startup hubs to support local entrepreneurs across the state in UW System-connected communities, including UW-Eau Claire, UW-Green Bay, UW-Platteville and UW-Superior. Over time, WiSys plans to build a startup hub in each of the 11 communities with a regional UW System institution.
These startup hubs, known as WiSys VentureHomes® offer local entrepreneurs “everything your startup needs under one roof™,” including concierge service, resources and a supportive mentoring program.
“The goal of the WiSys VentureHome® network is to seed new entrepreneurs as well as their potential startups,” said WiSys President Arjun Sanga. “The WiSys Big Idea Tournament is an additional way to support new entrepreneurs by introducing them to local economic development ecosystems throughout the state of Wisconsin. The competition is an opportunity for the students to refine their ideas, gain expertise and network.”
For more information about WiSys VentureHome®, visit venturehome.org. For more information about the WiSys Big Idea Tournament, visit wisys.org/bigidea.
WiSys is a nonprofit organization that works with faculty, staff, students, and alumni of the UW System to facilitate cutting-edge research programs, develop and commercialize discoveries and foster a spirit of innovative and entrepreneurial thinking across the state.
