With a portion of our Innovationedge team located in Winnebago County in Northeast Wisconsin, we are fortunate to be part of a thriving NEW North innovation ecosystem. Created in 2005, NEW North is a non-profit, regional marketing and economic development corporation that fosters collaboration among private and public sector leaders. The following Wisconsin counties make up the NEW North region: Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Marquette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Sheboygan, Waupaca, Waushara, and Winnebago
When exploring innovation in the NEW North region, all you need is Google maps to see we have a variety of co-working spaces, accelerators and small business development centers, idea incubators, and makerspaces available for the budding entrepreneur. In fact, we are fortunate to have three Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) in the region: UW-Green Bay, UW- Oshkosh, and UW-Stevens Point. The SBDCs provide consulting, education, referrals, tools, and resources, to help whether you are just getting started or looking for ways to improve your business.
Locally, the Venture Center, part of Fox Valley Technical College, is committed to servicing the needs of small and emerging businesses with affordable training and technical assistance. FVTC works in partnership with other organizations and small businesses to ensure services address the critical needs of start-ups and small employers.
A resource like the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) is available to connect state economic development resources with business, community, and local partner projects.
Just up the road in Green Bay is TitletownTech. Formed just over two years ago out of a partnership between the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft, TitletownTech builds and funds early-stage high-growth businesses. The Packers, Microsoft, and 14 additional companies contributed $25 million in investment capital to invest in seed and early-stage companies and prefers digital ventures created in or relocated to Northeast Wisconsin.
Needless to say, innovation is alive and well in Northeast Wisconsin.