Latest News
Running on “E”
When our tanks are empty how do you replenish them? Read Time: 5-6 minutes By: Heather Wentler - StartingBlock Madison Entrepreneur in Residence Even though this is my March article, it’s February as I write this. February is my hardest month of the year. My...
Are you a small company looking to make a big impact? Then StartingBlock Madison’s Social Impact Cohort Is For You.
In partnership with Associated Bank and the American Family Institute, StartingBlock Madison opened applications for its fourth Social Impact Cohort on February 2nd. StartingBlock is looking for the best and brightest social entrepreneurs to join the 2022 Social...
Don’t Settle for anything less than 100%
Level up your and your team members’ goals. Entrepreneurs plateau, but we can’t stop there or settle for 95%. We’re constantly figuring out how to get to the next gold star, the next level goal; and learn the skills needed to hit those goals. Read Time: 5-6 minutes...
StartingBlock Madison Enhances Member Benefits with Health Insurance Offering – Partnership with M3 Insurance and Quartz
StartingBlock Madison, a coworking space and entrepreneurial hub in downtown Madison, is enhancing member benefits by offering Health Insurance through a new pilot project and partnership with M3 Insurance and Quartz. Entrepreneurs who operate their startups and...
Accountability for All
Every January you get a new beginning. A new opportunity to reset and try again. We see this through setting goals, resolutions, or new intentions…Whatever method works best for you the most important thing is that you do it.
Don’t delay, this Q4 season ends soon
The majority of business sectors bring in their highest sales during Q4 annually and are all working overtime to fill end-of-year budget gaps and lure in customers and clients for the next year.
Where do I Fit into My Entrepreneurial Community?
Lately, I’ve been having many conversations with entrepreneurs who are feeling more and more isolated and not part of a greater community. While there are always many layers to the feeling of isolation, I do believe isolation is always part of the entrepreneurial journey.
Why Feedback is Important
Taking feedback in any form is usually not something people look forward to. Even receiving praise for when you’re meeting expectations can feel awkward and we don’t know how to respond to it. Critical and/or “do better” feedback is what l think is more important to regularly hear.
The Artist In Residence here at StartingBlock, Sasha Debevec-McKenney!
Meet StartingBlock’s new Artist in Residence, Sasha Debevec-McKenney! She is a poet whose work has appeared in The Yale Review, Nashville Review, Peach Mag, Underblong, TriQuarterly, Granta, and Poem-A-Day. Sasha was also the 2020-2021 Jay C. and Ruth Halls Poetry...
A message from the new Entrepreneur in Residence at StartingBlock – Heather Wentler
Hello StartingBlock Community! I'm excited to be your new Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR). This role has been held by some amazing people in the past who have left big shoes for me to fill. The EiR role is an effort to best support you and your venture(s) as you...
Tony Evers wants to use federal COVID funds to boost startups
The Innovate 608 podcast is for professionals on the go. It’s about entrepreneurship — the journey, the community and a place to hear about bold new things happening in Madison and Wisconsin. Hosted by Nora Roughen-Schmidt and produced by StartingBlock, Madison’s...
StartingBlock Highlights Diversity and Collaboration in the Madison Startup Community during Forward Fest
StartingBlock Madison is hosting three events centered around highlighting diversity and collaboration in the Madison startup community during the 12th annual Forward Festival. The Forward Festival is Wisconsin's largest technology and entrepreneurship festival,...
Social Impact Cohort Participants Announced
StartingBlock, in partnership with the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact and Associated Bank, has selected eleven social impact entrepreneur teams for StartingBlock’s 2021 Social Impact Cohort. The selected teams each have business...
Member Benefits Available May 1
StartingBlock Madison is offering benefits for members beginning May 1. Members will enjoy cafeteria style insurance plans starting at just $25/month and will include: vision, dental, life and virtual health. For information about insurance offerings and membership...
StartingBlock Madison Praises Governor’s Budget in Support of Entreprenuership in Wisconsin
On February 14, 2021 Governor Tony Evers announced that his 2021-2023 executive state budget will include the following highlights to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation for all Wisconsinites: -$100M new venture capital fund of funds with emphasis on...
StartingBlock Welcomes New Board Members
StartingBlock Madison announces the appointment of four new members of its Board of Directors. Joining the Board of Directors are: Ed Javier, Becca Cooke, Max Fergus and Heather Wentler. “All four of our new Board members embody the values of our organization and...
Announcing StartingBlock’s Next Executive Director: Nora Roughen-Schmidt
On behalf of StartingBlock Madison, Inc., it is my pleasure to announce the selection of Nora Roughen-Schmidt as our next Executive Director. Nora emerged from a very talented pool of more than 60 candidates. Nora is a relationship builder, an accomplished...
Startups — Now is the time to find summer and fall internships. Seriously.
If you are a startup, you should hire an intern -- now. Yes, in the middle of the covid crises when teams are virtual. We know that it sounds crazy. But, because of covid, many companies, large and small, are letting employees go and pausing planned hiring. This...
Schedule virtual office hours with Nhi Lê, StartingBlock’s Entrepreneur in Residence
StartingBlock's Entrepreneur in Residence, Nhi Lê, provides mentorship, business development and strategy, and connections to mentors and investors for StartingBlock Madison members and small-to-medium-sized businesses in the greater Madison region. She serves...
StartingBlock Madison’s team grows
Marc Yarmoff and Nathan Eggenberger join as Community Manager and Membership Manager respectively. Over the last two months the StartingBlock Madison team has grown with two recent new hires. We are excited to announce the addition of Nathan Eggenberger as our...
Calling all Social Entrepreneurs!
Do you believe in business as a force for good? There's so much interest in social entrepreneurship but do you know that means and how social entrepreneurs can distinguish their social mission using new certification and legal structures? Do you know the difference...
An Intern’s View of StartingBlock Madison
Eduardo Castillo interned at StartingBlock in Summer of 2019 as part of the CEOs of Tomorrow program. Recently, Eduardo came back and spent a few days of his spring break volunteering at StartingBlock. He sat down with Executive Director, Chandra Miller Fienen, to...
StartingBlock: 2018 A Year In Review
Happy 2019! Now that the holidays are over and we have rung in 2019, the StartingBlock Team thought it would be a good time to take a look back at 2018 accomplishments and what is on the horizon for 2019. 2018 Highlights We opened! After five years of work,...
StartingBlock selects eight social impact entrepreneurs & teams for its Social Impact Initiative
StartingBlock, in partnership with the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact and Greenbush Strategy Partners, has selected eight social impact entrepreneur teams for StartingBlock’s Social Impact Initiative. The selected teams each have...