“I cannot wait till like I'm somewhere up in Northern Wisconsin, I stop and open the door, and there's the founder of a company that came from this process.”

In this episode, I sit down with Jon Eckhardt, Pyle Bascom Professor at the Wisconsin School of Business, to explore the university’s push to become more founder forward. Jon shares why entrepreneurship should be treated as a true career path, with support systems similar to medicine, law, and engineering.

Jon reflects on the experiences that shaped his thinking, from serving in the Army to co-founding gener8tor and studying entrepreneurship through data science. He explains how UW-Madison uncovered startup activity happening across nearly every discipline on campus, proving entrepreneurial talent exists far beyond business school.

We also discuss the origins of tech transfer at Wisconsin, the limits of traditional commercialization models, and why the future of entrepreneurship support should focus more on cultivating founders themselves. Jon shares how lower startup costs, shifting capital dynamics, and stronger statewide collaboration could help position Wisconsin as a leader in innovation-driven entrepreneurship.

Tune in to learn:

Why UW-Madison is embracing a founder forward approach to entrepreneurship
How entrepreneurship is emerging across every corner of campus, not just business school
How universities can better connect students, alumni, investors, and communities across the state

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:24) Army lessons that shaped Jon’s leadership

(03:32) Using data science to study startups

(04:24) Building gener8tor and mentoring founders

(06:06) Discovering hidden founders across campus

(09:33) Thousands of students have startup ideas

(13:52) How tech transfer started at Wisconsin

(17:01) Why founders matter more than patents

(20:39) Treating entrepreneurship as a career path

(23:43) Exposing students to entrepreneurship early

(27:54) Measuring startup success at UW-Madison

(33:58) Connecting student founders across Wisconsin

(39:34) Why startup costs are collapsing today

(45:06) The truth about bootstrapping startups

(52:04) What comes next for founder forward initiatives

Notes

Connect with Jon Eckhardt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joneckhardt/

Check out University of Wisconsin-Madison: https://entrepreneurship.wisc.edu/

Check out the Empowering the Wisconsin Idea Report: https://news.wisc.edu/content/uploads/2024/09/EmpoweringtheWisconsinIdea-Report-Final4-Accessible-3.pdf

Podcast Sponsor

Valency Fund

Flexible funding solutions designed for sustainable growth of Wisconsin companies.

Learn more at https://www.valencyfund.com/

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Startup Wisconsin's mission is to connect, educate, inspire, and grow tech startup communities across the state, not just during events, but year-round. This podcast is part of that vision, creating deeper connections and sharing the knowledge that helps Wisconsin's startup ecosystem thrive.

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