MADISON, Wis. – Lorrie Keating Heinemann, whosecareer has spanned a quarter-century of support for the startup and investing sectors in Wisconsin, will accept the “Excellence in Entrepreneurial Education” award Nov. 10 at the Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium.

Also known as the “Triple E” award, the designation was launched by the Wisconsin Technology Council to highlight the importance of teaching and mentoring entrepreneurs. The selection of Heinemann by the 2020 conference steering committee was based on:

•           Delivering outstanding quality in teaching entrepreneurship and/or mentoring entrepreneurs, in or out of the classroom

•           Stimulating innovative methods for teaching or mentoring entrepreneurs

•           Promoting entrepreneurial education and mentorship among scholars, policymakers, practitioners and others

•           Providing a significant contribution to the development of best practices in the field

Previous winners of the “Triple E” award are Tim Keane, an investor and entrepreneur who was one of the first college-level educators in Wisconsin to design courses around entrepreneurial studies; Thomas “Rock” Mackie, a scientist, entrepreneur and educator who has helped build an entrepreneurial culture on the UW-Madison campus; Jan Eddy, tech company founder and a tireless mentor of startups through her work on and off campus; Allen Dines, who has mentored entrepreneurs and helped instill a startup spirit in UW-Madison students and faculty; Terry Sivesind, a co-founder of MERLIN Mentors, an 11-year-old groups with about 100 mentors to help young companies and Anne Smith, who launched the UW-Madison Law & Entrepreneurship Clinic.

Heinemann is the president and CEO of Madison Development Corp., which has invested in companies such as Nordic Consulting, TomoTherapy (now Accuray), PerBlue and NeuWave Medical. She was once a lecturer in the UW-Oshkosh School of Business and informally mentored scores of young companies over time through platforms such as Belle Capital USA, Springboard Enterprises, BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation, the WiSys Technology Fund and more. She was secretary of the state Department of Financial Institutions for eight years, having previously started her own financial firm and working with private banking and accounting firms.

Heinemann co-founded the Wisconsin Angel Network (now called the Tech Council Investor Networks) with the Wisconsin Technology Council in 2004. She is a native of Thorp.

“Lorrie Keating Heinemann is a rare combination of financial savvy, policy experience and a passion for working with young companies and entrepreneurs, who benefit immensely from her experience,” said Tom Still, president of the Tech Council.

General registration is now open by clicking here!

The Early Stage Symposium is a leading forum for young companies that want to pitch to investors. Investor Intros will feature scheduled one-on-one meetings with interested investors on Nov. 9. The Elevator Pitch Olympics will take place live on Nov. 11 with 90-second presentations by younger companies who will be scored and get immediate feedback from investors. Companies chosen for Tech Council Investor Network Presentations will utilize AirDeck to create their pitch decks and they will be available to attendees in advance.

Here are investor groups so far participating in the Early Stage Symposium: 4490 Ventures, Atlene, Baird Capital, Bascom Ventures, the BioIndustrial Institute of Manufacturing Excellence, Bold Coast Capital, Brightstar WI Foundation, Capital Innovators, Chippewa Valley Angel Investment Network, CMFG Ventures, Cream City Venture Capital, Dundee VC, Golden Angels Investors, Great North Labs, HealthX Ventures, Hyde Park Ventures, Idea Fund of La Crosse, Inventure Capital, Iron Forge, Lancaster Investments, Lewis & Clark Ventures, Lightbank, Lightship Capital, M25 Capital, Madison Development Corporation, MaSa Partners, Matchstick Ventures, Midwest Wealth Ventures, N29 Capital, NVNG Investment Advisors, Oshkosh Corp., Plymouth Growth Partners, Rock River Capital Partners, Sandalphon Capital, Silicon Pastures, Stateline Angels, TASC Ventures, The Ardent Group, Tundra Angels, Venture Investors, Winnebago Capital Partners, Winnow Fund, Wisconn Valley Ventures, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., Wisconsin Investment Partners, WISC Partners and Ziegler.

The conference will also feature:

  • A variety of insightful keynote speakers, including recently announced entrepreneur and viral influencer Jon Jacques and targeted panel discussions featuring leading entrepreneurs, investors and others tied to the tech and investor sectors
  • A previously announced presentation on a new Wisconsin partnership involving the international Creative Destruction Lab
  • Virtual sponsor exhibit hall showcasing more than 40 innovative Wisconsin companies.

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