Welcome to the UW Entrepreneurship Kickoff — the front door to innovation and startups at UW–Madison.

​UW’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is bigger than most students realize and harder to navigate than it should be. Campus funds, accelerators, makerspaces, legal clinics, mentor networks, pitch competitions, student orgs, and courses — all real, all available, mostly invisible.

​This is the one night of the year they are all in the same room.

​Who it’s for

​Students, alumni, faculty, and community members at every stage of entrepreneurship.

​You don’t need an existing idea, a team, or a polished pitch. Whether you run an Etsy shop, freelance code/design, work on side projects, have a scalable startup concept, or just want to explore what UW has to offer — this event is for you.

​What to expect

• ​30+ Organizations & Resources Across 5 Curated Zones:
  • ​Get Funded (Grants, venture funds, competitions)
  • Build Something (Makerspaces, prototyping labs, developer communities)
  • Get Advice (Mentors, legal clinics, small business advising)
  • ​Join a Community (Student clubs, builder networks, founder cohorts)
  • ​Study & Explore (Entrepreneurship certificates, academic programs, informative student orgs)
• ​Direct Access: Connect face-to-face with student leaders, founders, advisors, and mentors.
• ​Keynote Remarks (6:15 PM): Brief, high-impact stories from successful UW–Madison alumni founders and the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub.

What You Get

• ​Free Food & Drinks: Enjoy free pizza throughout the event while you mingle, network, and explore the campus ecosystem.
• ​UW Entrepreneurship Digital Guide (2026–27): The full directory of UW’s entrepreneurial ecosystem — descriptions, upcoming events, and direct contact info for every major resource, org, and program on campus. Free to all Transcend general members, whether or not you make it to the event. [Become a member (takes 5 minutes) → https://tally.so/r/QKqPzp]