WARF Gilson business panel focuses on high-tech first steps

A panel of experts will discuss the first steps in starting a high-tech business at the WARF Gilson Bootstrapping seminar being held at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 9 in the Town Center of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, 330 N. Orchard St.

Speakers with hands-on experience in the Madison high-technology market will share financial, strategic planning, liability and management advice with entrepreneurs, students and anyone interested in the topic.

Panelists for the program, called “Operational First Steps to Opening a High Tech Business,” include Beth Korth, senior vice president First Business Bank; Luella Schmidt, CPA, MBA, Fine Point Consulting; Robert Long, commercial agent Hausmann-Johnson Insurance; and Bill Checovich, director UW–Madison Medical Device Technology Office. They will provide an overview of the crucial operational framework every new technology company needs to “walk before it can run.”

A networking reception will follow the program at 6 p.m. Free public parking is available starting at 4:30 p.m. in Lot 20, located across the street from the Town Center on University Avenue, as well as in the Lot 17 ramp west of Engineering Hall. While registration is not required, those interested in attending can help ensure appropriate seating is available by submitting brief information here. 

Other topics to be presented at future Gilson Bootstrapping seminars include:

• Company Hat/University Hat — Conflict of Interest Issues;
• Financing 101 — Non-Dilutive Funding for Proof of Concept and Early Stage Tech Business Development;
• Legal Basics for Starting a Company;
• Market Research; and,
• Patent Mining and Intellectual Property Basics.

The Gilson Bootstrapping Series, which will be held in addition to other Gilson-named events, is presented by WARF in partnership with UW–Madison’s Schools of Business and Law, Office of Corporate Relations and Medical Device Technology Office. Additional partners include BioForward and UW Extension’s Small Business Development Center.