Rural Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Initiative
The Rural Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Initiative supports the development of rural entrepreneurial ecosystems across the state of Wisconsin.
Overview
The Rural Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Initiative (RWEI) provides education, training, research, and technical assistance to small businesses and entrepreneurs, economic development practitioners, and communities that are interested in developing entrepreneurial activity in rural Wisconsin. The RWEI is a partnership between the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Extension and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, running from 2024-2026.
Programs
Trainings for Community Leaders
Trainings for rural economic developers about building entrepreneurial ecosystems
Trainings for Entrepreneurs
Cohort-based technical assistance for rural entrepreneurs
CEC Conference
The Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC) Conference features programming about economic development for Wisconsin’s small communities.
Wisconsin REV
Rural Entrepreneurial Venture (REV) is a proven entrepreneurial development program designed to advance small town economies .
Trainings for Community Leaders
Extension offers trainings for community leaders about entrepreneurial ecosystem development. These include Homegrown: Entrepreneurship in Your Community and Maximizing Success for Entrepreneurs of Color. We also offer webinars periodically on specialized topics.
Trainings for Entrepreneurs
Extension provides cohort-based technical assistance for rural entrepreneurs. We offer basic business development and sector-specific trainings. Through the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School, we also offer business law clinics through the Law & Entrepreneurship Clinic. Coming up in 2025, we will be launching a cohort for agritourism entrepreneurs.
Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference
The Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC) Conference hosts a statewide conversation about how to promote entrepreneurship in Wisconsin’s small and rural communities. It gathers business owners, municipal leaders, financial lenders, economic development professionals, and community champions for programming about entrepreneurial ecosystem development on the local level.
Wisconsin’s first CEC Conference was held in 2024 in Platteville. The next conference will be held in 2025 in Wisconsin Rapids.
Wisconsin Rural Entrepreneurial Venture
Rural Entrepreneurial Venture (REV) is a proven entrepreneurial development program designed to advance small town economies through a targeted business approach. Wisconsin REV is being developed in partnership with Community and Economic Development Associates (CEDA), Compeer Financial, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), and e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems. This effort is being funded by Compeer Financial. Launching in 2024, Wisconsin REV provides coaching, resources and connections throughout the visioning and implementation process as each community explores what economic development means for their communities.
