gener8tor team members pounding the pavement in cities around the Midwest, working to create a buzz.
“The goal is to expand the reach of our brand. We’re also encouraging all the entrepreneurs we meet with to apply,” Vosseller said in a phone interview Friday afternoon. “There’s quite a bit of courting that goes on in general.”
In the case of Driblet, Vosseller reached out to the founder via LinkedIn and sent him an email. The conversations progressed via Skype, and eventually Driblet officials flew from Mexico to Wisconsin for the final interview, Vosseller said.
Another factor in the spiking number of applicants and increasing geographical variety is program graduates are spreading the word about gener8tor, Vosseller said.
The first three gener8tor classes—which have enrolled 18 startups since June 2012—have gone on to raise more than $10 million in funds and create nearly 100 jobs, gener8tor said.
Some startups return to the cities in which they were founded in, like Chicago-based Optyn, a summer 2013 summer graduate. Others stay in Wisconsin, like Docalytics, which moved headquarters from Minneapolis to Milwaukee after the summer 2013 program, Vosseller said.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to invest in the best companies,” Vosseller said. “We have no requirement, no strings attached that they have to remain in Wisconsin. …Our hope is some will stay here and some will continue to add to the Wisconsin entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
