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Startup Grind Madison launches to highlight Midwest innovation

Paul Ark 2014-10-19T22:29:28+00:00

Attention Madisonians! Put down your slice of Ian’s, call off the pub-crawl, grab your nearest fixed gear bicycle and head on over to 100state for a fireside chat and social with Henry Schwartz of Mobcraft Brewery.

[caption id="attachment_70943" align="alignnone" width="203"]henry schwartz Andrew, Henry (center) and Giotto went to college together.[/caption]

Startup Grind is a global organization designed to educate, inspire and connect entrepreneurs.  Each month we’ll hold a fireside chat with a local innovator followed by a social. We’re out to connect startup junkies, venture capitalists, techies, public officials, founders, freelancers and anyone interested in Madison startups.

So why Madison and why now? For a city that didn’t have much of a tech scene 10 years ago, Madison has blossomed into a Midwest hub full of startup activity. Besides the University of Wisconsin – Madison pumping out thousands of talented graduates each spring, Epic Systems has been a driving force behind the city’s growing entrepreneurial scene. When a company like Epic, accounting for 30% of Dane County Airport traffic and 51% of American’s medical records, starts to hire, the city starts to change with it. Epic has been attracting thousands of young professionals to the city in the past few years, many of whom have stayed to start companies and join startups after cashing out of their corporate lives. Combined with Madison’s prominence in government and academia, the city has become a petri dish of creative professionals.

Situated above the Veterans Memorial Museum on Capital Square, our home at 100state was actually founded by former Epic employees. 100state is a local co-working space that attracts small startups to encourage collaboration and community. After launching in 2013 the space has garnered 100+ members working on 40+ startups.

On November 5th Startup Grind Madison will be hosting Henry Schwartz of Mobcraft Brewery for our first event. Come hear why after graduating from college Henry forwent typical employment, spent his life savings on a fermentation tank, and created America’s first crowdfunded brewery in Madison, WI. We’ll chat about the tears and joys that come with running a brewery and even sample some of his beer! It will be a lively educational and social event that no entrepreneurial enthusiast will want to miss!

About the Author

Paul Ark

Paul spent the first half of his career as an investment banker, working on IPOs, acquisitions, and private equity deals for global banks Deutsche Bank and Citigroup in Asia and New York, as well as boutique advisories Tonson Capital and Blackwood Ventures in Southeast Asia. He then transitioned to the world of retail by joining Central Retail, working on regional joint ventures and working on the company’s market entry into China and other Asian markets. He spent several years facilitating Apple Retail’s market entry into Asian markets, opening up flagship stores in China, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia, before joining Microsoft and advising on their China retail market entry strategy. Paul is also an active startup mentor and angel investor, having made investments in early stage companies in the United States, China, and Thailand, and currently manages the FinTech venture capital fund for Siam Commercial Bank’s Digital Ventures group. Paul earned his undergraduate business degree at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, and his MBA at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.