PLATTEVILLE — The University of Wisconsin-Platteville, in partnership with the Southwestern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, will host the grand opening of the new IDEA Hub Accelerator on Monday, Oct. 4 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The IDEA Hub 3D Launch is open to the public to attend virtually or in person at the Platteville Incubator. 

The grand opening event will feature pitches from 10 promising startups throughout Southwest Wisconsin. These startups recently completed an eight-week accelerator program led by Idea Hub Director Maia Patrick Donohue; Dr. Marcia Harr-Bailey, assistant professor of business; and Platteville Incubator Director Kate Koziol. 

The IDEA Hub serves Green, Grant, Richland, Iowa, Lafayette, Crawford and Sauk counties.

According to Donohue, the IDEA Hub 3D Launch promises to be an exciting, interactive event as the 10 Southwest Wisconsin startups demo their pitches. He encourages everyone with an interest in startups, entrepreneurship, innovation and business to attend.

“The power of community is central to the IDEA Hub, and attendees will have the opportunity to offer their feedback and thoughts directly to the startups,” said Donohue. “This feedback might help change the course of who they are as a company or who their customers are.”

The IDEA Hub Accelerator is funded in part by a highly competitive grant received by UW-Platteville and SWWRPC in 2020. Its mission is to stir the entrepreneurial spirit of Southwest Wisconsin through action-oriented learnings and connections to an influential startup community. 

Additional partners in the launch of the IDEA Hub include Prosperity Southwest, Center on Rural Innovation (CORI), WiSYS Venture Home and the Platteville Incubator.

For more information about the grand opening event and to RSVP, visit page-builder.hopin.com/events/idea-hub-3d-launch/registration.