Assess readiness, connect your assets, and use AI to turn data into real-world action.
Hosted by Source-Right Inc
This is a virtual event. For those who are logged in and have RSVP'd, the streaming link will appear on this page starting 10 minutes before the session.
First In Breakfast is a gathering designed to bring together founders, investors, and operators from across the Midwest startup ecosystem. The event is intentionally structured to maintain a strong mix of builders and capital providers, creating an environment where meaningful conversations and real relationships can take shape. The format includes a short, insight-driven discussion followed by open networking.
Madison’s startup ecosystem operates under intense pressure to: • Accelerate timelines to market • Deliver strong financial returns • Compete for capital in a demanding investment environment
However, herein lies the problem: Financial results are not delivered through physical effort alone. More hours, more hustle and more pressure often produce exhaustion not outcomes.
Because money doesn’t just follow effort. Money follows energy.
And without disciplined financial systems, even high momentum turns into waste.
The entrepreneurs who apply both the Laws of Energy and financial discipline will outperform the market. This event will guide them to that competitive advantage by introducing a new operating model for founders and growth leaders navigating today’s reality:
A Dual Engine for Modern Growth • Applying the Laws of Energy → Drives productivity, momentum, and speed without burnout • Applying Financial Discipline → Drives measurable returns, capital efficiency, and investor confidence
Presented by MJ Reiners, Founder of Summerland Education and Victoria Thayer, Founder of Novii CPA, this session bridges the gap between: • Why growth is slower than expected • Why hard work does not create burnout and what does • And how to accelerate both execution speed and financial performance
A practical workshop for Wisconsin founders deciding whether government sales can become a real growth channel — and which path to pursue first.
Agenda: The Wisconsin Opportunity Map What Wisconsin companies already sell to the government, including defense manufacturing, food/ag, healthcare, logistics, construction, technology, and professional services.
The Founder Decision Tree Should you pursue direct federal contracts, subcontracting, prime-supplier channels, SBIR/STTR, state/local contracts or hold on government contracting for now? Government Revenue Fit Canvas
A hands-on exercise to map your customer, end user, buyer, funding source, channel partner, compliance gaps, and next test.
The Readiness Check What you need before pursuing this channel: customer fit, delivery capacity, compliance, registrations, certifications, working capital, insurance, cybersecurity, and sales-cycle tolerance.
How Deals Actually Happen A candid conversation with a founder/operator, prime or supply-chain buyer, procurement expert, and capital provider.
90-Day Action Plan Each founder identifies one target customer segment, one likely entry path, three next steps, and one thing not to waste time on yet.
Starting or growing a business comes with challenges, including understanding environmental requirements. Fortunately, help is available! Join this webinar to learn how Wisconsin DNR’s Small Business Environmental Assistance Program helps entrepreneurs save time, avoid compliance headaches and make informed decisions from the start.
We will showcase free services, practical tools and one-on-one assistance available to small businesses, including a demonstration of the new Enviro-Nav tool that is designed to help businesses identify environmental requirements, permits and resources relevant to their operations. Whether you are launching a new business, expanding or simply looking for trusted guidance, this session will connect you with resources built specifically for small businesses.
Hosted by Wisconsin DNR Small Business Environmental Assistance Program
This is a virtual event. For those who are logged in and have RSVP'd, the streaming link will appear on this page starting 10 minutes before the session.
MadAI will be discussing engineering challenges of using AI code automation tools, such as claude code and code, to build and ship code bases which solve problems. We will first discuss a real world use case and then work together on building a solution to the use case in this session. Bring your laptop and a friend, we are going to get our hands dirty and build.
Cloud Native Madison presents the AI & Open Source Mixer!
Following a massive Agentic AI Summer, we’re heading to The Rigby Pub for a night of technical networking focused on the real-world side of innovation. Talk shop with experts from Red Hat, Solo.io, and more while enjoying complimentary food and refreshments, plus a drink ticket to get you started. We’re also giving away a $999 Ardan Labs Mastery Bundle (Go, Rust, and K8s) to one lucky builder. If you’re building, engineering, or interested in experimenting, come hang out, meet the community, and become part of an ever-growing local ecosystem.
About the Community Cloud Native Madison is the official Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) chapter for Madison, WI, fostering collaboration, innovation, and community growth in cloud-native technologies. CNCF projects are the foundation of cloud native computing. As part of the Linux Foundation, we provide support, oversight and direction for fast-growing, cloud native projects, including Kubernetes, vLLm, kServe, Kubeflow, kagent, and more.
Find our LinkedIn, CNCF Page, and more on our Linktree.
Ryan Etten builds cloud-native systems and rebuilds the communities that run them. A Senior Architect and Team Lead at Red Hat, Red Hat Certified OpenShift Architect, global speaker, and certification exam developer, he leads secure cloud-native digital transformations across the... Read More →
Interested in the basics of AI? This session will review some of the most popular tools available with demonstrations of their use with time to discuss tips & tricks and ask questions.
Hosted by Skapsmidja
This is a virtual event. For those who are logged in and have RSVP'd, the streaming link will appear on this page starting 10 minutes before the session.
