Forward Fest 2026

Thursday August 20, 2026 7:30am - 8:15am CDT

Virtual

Limited Capacity seats available

Pricing Model Mastery - Part 1: Turn Customer Perception Into Revenue (General Session)

Your pricing determines customer perception before your marketing ever has a chance. In this interactive workshop, you’ll discover how pricing is more than just a number or three columns of options. The price tells customers what to believe about your offer, and whether it’s right for them.
We’ll share three surprising, proven pricing approaches that help businesses stand out from competitors and surpass expectations. When you identify the strongest pricing model for your product or service, customers receive the signals that help them buy without being sold. By the end, you’ll understand why pricing is your real strategic advantage.
For those serious about immediate application, also register for Part 2: Add-on VIP Session at 8:15 am

Hosted by Fortum Advisors & Free Bird Ventures

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.

Event Organizers

Michael Rampolla

Sponsors

Free Bird Ventures

Thursday August 20, 2026 7:30am - 8:15am CDT
Virtual

Category Tech / Software, General, Business and Entrepreneurship
Interaction Type Workshop, Personalized Review

8:00am CDT

How We Show Up Matters

Thursday August 20, 2026 8:00am - 10:00am CDT

Aubergine: a Willy Street Co-op Community Space @ 1226 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

Technical expertise gets you in the room. How you show up determines what happens next.

In this interactive session, consultants will examine the attitudes, assumptions, and habits they bring into client and colleague relationships, and how those choices shape trust, collaboration, and results. Through meaningful dialogue with peers, you’ll uncover blind spots that may be limiting connection or effectiveness in your work.

You’ll leave with practical tools and simple mindset shifts you can apply immediately to improve communication, foster more inclusive relationships, and create better outcomes for your clients and your business. Because in today’s marketplace, how you work with people is just as critical as what you deliver.

Hosted by Yes...And LLC

Event Organizers

Kim Walters

Owner | Cultural Engagement Specialist, Yes...And LLC

Kim Walters is the Owner and Cultural Engagement Specialist of Yes...And LLC, a boutique consulting firm that helps organizations build cultures of respect and belonging through leadership development and self-awareness. She partners with leaders and teams to strengthen communication... Read More →

Thursday August 20, 2026 8:00am - 10:00am CDT
Aubergine: a Willy Street Co-op Community Space 1226 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Category Social Good, General, Communication
Interaction Type Workshop

8:15am CDT

Pricing Model Mastery - Part 2: Personalized Guidance for Your Business (Add-on VIP Session)

Ticketed, Virtual (Pricing Model Mastery Part 2)

Thursday August 20, 2026 8:15am - 9:00am CDT

Virtual @ 1226 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

Pricing Model Mastery - Part 2: Personalized Guidance for Your Business (Add-on VIP Session)

For those serious about immediate impact, this exclusive add-on VIP session offers pricing guidance tailored to your business. Participants will bring their actual pricing structure into the conversation, receive direct feedback on customer perception and revenue impact, and walk away with an acceleration-ready plan.
Part 2 is for attendees who want focused, actionable guidance on their current pricing model and have the authority to make pricing decisions for their product or service.
For maximum value and clarity, please also register for and attend Part 1: General Session beginning at 7:1

Event Organizers

Michael Rampolla

Sponsors

Free Bird Ventures

Thursday August 20, 2026 8:15am - 9:00am CDT
Virtual

Category Tech / Software, General, Business and Entrepreneurship
Interaction Type Workshop, Personalized Review

9:00am CDT

Practical Tools for Kickstarting your Go-to-Market (GTM)

Thursday August 20, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am CDT

Virtual @ 1226 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

Have you reviewed your business from your customers’ point of view? Do you know your products or services inside and out, but do not have formal sales experience? Are you new to finding customers, but passionate about connecting your product or service with your customers?

Practical Tools for Kickstarting your Go-To-Market (GTM) is a founder-focused guide to building and testing sales and marketing motions. Led by Joshua Steinberg, Director of Strategy & Business Development at Hive, the session breaks down core GTM concepts, introduces proven sales methodologies, and gives early-stage teams a clear framework for communicating value. Through real examples and interactive discussion, participants learn how to understand customer pain, articulate differentiated outcomes, and build the foundation for strong product-market fit.

Designed for entrepreneurs looking to turn insights into action, the workshop emphasizes hands-on learning with exercises that guide founders in crafting value-based conversations, developing discovery call scripts, and asking smarter customer-driven questions. Attendees walk away with tangible tools they can immediately apply to customer discovery, early sales efforts, and strategic storytelling. With an open, collaborative atmosphere, the session empowers founders to confidently test assumptions, refine their offering, and accelerate their path to market traction.

No prior knowledge needed to attend.

Hosted by Wisconsin SBDC at UW-Madison

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.

Event Organizers

Heather Ferguson

Program Manager, UW-Madison SBDC

Sponsors

WEDC

Thursday August 20, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Virtual

Category General, Marketing
Interaction Type Workshop

9:00am CDT

LinkedIn Glow-Up Lab

Thursday August 20, 2026 9:00am - 11:00am CDT

Virtual @ 1226 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

This LinkedIn workshop is warm, welcoming and fun. It walks attendees through the full ecosystem of building a powerful presence. Participants will learn how to optimize their profiles so they clearly communicate value, attract the right audience, and open doors—whether that’s landing a dream role, growing a business, or expanding influence.

The session moves beyond setup into momentum: covering content strategy, topic ideation, and practical tools to create engaging posts without burnout. It also dives into the art of community-building—because LinkedIn isn’t just a platform, it’s a relationship engine. Attendees will learn how to engage authentically, build trust, and turn connections into meaningful opportunities.

Hosted by LinkUp Madison

Event Organizers

Chantel Soumis

Thursday August 20, 2026 9:00am - 11:00am CDT
Virtual

Category Tech / Software
Interaction Type Workshop

10:30am CDT

From Stage to Strategy: Voices & Dreams in Action

Thursday August 20, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am CDT

Leflore Accounting Services @ 306 E Wilson St #2e, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

What happens after someone finds their voice?

In this interactive panel and workshop, Araceli Esparza and Aida Leflore are joined by graduates of the Voices & Dreams Academy to share how storytelling translates into real-world outcomes—from building confidence to generating income, clients, and community impact.

Participants will hear directly from Latina and Black women founders who have used storytelling as a tool for outreach, brand-building, and economic mobility. Then, through guided reflection and small-group activities, attendees will begin applying these strategies to their own work.

This session is designed for founders, creatives, and community leaders who want to build authentic outreach strategies that go beyond visibility and create lasting trust.

Hosted by Midwest Mujeres

Event Organizers

Araceli Esparza

Director, Midwest Mujeres Inc

Hi, I'm Araceli Esparza, a Chicana author, speaker, nonprofit founder, and leadership coach based in Madison, Wisconsin. I founded Midwest Mujeres to help women—especially first-generation, Latina, and Black women—build confidence, expand their networks, and create meaningful... Read More →

Thursday August 20, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am CDT
Leflore Accounting Services 306 E Wilson St #2e, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Category Food, Social Good, General
Interaction Type Social, hybrid panel with audience participation: we will also help them shape their stories.

11:00am CDT

Cup of Joe featuring Oscar Aguilar

Thursday August 20, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm CDT

Black Business HUB - WWBIC @ 2352 S Park St suite 226, Madison, WI, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

Join us for a special Cup of Joe conversation featuring Oscar Aguilar, founder of Novel Minds, a Wisconsin-based technology consulting firm focused on innovation, strategic leadership, and custom technology solutions. Oscar will share his entrepreneurial journey—from building a business around problem-solving and technology to helping organizations turn ideas into action. We'll explore the challenges, lessons learned, pivotal decisions, and opportunities that have shaped his path. As always, Cup of Joe is an authentic conversation between entrepreneurs—no presentations, no scripts, just real stories from the trenches.

Hosted by WWBIC

Event Organizers

Alex Ysquierdo

Emily Schmitzer

Regional Director of WWBIC's South Central Office

Thursday August 20, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm CDT
Black Business HUB - WWBIC 2352 S Park St suite 226, Madison, WI, USA

Category Tech / Software, Business and Entrepreneurship
Interaction Type Conference, Social

12:00pm CDT

Overcoming Gender Bias by Adopting an Entrepreneurial Mindset

Thursday August 20, 2026 12:00pm - 12:30pm CDT

100state @ 17 South Fairchild Street fl 7, Madison, WI, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

As a woman with over 10 years of experience in the highly male-dominated engineering world, I wish to share insights that have helped me stay. This field is, at times, unwelcoming or even outright hostile. A key to my success has been developing business acumen, sometimes learned through entrepreneurial events including Forward Fest! Key topics:

• Why gender bias is so sticky in fields like engineering and law, and why we can't expect to solve this problem with more pipeline

• How to get past broken rungs in the corporate ladder by thinking of yourself as if you were a one-person business

• Develop your personal brand to bounce back from setbacks such as non-inclusive workspaces, gatekeepers, or reframe inappropriate attention.

Event Organizers

Lynn McMahon

Process Automation Engineer, Salas O'Brien

Thursday August 20, 2026 12:00pm - 12:30pm CDT
100state 17 South Fairchild Street fl 7, Madison, WI, USA

Category Social Good, Tech / Software, General
Interaction Type Conference

12:00pm CDT

The Becoming Experience: Healing, Purpose & Entrepreneurship

Thursday August 20, 2026 12:00pm - 1:00pm CDT

Leflore Accounting Services @ 306 E Wilson St #2e, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

The Becoming Experience is an interactive workshop and networking experience designed for entrepreneurs, creatives, and purpose-driven individuals ready to transform their story into impact.

Hosted by entrepreneur, speaker, and founder Tennisha Loggins, this experience blends authentic storytelling, business strategy, mindset transformation, and practical tools to help attendees move from survival mode into purpose-driven entrepreneurship.

Through guided reflection, interactive activities, networking, and actionable business insights, attendees will explore how healing, identity, and lived experiences can become the foundation for leadership, confidence, community impact, and profitable growth.

This event is ideal for aspiring entrepreneurs, women in business, creatives, side hustlers, and individuals navigating personal or professional reinvention.

Attendees will leave inspired, connected, and equipped with practical next steps to begin building intentionally, confidently, and purposefully.

Event Organizers

Tennisha Loggins

Founder & CEO, Loggins Family Business

I'm Tennisha Loggins, Founder & CEO of Loggins Family Business LLC, an entrepreneur, speaker, and storyteller. I help people turn ideas into income and purpose into action. Let's connect if you want to talk about entrepreneurship, food trucks, pop-ups, small business growth, coaching... Read More →

Thursday August 20, 2026 12:00pm - 1:00pm CDT
Leflore Accounting Services 306 E Wilson St #2e, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Category Family, Food, Social Good, General, Kidpreneurship: From Lemons to Lemonade Entrepreneurship Experience
Interaction Type Happy Hour, Social, Workshop

12:30pm CDT

Bridging Generations at Work: Leading Multigenerational Teams Through Technology & Change

Thursday August 20, 2026 12:30pm - 2:30pm CDT

Delta Beer Lab @ 167 E Badger Rd, Fitchburg, WI 53713, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

Today’s workforce is more diverse than ever before, with six generations working side by side, each bringing unique perspectives, experiences, and relationships with technology.  While this diversity creates incredible opportunities for innovation and growth, it also introduces real challenges, especially when organizations are implementing new tools, systems, or digital strategies.

Bridging Generations at Work is a dynamic, beginner-friendly session designed to help leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals successfully navigate generational differences while driving meaningful progress through technology.  This session will explore how communication styles, expectations, and comfort with technology vary across generations, and how these differences can either hinder or accelerate success.

Attendees will gain practical strategies for leading multigenerational teams, fostering collaboration, and implementing technology initiatives in a way that brings people together rather than creating friction.  We’ll also explore the power of mentorship (including reverse mentorship), inclusive leadership, and cross-generational collaboration as key drivers of innovation.

Whether you're leading a startup, scaling a business, or managing a growing team, this session will equip you with actionable tools to strengthen your workforce, improve adoption of new ideas, and unlock the full potential of your team.

Hosted by NaviCu & Delta Beer Lab

Event Organizers

Vanessa Costanzo

VP of Operations, NaviCu

Thursday August 20, 2026 12:30pm - 2:30pm CDT
Delta Beer Lab 167 E Badger Rd, Fitchburg, WI 53713, USA

Category Tech / Software
Interaction Type Conference, Happy Hour

1:00pm CDT

A Missing Opportunity—Bringing Agentic AI to UW-Madison

Thursday August 20, 2026 1:00pm - 2:30pm CDT

Engineering Hall @ Engineering Hall, 1415 Engineering Dr, Madison, WI 53706, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

Agentic AI UW is a new club founded just this April. The purpose of the club is that there's a missing opportunity on campus. There are a lot of engineering clubs on campus that focuses on a single project where a team of engineers work together. However, UW-Madison lacks that kind of project-based clubs for CS students. We're at a turning point in history where three things converge into one, the massive amount of GPUs for compute, the massive amount of image/text data on the internet, and the innovational Transformer architecture. With the help of the Large Language Model (LLM) and Vision Language Model (VLM), the possibilities of AI becomes tremendous. AI agents is able to use tools inside your browser and inside your OS to help you complete the most boring/redundant tasks. Come here to learn about how Agentic AI is catalyzing in UW-Madison and what this club has done over the summer and is planning to do starting in the Fall.

Hosted by Agentic AI UW

Event Organizers

Evan Liu

Thursday August 20, 2026 1:00pm - 2:30pm CDT
Engineering Hall Engineering Hall, 1415 Engineering Dr, Madison, WI 53706, USA

Category Tech / Software, General
Interaction Type Conference

1:00pm CDT

Future of VC: Digital Assets & Policy

Thursday August 20, 2026 1:00pm - 4:00pm CDT

TBA @ Engineering Hall, 1415 Engineering Dr, Madison, WI 53706, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

The venture capital landscape is being reshaped by digital assets, tokenized equity, and an evolving regulatory environment — and Wisconsin's entrepreneurial ecosystem needs to be part that conversation. Future of VC: Digital Assets & Policy is a forward-looking forum bringing together founders, investors, and policy advocates to explore how emerging digital asset frameworks are transforming capital formation, fundraising strategy, and startup growth.

Attendees will hear from practitioners at the intersection of venture capital and blockchain policy — examining how legislation like federal stablecoin bills, SEC guidance, and state-level digital asset law affect the way startups raise and deploy capital. Whether you're a founder navigating your first raise, an investor evaluating on-chain opportunities, or a policy stakeholder shaping Wisconsin's innovation landscape, this event delivers the intelligence and connections you need to stay ahead.

Hosted by Awen, Wisconsin Blockchain Business Council

Event Organizers

Ian McCullough

Sponsors

Stand with Crypto

Thursday August 20, 2026 1:00pm - 4:00pm CDT
TBA

Category Social Good, Tech / Software, General
Interaction Type Social

3:00pm CDT

Certified Organic in Wisconsin & New Wisconsin Online Organic Directories

Thursday August 20, 2026 3:00pm - 4:30pm CDT

Giant Jones Brewing @ 931 East Main Street Entrance on, S Brearly St Suite 9, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

Understanding Certified Organic in Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a national leader in organic food production—but for many consumers the certified organic system still feels opaque. “Understanding Certified Organic in Wisconsin” is a practical, interactive session designed to demystify how organic really works in our state and to introduce new tools that make it easier than ever to find, buy, and support Wisconsin organic.

This event is for anyone who cares about the future of our food system: shoppers, chefs and retailers, distributors, institutional buyers, farmers (certified or transitioning), and food system professionals who want a clear, current picture of Wisconsin’s organic landscape. Together, we’ll walk through the key facts and structures that define certified organic in the United States and Wisconsin—how certification works, who the 1,623 certified organic operations are, where they’re located, and how they fit into the broader value chain. We’ll unpack what “certified organic” really means in practice for crops, livestock, and processed foods, and why local organic production is critical at a time when so much “organic” food on store shelves is imported and often less transparent.

A highlight of the event is the public unveiling of Wisconsin Organics’ new three-part online directory ecosystem: a unified, searchable directory of certified organic farms and handlers; an emerging consumer-facing brands and products directory that will catalog an estimated 3,000 Wisconsin organic products; and a farm and garden input supplies directory mapping key supply-chain businesses—from seed and soil amendments to equipment and organic feed. Built on meticulously collected and cleaned data, these HubSpot-based tools transform scattered information into an accessible, navigable map of Wisconsin’s organic sector.

Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of the USDA national organic standards, how certified organic works in Wisconsin, where the opportunities and bottlenecks are across the value chain, and how to use the new directories to source local organic products, strengthen short supply chains, and better align purchasing with their values.

The session will include a guided tour of the directories, have some local organic producers in attendance with their products, providetime for questions and live troubleshooting, and space for attendees to share what tools and information they most need next—helping shape the future of organic market transparency in Wisconsin.

Hosted by Wisconsin Organics and Giant Jones Brewery

Event Organizers

Noreen Mucha

Executive Director, Wisconsin Organics

Noreen Mucha is the Founder and Director of Wisconsin Organics-dedicated to building the digital and coordination infrastructure necessary for Wisconsin’s organic sector to thrive. With more than two decades of experience in global food systems and nutrition across 40+ countries... Read More →

Thursday August 20, 2026 3:00pm - 4:30pm CDT
Giant Jones Brewing 931 East Main Street Entrance on, S Brearly St Suite 9, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Category Food, Tech / Software
Interaction Type Workshop

3:00pm CDT

VentureHome Pitch Day

Thursday August 20, 2026 3:00pm - 4:30pm CDT

TBA @ 931 East Main Street Entrance on, S Brearly St Suite 9, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

Ambitious founders have gone through the Level Up! Pre-seed Accelerator at a WiSys VentureHome location across Wisconsin. Whether you are an investor, a founder, or someone interested in entrepreneurship, this pitch day will provide a sneak peek at Wisconsin's emerging tech startups. The pitches will each be 6 minutes, followed by 4 minutes of questions from the audience. The event will be fast-paced, captivating, and open to anyone who would like to attend.

Hosted by WiSys VentureHome

Event Organizers

Allee Marti

Thursday August 20, 2026 3:00pm - 4:30pm CDT
TBA

Category Bio / Health, Tech / Software, General, Agriculture
Interaction Type Pitch Event

5:00pm CDT

High Tech Happy Hour 25th Anniversary Celebration

Thursday August 20, 2026 5:00pm - 7:00pm CDT

Memorial Union @ 800 Langdon St, Madison, WI 53706, USA

Limited Capacity seats available