Forward Fest 2026

Monday August 17, 2026 8:00am - 3:00pm CDT

Engineering Centers Building @ Engineering Centers Bldg, 1550 Engineering Dr, Madison, WI 53706, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

The Badger Startup Summit is Wisconsin’s premier gathering for entrepreneurs, innovators, and supporters of the startup ecosystem—and the official kickoff to Forward Fest 2026.

Founded over 14 years ago, the Summit brings together founders, builders, investors, and community leaders for a full day of ideas, insights, and connection that set the tone for the entire week.

The program features a curated lineup of talks and discussions designed to be both inspiring and practical, covering topics such as:
• Lessons from experienced founders (“Chapter Zero”)
• The future of AI and agent-driven technology
• Real-world startup journeys—from bootstrapped to venture-backed
• What it actually takes to raise capital in today’s market
This year, the Summit will feature interactive programming designed to engage attendees more directly, including opportunities for founders to share ideas, get feedback, and connect with peers and experienced operators in a more open, collaborative format.
The Summit also includes a VenFair and networking lunch, connecting attendees with valuable resources, partners, and fellow entrepreneurs.
Whether you’re launching your first idea, scaling a company, or supporting the innovation ecosystem, the Badger Startup Summit is where Wisconsin’s startup community comes together to kick off Forward Fest.

Hosted by100state

Event Organizers

Daniel G. Guerra Jr.

Executive Director, 100State, Inc.

Daniel G. Guerra Jr. is an entrepreneur, community builder, and healthcare innovation advocate dedicated to strengthening Wisconsin’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

As Executive Director of 100State, Daniel leads one of Wisconsin’s premier communities for entrepreneurs, innovato... Read More →

Monday August 17, 2026 8:00am - 3:00pm CDT
Engineering Centers Building

Category Bio / Health, Tech / Software, General
Interaction Type Conference, Workshop

7:00pm CDT

Sweat Equity Sauna Happy Hour

Monday August 17, 2026 7:00pm - 9:00pm CDT

Saunaday @ 315 S Blount St, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

Ticketed, In Person (Sauna Happy Hour)

Sweat Equity Happy Hour is a reimagined alternative to traditional networking—designed for founders, creatives, and builders who want something more real than surface-level conversation.

Hosted at Saunaday, guests move through a guided thermal cycle:
Steam → Sauna → Cold Plunge → Rest & Hydration

Shared challenges—like heat and cold—naturally break down barriers and create space for more open, grounded connection.

What to expect:
-2-hour, open-format thermal contrast experience
-Light guidance on the sauna + cold plunge cycle
-Complimentary beverage
-Tech-free, presence-driven environment

Hosted by Saunaday

Event Organizers

Roshelle

Founder & CEO, Saunaday

Roshelle Ritzenthaler is the co-founder and CEO of Saunaday, Wisconsin's fist Nordic bathhouse. An architect and service designer by training, she previously led innovation and service design at UW Health before leaving healthcare to build one of the Midwest's most celebrated wellness... Read More →

Monday August 17, 2026 7:00pm - 9:00pm CDT
Saunaday 315 S Blount St, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Category Business and Entrepreneurship, General, Tech / Software, Bio / Health
Interaction Type Personalized Review, Workshop, Happy Hour

10:30am CDT

10x Faster Without the Burnout. How Laws of Energy accelerate growth and returns for Successful Entrepreneurs

Tuesday August 18, 2026 10:30am - 12:30pm CDT

StartingBlock Madison @ 821 E Washington Ave 2nd floor, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

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

Hosted by Summerland Education and Novii CPA

Event Organizers

Dave Igot

Business Operations Specialist, Novii CPA

MJ Reiners

CEO, Summerland Education

I love discovery. And the only thing better than discovery itself is sharing it. That is the work I do. For 25 years, I studied and quietly mastered the Laws of Energy to gain a deep understanding how invisible forces drives business results. Now I am on a mission to share this with... Read More →

Sponsors

Novii CPA

Summerland Education

Tuesday August 18, 2026 10:30am - 12:30pm CDT
StartingBlock Madison 821 E Washington Ave 2nd floor, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Category Bio / Health, Social Good, Tech / Software
Interaction Type Workshop

3:00pm CDT

Pressure Chamber 2026

Tuesday August 18, 2026 3:00pm - 6:00pm CDT

The Sylvee @ 25 S Livingston St, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

SEPARATE REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR ALL ATTENDEES - REGISTER HERE
Free for Greater Madison Chamber Members and Forward Fest All Inclusive Pass Holders | $30 for Non-Members

Pressure Chamber returns for its 13th year as the region's top emerging companies pitch for the coveted "golden suitcase," which guarantees a reserved spot in the Chamber's exclusive Greater Madison startup meetings with top Silicon Valley investment firms this fall. Participating companies will present in front of a panel of national investors and a live audience, with the winning company chosen based on a combination of judges' scoring and audience votes.

Thank you to Presenting Sponsor Michael Best; Supporting Sponsors State of Wisconsin Investment Board, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), UW–Madison Office of Business Engagement and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation; Reception Sponsor Fetch; Voting Sponsor Associated Bank; Student Sponsor Madison College – Center for Entrepreneurship; Community Sponsors JP Cullen and The Gialamas Company; Investor Sponsors HealthX Ventures, Idea Fund, Mastercraft Ventures, Rock River Capital Partners, Wisconsin Investment Partners; and Venue Sponsor FPC Live.

Hosted by the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce.

Event Organizers

Rylee Gaber

Alanna Thiede

Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce

Sharla Rowe

Events Manager, Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce

Sponsors

Associated Bank

Fetch

JP Cullen

Madison College - Center for Entrepreneurship

Michael Best

The Gialamas Company

WEDC

Tuesday August 18, 2026 3:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
The Sylvee 25 S Livingston St, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Ticketed, In Person

Category Bio / Health, Social Good, Tech / Software, Business
Interaction Type Happy Hour, Social, Live Pitches

10:00am CDT

From Research to Revenue: Where Deep Tech Gets Stuck and Why

Wednesday August 19, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am CDT

Virtual @ 25 S Livingston St, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

Early-stage deep tech companies rarely fail because the science doesn’t work. More often, they stall in the gap between research and real market traction.

This session is a candid conversation with founders who started as scientists and are now navigating the transition to entrepreneurship, alongside the investors and funding partners who support them. We’ll unpack where things actually break—from misaligned funding strategies to weak customer signals and overbuilt technology.

Rather than focusing on success stories, we’ll dig into the messy middle: what goes wrong, why it happens, and how to better align funding, product, and market early.

Designed for tech- and scientist-founders actively building at the earliest stages as well as investors and ecosystem partners working closely with them.

Hosted by Innovative Outlier

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

Adhira Sunkara

CEO, Innovative Outlier

Wednesday August 19, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am CDT
Virtual

Free, Virtual

Category Bio / Health, Tech / Software, General
Interaction Type Workshop

11:30am CDT

Fireside Chat with WEDC Secretary John Miller and Maggie Brickerman

Ticketed, In Person (Fireside Chat WEDC)

Wednesday August 19, 2026 11:30am - 1:00pm CDT

Madison Club @ 5 E Wilson St, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

Join us for a fireside chat between WEDC Secretary John Miller and Tech Council President Maggie Brickerman. The conversation will focus on WEDC’s efforts to strengthen the Wisconsin’s innovation, startup and venture capital ecosystem, and the specific ways that innovators can leverage WEDC as a partner. Registration for this event will close at noon on August 14.

Event Organizers

Julie Johnson

Operations Director, Wisconsin Technology Council

Wednesday August 19, 2026 11:30am - 1:00pm CDT
Madison Club 5 E Wilson St, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Category Bio / Health, Family, Food, Tech / Software, Games, General
Interaction Type Social, Panel discussion with audience Q&A, networking, lunch

2:00pm CDT

Introduction to Patents for Entrepreneurs

Wednesday August 19, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm CDT

Virtual @ 5 E Wilson St, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

A high level introduction to patenting innovations for entrepreneurs. Learn from a seasoned pro when patenting an innovation is or is not appropriate, the different paths that can be taken to receive a patent, and when is the right time to consult a patent practitioner.

Hosted by E Epstein Patent Agency

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

Beth Epstein

Owner/Patent Agent, E Epstein Patent Agency

Wednesday August 19, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm CDT
Virtual

Free, Virtual

Category Bio / Health, Intellectual property
Interaction Type Conference

4:00pm CDT

Stone Soup 101

Wednesday August 19, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm CDT

TBA @ 5 E Wilson St, Madison, WI 53703, USA

Limited Capacity seats available

How did the long and twisted path of one man lead to a new product and business? By combining little bits of information and experience from each of his stops into something new and powerful. Have you ever asked yourself the "How did I get here" and "How will I ever use that chapter" questions? Come hear how it has come together for one and be encouraged that "it" is coming together for you as well!

Event Organizers

Jesse Barry

Owner, Higher Ground dba ColdSpell Cooling garments

I have designed a Cooling garment that outperforms all of the commercially available Cooling products currently available. Based on the technology used in hospitals and the military i have brought definitive care Cooling to the job site, sideline and community center.

Wednesday August 19, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm CDT
TBA

Category Bio / Health, Social Good
Interaction Type Social, Workshop

4:30pm CDT

THE "ANTI-BURNOUT" BLUEPRINT: Wellness for Solo Founders and Small Business Owners

Wednesday August 19, 2026 4:30pm - 7:30pm CDT

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

Limited Capacity seats available

This dual-track workshop is designed to help attendees build a business that sustains them rather than breaks them.

Hollie H. Hollister and Ross Larson will co-facilitate this community learning exchange by bridging insights from Psychological Resilience and Heart-Centered Leadership.

Solo founders and small business owners will learn how to scale their impact without the soul fatigue of misaligned growth.

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We are excited to announce that the first 40 registrants will receive a complimentary light dinner and refreshments during the event. PLUS a special drawing where one lucky guest will win a six-month membership to 100state, Madison’s leading hub for entrepreneurs, remote workers, and creatives (must be present to win).

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Sponsored by H Cubed Group, 100state

Event Organizers

Ross Larson

Software Engineer, Paradigm, Forward Fest Board Member

I'm a human being.

Hollie Hollister

Founder, H Cubed Group

Hollie H. Hollister is a pragmatic visionary who aspires to combine the personal with the professional to bring fresh thinking, unique insights and holistic solutions that help heart-based small business owners grow their businesses and themselves (all without stifling who they are... Read More →

Sponsors

100state

H Cubed Group

Wednesday August 19, 2026 4:30pm - 7:30pm CDT
100state 17 South Fairchild Street fl 7, Madison, WI, USA

Category Bio / Health, Food, Social Good, General
Interaction Type Social, Workshop

3:00pm CDT

VentureHome Pitch Day