Government, business leaders announce entrepreneurship venture

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Government and business leaders gathered on Thursday, March 28th to announce a new venture, called "Scale Up Milwaukee." It is an opportunity for Milwaukee to build an entrepreneurial culture that embraces risk taking, but with an opportunity to put in place what's needed for growth-oriented entrepreneurial businesses to thrive and create economic prosperity.

This venture will embrace start-up companies and businesses that already exist by scaling them up.

"Hard work and innovation are what we've come to know and expect from these business owners, but hard work and innovation go a lot further when others are vested in start-up success," Randi Schochet said.

Schochet is with American Express Open, which is contributing significantly to the venture, as well as the Greater Milwaukee Committee and partnerships from the city of Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin.

"It sends yet another message that we're setting aside differences in the past. We're working together. We're getting things done," Gov. Scott Walker said.

"You do have two examples here -- certainly the example of the Lakefront is a place where we were able to work together. Today is another example where we were able to work together," Mayor Barrett said.

Milwaukee will be the first community in the United States to develop an entrepreneurship program using a model developed by Daniel Isenberg, who joined the group via Skype from Israel.

Using his model, the hope is to cultivate an entrepreneurial ecosystem that leads to long-term economic growth and development.

"Milwaukee is the engine, economic engine in the state. Certainly from a statewide standpoint, we want to see that grow," Gov. Walker said.

Isenberg will be in Milwaukee in April, and more details about the Open for Entrepreneurship model will be unveiled in May.