Starting this fall, the program will host in-person and virtual events to support innovators in Green, Grant, Lafayette, Crawford, Iowa, and Sauk counties, said Craig Beytien of UW-Platteville.
Donohue said his focus so far has been on getting to know the people in these communities in order to build a stakeholder network that starts with community leaders. Engaging the locals largely comes down to word of mouth and consistency, he said.
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“You can’t be discouraged when you’re doing your first event and two people show up. … You just have to stick with it, do more and more things consistently and over time people will see something happen and they will get involved, ”said Donohue.
Before taking up his new position in March, Donohue worked for an entrepreneurial organization, 3 Day Startup, in Austin, Texas for nearly a decade, helping “startup ecosystems” for several top universities, according to Michael Compton, interim dean of UW. Platteville Baraboo Sauk County.
His entrepreneurship work has spanned the world, Donohue said, and he found innovation everywhere from farming communities in Africa to Silicon Valley.
He said the IDEA Hub’s biggest goals are to change the local mindset so people understand they can turn an idea into a successful business no matter where they are. Teaching entrepreneurs how to build a prototype with little or no money and test it with a small group of consumers; and help them build a community around them.
