The Wisconsin Technology Council is taking over the awards this year. The group will host the Wisconsin Innovation Awards Nov. 4 in Madison, just before the annual Early Stage Symposium takes place Nov. 5-6 at the same venue, the Monona Terrace.
Younkle, who has successfully launched multiple startups, said the awards program has served to connect innovators from around the state. He notes “there’s a lot of value that happens” when entrepreneurs and others from various industries get together.
“The other piece is capturing the stories to inspire the next generation of innovators,” he said. “And so we’ve been able to curate these videos and these origin stories, essentially an oral history of how these companies were formed and where these big ideas came from.”
Meanwhile, Boucher of Madison law firm Neider & Boucher shares details from past competitors and Younkle touches on how bigger firms such as Kohler have been featured in the awards program as well.
“There you have a big company, they’re very innovative in a way that everybody kind of knows about, but they’re also innovative in these other ways that you wouldn’t know about but for an opportunity like this,” Younkle said.
Tech Council President and show host Tom Still adds the awards program “shines a light on all kinds of innovation in Wisconsin.”
The episode also previews upcoming events being put on by the Tech Council, which produces the show.