10/01/2009 Lt. Governor Lawton promotes Wisconsin as a life sciences hub at Springboard Enterprises Forum
10/2/2009

Thursday, October 1, 2009: Lt. Governor Lawton promotes Wisconsin as a life sciences hub at Springboard Enterprises forum

 

At a venture capital forum for women entrepreneurs, Lt. Governor Lawton on Thursday welcomed venture capitalists and business CEOs with a vivid description of how Wisconsin positions itself to lead in the life sciences sector. She sketched out a statewide asset inventory that includes world-class research institutions, sophisticated technology transfer resources, a high-quality workforce, and a proud history of successful entrepreneurship and innovating across sectors.  And she applauded the invaluable contribution of Springboard Enterprises to compounding entrepreneurial activity by bringing women into play.

 

“Springboards’ is a big vision. They are building the equivalent of a 21st century aqueduct, directing the deal flow to women thirsty for the chance to do their best stuff. They set in motion the most efficient and effective way to dismantle institutional barriers to the success of women entrepreneurs, and do it with such power that they will change the culture for women’s leadership in every realm of our lives. And the nation’s economy and all our lives will be enriched,” Lawton said.

 

Pictured above) Lt. Governor Lawton, Springboard Enterprises Board President Kay Koplovitz, and Wisconsin life sciences entrepreneurs at the AllThingsLifeSciences Forum

 

The AllThingsLifeSciences 2009 Midwest Conference was the first-ever venture capital forum directed specifically toward women-led companies in the life sciences. Participating businesses represented biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, information technology, food processing and other life sciences industries. Only two other forums were hosted by Springboard Enterprises this year: one in New York City and the other in the Silicon Valley.

 

The forum was co-hosted by Springboard Enterprises, a non-profit organization that connects emerging women-led companies to venture capital, and Phenomenelle Angels Fund, an early stage fund that invests in women- and minority-led businesses in Wisconsin and the Midwest.

 

Lt. Governor Lawton surveyed Wisconsin’s historic leadership in the life sciences – including the discoveries of vitamins A and B and the first isolation of human stem cells – and noted that UW-Madison is ranked second in the country for dollars spent on sponsored research, more than both Harvard and MIT.

 

She also described Wisconsin’s solid framework of top-notch research and tech transfer facilities. UW Research Park, the soon-to-open Institutes for Discovery and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) all facilitate the commercialization of research conducted in the state, and the Wisconsin Angel Network connects entrepreneurs to early seed and angel investors.

 

“In Wisconsin, we are ready to turn venture capital into success stories, and we have no shortage of women in the life sciences with vibrant research programs who we would like to see engage in tech transfer,” Lt. Governor Lawton said.

 

Lt. Governor Lawton also highlighted state programs to foster new generations of entrepreneurs. She described a new “entrepreneurial dorm floor” at UW-Madison, and UW-Madison’s Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship recent recognition as 11th on a list of the “Top 25 Entrepreneurial Graduate Programs in the U.S.” The undergraduate entrepreneurship program at UW ranks 16th, according to that same list.

 

 

Lt. Governor Lawton cuts ribbon at Full Compass grand opening

 

Lt. Governor Lawton cut the ribbon to celebrate the grand opening of the new Full Compass building in the Silicon Prairie Parkway Industrial Park in Madison on Thursday evening.  She spoke of the Lipps' vision to build the creative sector in Wisconsin, and their commitment to strengthening the arts in education toward that end.

 

Left) Lt. Governor Lawton cuts the ribbon at the grand opening celebration of the Madison Full Compass building

 

Full Compass is a women-led wholesale company that sells over 700 brands of professional audio, video, AV and lighting equipment to entertainment companies, churches, educational institutions, music groups, studios and other organizations. The company stocks DJ equipment, intercoms, microphones, musical instruments, cameras, projection screens, software, light fixtures, computers and a host of other equipment, totaling 50,000 products.

 

The company recently moved from Middleton to a 140,000-square-foot building in Madison, equipped with a warehouse, two recording studios, a cafeteria, a museum, sales offices, a showroom and a rental department.

 

Joining Lt. Governor Lawton at the event were Full Compass President Susan Lipp, CEO Jonathan Lipp, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.

 

Friday, October 2, 2009 Lt. Governor Lawton Emcees Governor Schwarzenegger and Oxfam America's Climate Leader Awards at Global Climate Summit in Los Angeles

 

Lt. Governor Lawton served as the Mistress of Ceremonies on Friday afternoon at Governor Schwarzenegger and Oxfam America’s Sisters on the Planet Climate Leader Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles.

 

Left) Lt. Governor Lawton, Oxfam America Board President Janet McKinley and Honoree Hilary Krane at the Oxfam America’s Sisters on the Planet Awards Ceremony

 

The Sisters on the Planet ceremony marked the conclusion of the four-day Governors’ Global Climate Summit, “On the Road to Copenhagen,” which convened state government leaders, environmental executives, green product purchasers and national climate change experts to discuss solutions for combating global climate change, cultivating a more profitable and active green economy, expanding the use of sustainable energy, reducing oil dependence and decreasing carbon emissions.

 

The Sisters on the Planet ceremony honored three women who have led the charge to mitigate the effects of global climate change. Award recipients included U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer; Hilary Krane, General Counsel and Senior Vice President for Corporate Affairs at Levi Strauss & Company; and Sharon Hanshaw, Executive Director of Coastal Women for Change.

 

Lt. Governor Lawton serves as an ambassador with Oxfam America’s Sisters on the Planet Initiative and has lobbied with them on Capitol Hill for bold action to combat global climate change.

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