The Ignite Startup Accelerator is an 11-month collaborative startup accelerator to assist founders and entrepreneurs in commercializing their new venture. Ignite’s goal is to provide passionate entrepreneurs who have a strong business idea and have completed customer discovery, with the tools, resources, and connections to accelerate the commercialization of their ventures and get to revenue growth.
The program accepts up to 10 teams with 25 total participants each year.
Who Can Apply? The Program is Open to All!
- UWM Students
- UWM Faculty and Staff
- UWM Alumni
- Community Members
Entrepreneurs accepted to the program are expected to have completed customer discovery.
1. Achieving Product Market Fit
– Business Model Canvas
– Finalize Commercial Business Model
2. Marketing
– Understanding Buyer Journey
– Initiating the Marketing Mix
3. Sales Organization
– Understanding Sales Cycles
– Pipeline Management
– Deal Qualification
4. Sales Financials
– Sales KPIs
– Forecasting
5. Building Resilience
The program will guide entrepreneurs on their “next steps,” including networking, scaling the business, pivoting if needed, refining the sales pitch, and fine tuning their investor pitch decks.
Ignite entrepreneurs will be exposed to potential customers and investors.
Entrepreneurs in the program will continue to develop a community around venture development.
Resources Available to Incubator Participants
- Each venture is eligible to receive a $5,000 scholarship that may be used towards business expenses incurred, including tuition and operating expenses. Please note: tuition for the three-credit Ignite course is deducted from the scholarship grant amount and may account for up to half of that total dollar amount.
- Shared workspace in the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center (LEC), including internet access.
- Meeting/conference rooms with A/V equipment.
- Huddle spaces for private meetings and/or phone calls.
- Support from the LEC innovation team, including the LEC Entrepreneur-in-Residence.
- Access to LEC programming – including talk series, brown bag lunches, and pop-up classes.
About the Program Director
Bryce P. Nelson, Ph.D. is a scientist-turned-entrepreneur and executive whose career spans early-stage biotech ventures and global leadership roles in the life science and high-tech fields. After earning his Ph.D. in Chemistry from UW–Madison, he became the first employee and Chief Scientific Officer at Gentel Biosciences, a Madison-based startup. Originally launched as a spinout focused on DNA computing, Gentel pivoted to become a proteomics tools company serving pharmaceutical and academic customers. Backed by early revenue, SBIR grants, and support from angel and venture investors, the company grew steadily before its assets were acquired by Intuitive Biosciences in 2010.
Choosing to stay in the Midwest, Bryce joined Sigma-Aldrich (now MilliporeSigma), where he spent 14 years leading several flagship businesses. He held executive roles across Chemical Synthesis, Discovery Chemistry, Materials Science, and Marketing for the global chemistry division. In 2024, he launched North Star Technology Insights, a consulting firm helping high-tech and science-driven companies accelerate innovation and bring new ideas to market. He also serves in fractional leadership roles with several global and early-stage companies.
At UW–Milwaukee, Bryce is an Adjunct Assistant Professor and Executive-In-Residence at the Lubar College of Business. He teaches Entrepreneurship in the Executive MBA program and mentors early-stage teams through UWM’s I-Corps program. Bryce brings a deep belief that entrepreneurship is both a team sport and a personal journey—and he’s passionate about helping founders navigate pivots, scale wisely, and grow from idea to impact.
2024-25 Ventures
2023-24 Ventures
2022-23 Ventures
A partnership between:
