Matt Cordio
Co-founder
Startup Milwaukee, The Commons, Skills Pipeline
Milwaukee
www.startupmke.org, www.thecommonswi.com, www.skillspipeline.com
Matt Cordio may be young, but his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for Milwaukee are unmatched.
He is responsible for co-founding three Milwaukee organizations that have fostered new relationships as well as business, investment and mentorship opportunities for everyone involved.
“I am heavily influenced by my dad and the work that he’s done throughout my life,” Cordio said.
His father, John, owned a small IT company. Cordio saw it was possible to build a great company from the ground up, and it influenced him to do what he’s done, he said.
Cordio attended Marquette University, and his passion for business and for the city of Milwaukee grew through his entrepreneurship courses.
“Through the work I had done at Marquette, I realized there wasn’t a great resource for emerging tech entrepreneurs in the city,” he said. “I wanted to change that.”
Cordio co-founded Startup Milwaukee in 2011 in order to connect with like-minded peers.
The organization has grown and has helped more than 75 companies with the resources they need, including mentorship, capital and talent.
After graduation, Cordio founded Skills Pipeline, an IT talent solutions company that works to connect companies of all sizes with the IT talent they need to grow, Cordio said.
Cordio plans to continue to grow both organizations, and has recently embarked on a new mission to provide college students in the area with exposure to entrepreneurial skill development.
“I’ve always been looking for a way to bring my educational experiences to as many students as possible,” he said.
The Commons allows students to learn the skills they need to launch companies and innovate within existing companies.
