7Rivers | Milwaukee
Founded: 2023
Funding raised: $4 million
7riversinc.com
Paul Stillmank grew his previous company, a Salesforce consultancy known as 7Summits, from its founding in 2009 to 200 employees and five appearances on the Inc. 5000 list before selling it to IBM in 2021. Two years later, he’s returned to the entrepreneurial journey, launching 7Rivers, which aims to help businesses transform data into valuable solutions by using AI to help drive strategy and growth.
What needs are you addressing with 7Rivers?
Paul Stillmank, founder and executive chairman: “The real need here is to serve companies who were not invested and ready to capitalize on the speed of these new technology innovations by bringing business context and deriving business value through use of data and AI. 7Rivers is here to get past any hype and make this very real for our customers and that’s all about driving business value for them.”
What do you wish you knew before starting the company?
“My past experiences taught me a great deal about building companies with technology, user experience and incredible talent at the core. What I’d like is a crystal ball that helps me to see and understand the rapidly changing dynamics of this innovative, new market.”
What’s the number one thing needed to sustain a culture of innovation and growth?
“A continuous exploration of new technologies, learning, and applying these learnings to create novel paths for clients is essential. That means we, ourselves, need to be an augmented business, built for today and able to leverage our team’s best abilities to innovate on behalf of our clients.”
What could local, regional or state leaders do to better support startups and innovative companies?
“I’m actually very proud of what I see going on in Milwaukee, Wisconsin right now. The resources and focus to support local startups like 7Rivers are myriad compared to back when I launched 7Summits. We’ve done that by fostering a supportive business environment, investing in tech infrastructure, and encouraging collaborations between industry and our universities. We need to continually amp that up now to advance our position in the market as a tech innovator. Shoutout to MKE Tech Hub Coalition and so many more that are bringing this to life right here.”
What’s your biggest lesson learned since founding your company?
“The importance of staying ahead in technology trends while making these new innovations both understandable and useable for businesses and their leaders.”
