The Sheboygan County Accelerator for Learning Entrepreneurship (SCALE), the new seed accelerator program in partnership with Lakeland University and the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corp. (SCEDC), announced this week its initial cohort of six companies.
SCALE is a free program that will annually invest a $10,000 technical assistance grant in up to six pre- or early-revenue startups. The program is made possible by a grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
The six participants in the inaugural cohort, which were selected from 30 applicants from around Sheboygan County, are:
- Autumn and Greg Farrell are developing an all-natural tick repellent wipe for people and pets that spend time in the outdoors.
- Raw-Tek Innovations, owned by Ricky Wakefield, is preparing to debut its first product, the HYPERPLANE, an in-line planer board for use by the sportfishing industry.
- K9skin.com, owned by Kimberly Matalas, specializes in products that provide immediate relief to pets suffering from skin ailments and coat problems such as itching, odors, allergies, shedding and coat growth.
- CK Innovations LLC, owned by Cody Ellens, is an early-stage startup that designs and manufactures products that solve problems in the childcare industry.
- Kids In Combat Boots, owned by Deanna Herber, is a network and “service branch” promotion program that supports U.S. military-connected children.
- Stolen Flower, owned by Mary Motiska, is a chili oil sauce company that takes pride in local Hmong pepper farmers and organic ingredients used to produce their products.
The 10-week program will include two weekly curriculum-based meetings and one weekly networking event, a community partner meeting, and an update meeting with staff or mentors. The first SCALE session was held this week at Jake’s, A Lakeland Community. The program will conclude mid-March.
“We are excited with the mix of products and businesses that make up our inaugural class,” said Ray York, SCEDC and Small Business Development Center at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay business counselor. “We look forward to equipping these entrepreneurs while accelerating their progress by connecting them to the resources in our innovation community.”
