After being run by the
Greater Milwaukee Committee for a decade,
Scale Up Milwaukee will instead be run by
The Business Council beginning in 2024.
Scale Up Milwaukee’s mission is to help existing southeastern Wisconsin businesses accelerate their growth to drive economic development. The program was initially launched as a business accelerator program in 2013 but has since tailored its focus to help support minority and women-owned businesses in disadvantaged communities. The Business Council also provides education and resources to ethnically diverse businesses in the region.
“The Business Council is excited to carry on the foundation of growth for entrepreneurs with the most challenging barriers,” said
Marjorie Rucker, executive director of The Business Council. “This work must continue in our community to offer access and create equitable opportunities for entrepreneurs and Milwaukee as a whole to experience sustainable growth.”
Following this new partnership, Scale Up Milwaukee will be able to leverage The Business Council’s resources dedicated to BIPOC and female entrepreneurs.
Scale Up Milwaukee’s curriculum and programs focus on sales, marketing, finance and hiring for businesses. Nearly 300 companies have graduated from the program’s growth accelerator, or SPARC, increasing collective revenue by $200 million. Graduates have hired more than 1,500 employees, mostly in the Milwaukee area.
The GMC has also created programs that grew to operate as separate entities. Those organizations include The Water Council, United Performing Arts Fund, BizStarts and Milwaukee Succeeds.
“The GMC has a rich history of working with our community to identify solutions to systemic challenges,” said
Joel Brennan, president of the Greater Milwaukee Committee. “Through Scale Up Milwaukee, we have been able to build a foundation of success for business to grow, but also for an entire community to understand how to create an equitable ecosystem that can reduce barriers to entrepreneurial sustainability.”
