How a startup accelerator is helping Wisconsin businesses during coronavirus

Niki Neal owns a gym. 

Neal has no plans to raise venture capital. Her business is not high-growth. New technology is not being developed. Around 100 women come to work out at the Curves franchise in Oak Creek on a typical Monday. 

But Neal is getting help during the pandemic from Milwaukee-based, nationally-ranked startup accelerator gener8tor. 

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In response to the coronavirus crisis, gener8tor set up its own free emergency response program for small businesses. Gener8tor, which focuses on high-growth, technology-centered companies for its flagship equity program, has turned its attention to Main Street. 

Gener8tor is running small business programs in Wisconsin, Alabama, Texas, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma and Florida. It plans to start similar programs in Illinois and Michigan soon. Information about the coronavirus response program is at gener8tor.com/emergency-response-program. 

As soon as Neal closed the doors to her gym in response to the state's stay-at-home order, she laid off her five part-time employees. The Internet and phone lines at the gym are disconnected to save money. She thinks her business can weather  about six weeks of a shut down. 

"Even thinking beyond the end of this week is all I really can do," she said. 

More than 650 Wisconsin companies like Neal's Curves franchise have applied for help from the startup accelerator. The businesses taking part in its coronavirus program are a mix of sizes, models and age. 

The program consists of daily webinars explaining resources available through federal, state and local governments, employment law changes and mental health resources among other topics. Every company also receives one-on-one coaching. 

'A rough patch'

Many business owners are just trying to keep the wheels on. Some are still experiencing growth. Others want to pivot and think about new ideas to bring to market. 

"We know that these resources are out there and want to help people understand that they should apply," said Lauren Usher who has been running the Wisconsin program. "The community is supporting small business when they can like doing takeout and delivery. They see how important those acts are for our local economy."

With gener8tor's help, Neal applied for two federal programs, the Paycheck Protection Program and economic injury disaster loan assistance. 

"It's definitely a rough patch," Usher said. "But I do feel hopeful that we'll come out on the other side." 

The one-person business

Nic Boehm didn't think his one-man T-shirt company Scansin Brand would fit the profile for gener8tor. It's helped him connect with other business owners for his fundraising T-shirt to benefit shuttered establishments during the stay-at-home order. 

"It’s going to be a setback for me but it’s so much worse for other businesses," Boehm said. "The core of our community is restaurants, bars and diners." 

He designed a customizable shirt to show support for bars and restaurants. The $24 shirt includes a $10 donation to the Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation. Scansin Brand launched in late 2019. 

Nick Ryan has been dependent on the hospitality industry to sell his beer from Herbiery Brewing. The Madison-based brewer is just over two years old and about half his sales are to bars and restaurants. Gener8tor helped Ryan figure out what government programs he was eligible for as a small, one-person business.

"It was already hard — working on my own," he said. 

Sarah Hauer can be reached at shauer@journalsentinel.com or on Instagram @HauerSarah and Twitter @SarahHauer. Subscribe to her weekly newsletter Be MKE at jsonline.com/bemke.