September 20, 2021 – The MKE Tech Hub Coalition is hosting Reverse Pitch MKE, a unique pitching competition that connects corporations to entrepreneurs and startups who want the opportunity to help solve challenges and potentially launch a new product or business.

This program will kick-off during Milwaukee Tech Week on Wednesday, October 27. During the hybrid virtual and in-person event, The Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network, Northwestern Mutual, Rockwell Automation, and West Bend Mutual Insurance Company will each present industry challenges to be solved.

At the event, executives from the organizations will pitch to entrepreneurs, each outlining business challenges they are looking to explore and solve. In addition, attendees will receive timelines and resources necessary to help them prepare to pitch back. Presenting sponsors and high-level challenge statements include:

• The Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network: Community Health Literacy and Trust
• Northwestern Mutual: Supporting Responsible Financial Representative Social Media Use
• Rockwell Automation: Identifying In-field Devices; Leveraging Raw Material Data for Prescriptive Manufacturing in partnership with Sargento Foods
• West Bend Mutual Insurance Company: Coverage Verifier; Decision to order Property Inspection

Select entrepreneurs will be invited to pitch back their proposed solutions in February 2022, for a chance to earn a $10,000 prize, mentoring and coaching from corporate sponsors and community mentors. In addition, legal and operational support services are being offered to the winners by Godfrey and Kahn and Trivium.

“Reverse Pitch MKE provided a rare opportunity to build a relationship with a leading organization around a problem that we were passionate about solving and positioned to execute on. Unlike most pitch programs, Reserve Pitch MKE ensured multiple touchpoints with key internal stakeholders and decision-makers. This helped in improving and shaping the pitch, but also creating champions within the organization to drive a commercial and investor relationship.” said past Reverse Pitch MKE winner Alex Harb, Founder & CEO, LENA

Reverse Pitch MKE is open to all innovators, startups and creatives. In 2020, this event attracted a diverse set of innovators interested in solving the challenges of the corporations.

“We’re excited to see Reverse Pitch MKE continue to grow. This year, we’ve doubled the participating companies and are focused on increasing the number of diverse entrepreneur participants to help them build and grow their businesses in Milwaukee.” said Kathy Henrich, CEO, Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition.

Reverse Pitch MKE is one of the many MKE Tech Week events building momentum in the region’s startup community and connecting entrepreneurs with the resources they need to keep their ideas and businesses growing.

Milwaukee Tech Week, taking place October 25-29, and hosted by the MKE Tech Hub Coalition, is a weeklong celebration of entrepreneurship and innovation in the Milwaukee region. The mission is to connect, educate and celebrate Milwaukee’s tech and startup ecosystem while breaking down silos to foster a diverse tech ecosystem.

To learn more about Reverse Pitch MKE and to register to attend on October 27th please visit https://www.mketech.org/reverse-pitch-mke/.

To view a full calendar of events for Milwaukee Tech Week visit, https://wistartups.org/startup-week/milwaukee/.

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About MKE Tech Hub Coalition:

The MKE Tech Hub Coalition is a non-profit organization working to inclusively double tech talent in the Milwaukee region. We serve as a unifying voice for Milwaukee’s tech community, working with others to grow a vibrant, inclusive ecosystem where tech and innovation create enduring regional prosperity and life-changing jobs. Formed in late 2019, over 100 member organizations now collaborate to grow tech jobs matched with the right supply of skilled talent through K-20, reskilling and attraction/retention initiatives. Underlying all of these initiatives is an intentional focus on increasing the diversity of our tech talent. To learn more and signup for our newsletter, visit mketech.org.

About Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin:

The Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin regional health network is a partnership between Froedtert Health and the Medical College of Wisconsin supporting a shared mission of patient care, innovation, medical research and education. Our health network operates eastern Wisconsin’s only academic medical center and adult Level I Trauma Center at Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee, an internationally recognized training and research center engaged in thousands of clinical trials and studies. The Froedtert & MCW health network, which includes eight hospital locations, nearly 2,000 physicians and more than 45 health centers and clinics, draws patients from throughout the Midwest and the nation. In our most recent fiscal year, outpatient visits exceeded 1.2 million, inpatient admissions to our hospitals were 52,807 and visits to our network physicians totaled 947,136. For more information, visit froedtert.com.

About Northwestern Mutual:

Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 160 years. Through a holistic planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what’s most important. With $308.8 billion in total assets, $31.1 billion in revenues, and $2 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than 4.75 million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. The company manages more than $200 billion of investments owned by its clients and held or managed through its wealth management and investment services businesses. Northwestern Mutual ranks 90 on the 2021 FORTUNE 500 and is recognized by FORTUNE^® as one of the “World’s Most Admired” life insurance companies in 2021.

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance).

About Rockwell Automation:

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 24,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries. To learn more about how we are bringing the Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit www.rockwellautomation.com.

About West Bend Mutual Insurance Company:

West Bend Mutual Insurance Company, headquartered in West Bend, Wisconsin, provides property/casualty insurance products, including a broad personal lines coverage package, a full range of commercial products and services, insurance for specialty lines, and bonds. West Bend employs more than 1,300 associates and is represented by approximately 1,500 independent insurance agencies throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, and Arizona. The company has been rated A (Excellent) or better by A.M. Best since 1971. West Bend also consistently ranks higher than its competitors in an agency loyalty survey.