Reverse Pitch MKE

Your opportunity to build the next great solution.

Great ideas can come from anywhere. Through Reverse Pitch MKE, local companies open their doors to entrepreneurs, startups, and other creatives who want the opportunity to help solve challenges and potentially launch a product and business of their own.

This year’s event will kick off on November 11 during Startup Milwaukee Week. Startup Milwaukee Week connects high-growth entrepreneurs with the resources they need (investors, support programs, service providers, etc.) to launch and scale high-growth tech companies in the Milwaukee region. The 5th annual event is taking place virtually, November 11 – 18, 2020 and is supported by Husch Blackwell, Northwestern Mutual, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, and Skills Pipeline. To view the full calendar of events visit StartupWI.org.

Meet the companies participating in Reverse Pitch MKE 2020

Northwestern Mutual helps people make smart financial choices, so their goals aren’t left to chance.

For over 160 years, we’ve empowered clients to live their dreams today, as well as tomorrow, through our unique approach to financial planning. We combine the expertise of our financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to give our clients access to everything they need to successfully navigate their financial lives.

The Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin regional health network is a partnership between Froedtert Health and the Medical College of Wisconsin. We support a shared mission of patient care, innovation, medical research and education. It is an internationally recognized training and research center engaged in thousands of clinical trials and studies.

Inception Health is the innovation arm of Froedtert Health, focused on driving change in health care through investment in digital technology. The group will be providing technical guidance and subject matter expertise to the winning team.

Business Challenges:

Attracting Diverse Talent: Northwestern Mutual is seeking a way to attract more candidates from underrepresented backgrounds for opportunities in the home office and field. Tools and platforms for unbiased selection exist, but the need to foster belonging and facilitate a diverse pipeline remains across all hiring areas, and particularly in recruitment for technology and financial representative positions.

Northwestern Mutual is also finalizing a second challenge. More details about this challenge will be released closer to the Reverse Pitch MKE event.

Business Challenges:

Addressing the Impact of Social Isolation and Loneliness on Health: The COVID pandemic has heightened the growing epidemic of social isolation and loneliness which has been proven to have a dramatic impact on an individual’s health status. The Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network seeks a way to proactively identify patterns of social isolation and loneliness and innovative ways to help people overcome these challenges.

Digital Health Engagement: Adoption of digital health has seen an exponential rise during 2020. However, the services have not been adopted equally across all segments of our community. The Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network is seeking a way to support individuals with challenges that inhibit engagement with digital health services.

The winning team(s) will receive*:

$10,000 cash prize and up to $90,000 in seed investment from Cream City Venture Capital
Co-locating space in Cream City Labs
Access to Northwestern Mutual advisors, mentors and technology resources
Up to $2,000 in legal services, provided by Godrey & Kahn, S.C.
*Subject to Standard Terms and Conditions

The winning team(s) will receive*:

$10,000 cash prize and up to $90,000 in seed investment from Inception Health, the innovation arm of Froedtert Health
Co-locating space
Access to digital innovation leaders and Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health care experts
Up to $2,000 in legal services, provided by Godfrey & Kahn, S.C
*Subject to Standard Terms and Conditions

These new businesses will be launched in Milwaukee, adding to the local tech economy.

Building on the success of Reverse Pitch MKE 2018

More than 100 entrepreneurs took part in the second Reverse Pitch MKE event in 2018. The winning solution was Pythonic AI, whose MedReviewer platform uses machine learning and natural language processing to automate tedious and repetitive aspects of medical records review, pulling out key findings to help underwriters and claims analysts make their decisions faster. Northwestern Mutual underwriters are currently testing a live pilot of Pythonic AI.

Reverse Pitch MKE is supported by: