Dane and Beyond: Reaching beyond today's way of doing business to solve problems and encourage innovation.
Some people collect records, others tattoos. Michael Fenchel collects ideas. As the executive director of 100state, a downtown co-working space and startup springboard, he's discovered that brainstorming is the love of his professional life. Fenchel, 26, is convinced this process leads to partnerships and innovation, two things Madison's business community needs to thrive. And brainstorming with thinkers from different industries can help people transcend the conventions of their field.
"Different perspectives lead to a really good brainstorming session," Fenchel says. "We have a curriculum for how to share ideas, which involves making an open, creative environment and giving people the right amount of structure to keep them on course."
A by-invitation membership organization with about 80 members, 100State also helps Madison entrepreneurs put ideas into action. Though the group is less than a year old, it has helped launch several new ventures, including bankmybiz.com, an online platform that connects businesses and lenders, and Wisconsin From Scratch, a food blog and culinary education project. When a 100State member needed funding to develop a disposable timer for nurses, Fenchel and company helped her find investors. Fenchel also created Make Music Match, the web-based platform Make Music Madison used to match performers with venues last May. Since then, groups in New York City and Athens, Greece, have started using it.
These projects have made innovators around the world take notice. Fenchel says 100State was mentioned at an entrepreneurship event on Google's London campus, and that the Austin Tech Council stopped by when visiting business incubators around the country. The 100State team also gathers ideas from outside Madison, through online groups and face-to-face events such as a November bus trip to Milwaukee with gener8tor, Capital Entrepreneurs and Startup Milwaukee.
Helping startups gain speed is just part of 100State's mission. The organization also hosts community "problem-solving soirees," in which groups gather to troubleshoot tough issues facing Madison. Fenchel tries to bring marginalized groups, particularly the homeless, into the discussion.
"We're trying to give them a voice and help them find ways to contribute that may lead to work," he says. "We're planning an event where we'd help homeless people do a professional presentation [on] their ideas about how to make Madison better. A lot of what creativity is involves being comfortable getting out there and sharing your ideas, no matter how silly they might seem."
