Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/355934
w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m A u g u s t 2 0 14 • I nsIgh t | 17 I n 2 0 0 4 , I c o - f o u n d e d t h e Wisconsin Angel network with tom still of the Wisconsin technology council to ensure that entrepreneurs had visible sources of risk capital. now, I'm vice president of Brightstar Wisconsin, a nonprofit that accepts donations into our foundation, and then we turn around and make equity investments into early stage companies that create jobs. We're the first in the nation to receive a nonprofit status to do a fund like this solely based on our ability to help create jobs in our state. We were founded with $6 million from our eight founders and now have total commitments of over $7 million. We've invested in eight companies; those companies employ about 50 now and anticipate they will have over 200 jobs in the next three years. We expect to invest in two companies per month well into the future. tom shannon, Brightstar's founder and ceo, is a uW-Madison grad who saw a lot of money being donated for scholarships and to create great buildings across the state. Badgers across Wisconsin and even outside Wisconsin are very philanthropic; they've given hundreds of millions of dollars. We educate our kids – but it doesn't seem there is a source of capital or the jobs for them to stay here. tom (shannon) felt very strongly there was an opportunity to provide a conduit for Lorrie Heinemann on the nation's first nonprofit venture fund U P F R O N T face time P H O T O G R A P H B Y B O B C A s H m A N / I m A G E s T U D I O s , F O R I N s I G H T Formerly the director of Financial Institutions for the State of Wisconsin, Lorrie Heinemann recently took on the role of vice president of BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation, the nation's first non-profit venture capital firm. Heinemann, who built her career in finance and banking (including the former Valley Bank in Appleton), was co-founder of the Wisconsin Angel Network. She sat down with Insight Editor Margaret LeBrun to talk about BrightStar's mission. [continued ] »