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John Neis and Cory Nettles say “we cannot afford to wait for others to act” in new essay published by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

MADISON, Wis. – Calling on the “bold leaders” of the state’s leading corporations and institutions, two investors are urging “broader participation in capital formation, investment [and] collaboration” lest Wisconsin lose ground in the changing global economy.

The essay by John Neis and Cory Nettles is titled “Nothing ventured, nothing gained: Investing in Wisconsin innovation.” It is the latest in a new online series featuring more than 20 prominent contributors.

Neis, who leads an early-stage venture capital firm in Madison, and Nettles, head of a private equity fund headquartered in Milwaukee, urge public and private stakeholders across the state to redouble their commitment to business development.

“Wisconsin needs a cultural revolution, one that fosters taking risks and thinking like an entrepreneur,” they write. “When you have a chance to help take something out of a lab and bring it to the market, and it impacts the health of people and the economy of the community, the rewards go way beyond financial. This is what brings the Wisconsin Idea to life.”

The series is called “Innovation and the Wisconsin Idea.” In addition to Neis and Nettles, contributors include university researchers and educators, business leaders and entrepreneurs, investors, and public officials who share their views on the crucial interdependence between university innovations and the strength of the Wisconsin economy.

Co-authors represent different regions of the state while sharing a common bond through the field they represent, from agriculture and engineering to health care and policymaking.

Contributors to the series include:

• Erik Iverson, Managing Director, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
• Governor Tommy G. Thompson and Professor Mike Sussman
• Professor Dan Ludois and Cecil Edirisinghe, CEO of Velicon
• Chris Salm, CEO of Ab E Discovery, and Dean Kate VandenBosch
• Dr. Alan Kaplan, CEO of UW Health, and Dr. Susan Turney, CEO of Marshfield Clinic
• John Neis, Executive Managing Director of Venture Investors, and Cory Nettles, Founder and Managing Director of Generation Growth Capital Inc.
• Dean Ian Robertson and Greg Piefer, CEO of SHINE Medical Technologies
• Zach Brandon, President of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, and Tim Sheehy, President of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce
• Arjun Sanga, President of WiSys, and Zach Halmstad, Co-Founder of Jamf
• State Senator Luther Olsen and Dean Robert Golden
• Chancellor Dean Van Galen and Tom Still, President of the Wisconsin Technology Council
• State Senator Alberta Darling and Rock Mackie, Professor and Entrepreneur
• Mike Knetter, President of the University of Wisconsin Foundation

For more information about the series Innovation and the Wisconsin Idea, please visit warf.org/WisconsinInnovates. Comments on the series are welcome at [email protected].

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About WARF
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) helps steward the cycle of research, discovery, commercialization and investment for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Founded in 1925 as an independent, nonprofit foundation, WARF manages more than 1,900 patents and an investment portfolio of $2.7 billion as it funds university research, obtains patents for campus discoveries and licenses inventions to industry. For more information, visit WARF.org and view WARF’s Cycle of Innovation.

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