When Aidan Northcutt, a UW–Madison data science student from Chicago, first got into entrepreneurship, it wasn’t because of his technical skills or novel solutions — it was through sneakers. “I started a sneaker resale business back in eighth grade,” Aidan recalls. “I would buy and sell vintage Jordans and other exclusive brands. That was when I fell in love with the entrepreneurial process — building marketing strategies, closing sales, traveling to events, managing finances — all by myself.” That early experience set the foundation for a mindset driven by initiative and curiosity.
Now, Aidan’s latest project combines his passion for business with his technical training: GreensKeeper, a software product designed to help golf courses maximize revenue through dynamic pricing. GreensKeeper automatically adjusts golf course tee-time prices based on factors like weather, day of the week, and time of day. “The idea is to help golf courses optimize their booking engines,” Aidan explains. “There are tons of consumer-focused apps for golfers — last-minute deals, course finders, and so on — but I realized there’s a gap for tools that actually help golf courses themselves increase revenue.” Rather than competing for thousands of individual users, GreensKeeper focuses on securing contracts with a smaller number of golf course clients. “It is a more direct target market,” he says. “You just need to capture a few businesses rather than chase an entire customer base.”
Aidan credits UW–Madison’s entrepreneurial ecosystem for helping him refine his ideas and learn from peers. “One of the best experiences I have had was joining Badger Future Founders,” he says. “Their Brain Dump events gave me great feedback, new ideas, and even lessons from other students’ mistakes. It’s a really collaborative community.”
In addition to his involvement with Badger Future Founders, Aidan is currently enrolled in the Introduction to Entrepreneurship course taught by Goldberg Family Director Dan Olszewski. This course has helped him apply entrepreneurial concepts like customer discovery and business modeling directly to his projects. Together, the class and campus programs have given him a strong foundation to explore and test new venture ideas.
While Aidan hasn’t pursued funding yet, he’s keeping an eye on the UW’s startup programs and competitions for future opportunities. “There are a lot of ways to get guidance and mentorship here,” he notes.
For now, GreensKeeper is a side project that Aidan manages alongside his studies in data science, computer science, and entrepreneurship. “I know my education comes first,” he says. “But I also know that the skills I am building in class — especially in AI and data analytics — are directly relevant to what I want to create. There’s a sort of gold rush right now with AI, and it feels like a great time to experiment.” That perspective keeps him grounded. “I am not on a strict timeline or accountable to investors yet,” Aidan adds. “It gives me the freedom to learn and build at my own pace.”
Through his ventures, Aidan has developed more than just technical know-how. “Entrepreneurship really teaches you independence and accountability,” he says. “When you are solely responsible for your work, you learn how to present yourself professionally and how to just get things done.” He also emphasizes the value of experimentation. “Even if you fail or pivot, you always learn something. That’s been the most rewarding part — just the intellectual exploration.”
When asked where he sees GreensKeeper in a few years, Aidan answers thoughtfully: “Honestly, I have no idea — and that’s kind of the exciting part. Most startups evolve into something completely different from where they began. If this idea grows, great. If it leads to my next one, even better.”
For students thinking about launching a venture, Aidan’s advice is simple: just start. “I have had 10 or 15 different ideas I never tried,” he says. “The real failure is not trying. Do your research, make sure it’s feasible — but once you have done that, throw yourself into it and see where it goes.”
With his mix of analytical skill and entrepreneurial drive, Aidan Northcutt is teeing up innovation in an industry ready for change — and doing it one algorithm at a time.
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