This spring, the StartUp Learning Community brought entrepreneurial learning to life through a dynamic mix of guest speakers, student-led programming, professional development workshops, and community-building events.
After a fantastic winter break which included a career trek to San Francisco, we launched spring programming with a visit from StartUp alum and recent grad Andrew Pfaff (BBA ’24), who launched his pressure washing business EcoWash while a student on the StartUp floor. Utilizing one of our proprietary Dream Big Grants to get his idea going, the business now sees revenue over $1M and has expanded to other states. There is no question Andrew’s venture reflects the Startup Learning Community’s spirit of tackling real-world problems with innovative solutions.
This spring, the Business Connect Learning Communities brought Ken LaBarre of RollItTakeIt, LLC to Sellery Hall. Ken is a live event video director and has directed some of the biggest bands in the world on the Coachella and Lollapalooza stages (as well as Badger hockey). He had celebrity stories and amazing advice for those looking to couple their love of the arts with entrepreneurship. A truly one-of-a-kind evening.
Melina Zarboulis, 2025 data science major and new grad to watch, brought a different kind of founder energy to the floor a couple of weeks later. Melina was the brains behind the launch of The Vault—one of UW-Madison’s most successful new student orgs. Dedicated to bridging an unmet need in the fashion business space, Melina told a terrific story of getting something started for students, by students!
Mid-April, we partnered with BioHouse for a joint Community Dinner featuring faculty founder, Dr. Erika Shu. Dr. Shu is the co-founder of EzraBio—a cutting-edge biotech startup, which she leads while also teaching biochemistry on campus. She did a wonderful job of explaining to her first-year audience how a faculty member takes an idea from discovery to product!
Our Learning Community Program Assistants, upperclassmen StartUp alums employed by the program, also planned some amazing events for our students throughout the semester. On St. Patrick’s Day, our student staff whipped up shamrock shakes in the lounge while conducting a spring internship workshop. With insights from alumni and startup recruiters, the session gave students a practical toolkit for navigating summer, coop and early career opportunities in innovative industries.
The semester wrapped up in high style on a Saturday in late April with Mocktails Over Mendota, a festive event for all UW-Madison Learning Communities on the Pyle Center rooftop. With handcrafted non-alcoholic drinks, relaxed conversation, and a stunning view over Lake Mendota, the event gave students space to reflect, reconnect, and celebrate a semester of hands-on learning.
And the year wouldn’t have been complete without our amazing Faculty Director, Professor John Surdyk, winning the Wisconsin School of Business Gaumnitz Excellence in Instruction with AI Award. All of our students would agree—there is nobody more deserving.
Next year’s StartUp class will be announced mid-June. We can’t wait to get STARTED with 64 new freshmen come August!
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