Investing in high-growth scalable ventures shapes Wisconsin’s ecosystem

Cordero Barkley – Partner, TitletownTech

My choice to stay in Green Bay upon graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay had a profound impact on my future. I started my career in the banking industry, but ultimately it was a project with the Green Bay Packers that led me to TitletownTech as a founding partner. Little did I know, I had been interviewing for this opportunity for six years. Consistently showing up and doing my best every day, a trait that’s consistent among the hard-working people of Wisconsin, gave me a shot at a dream job opportunity – working for TitletownTech, a venture capital fund and studio formed out of a partnership between the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft.

When titans like the Packers and Microsoft are investing resources in early-stage, high-growth ventures that reshape our city, state, and region, I quickly realized that my role came with an immense amount of responsibility. TitletownTech was different from anything I had done before. I was part of something so unique and impactful.

Over the course of almost three years, TitletownTech has worked with incredible startup founders in Wisconsin such as:

• Delafield-based Synthetaic’s Rapid Automatic Image Categorization technology identifies any object of interest using AI.
• Forks Farms, headquartered in Green Bay, has the world’s most efficient vertical farming technology, with customers in 49 states and four countries.
• Demiplane, which also calls TitletownTech home, recently signed a contract with Marvel Entertainment.

We have portfolio companies solving some of the world’s most complex problems and connecting with the most powerful and recognizable brands in the world. The common thread between these successful companies is TitletownTech.

Building an ecosystem that acts as a flywheel for innovation and talent is vital to the continued success of these early-stage companies. Capital is not enough. TitletownTech helps these founders in rounds of financing and navigating the growing pains that come with scaling a business. Community leaders like Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation continue to find creative and intentional solutions to enable public and private partnerships that encourage innovation.

We need the courage to be bold and boisterous about our great state because it’s time to share our stories of progress and success with a broader market. All these things are essential to the evolution of Wisconsin’s ecosystem, and the time to mold and shape our ecosystem is now.