Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor's Small Business Academy 2026

Event description

Small Business Academy 2026

Join us May 5-8

We are excited to announce that registration is now open for the 13th annual Lieutenant Governor’s Small Business Academy. 

This free event is designed for: 

• People who are thinking of starting a business
• Early-stage/Young businesses
• Entrepreneurs looking for funding and resources

This four-day conference provides entrepreneurs and startups with opportunities to learn from and connect with business leaders and technical and financial resources providers, as well as identifying tools they need to start and grow their businesses.

Virtual Sessions: May 5-7, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.

New for this year! We have doubled the number of sessions each day.
Flexible scheduling: You choose the virtual sessions that meet your needs.
Speaker topics: 

• Financing options
• Legal concerns
• Regulatory issues
• Information technology
• Small business certifications
• Marketing and sales opportunities

Visit the Small Business Academy webpage for more information.

In-Person Sessions: May 8, 8 a.m.-noon

The four-day conference ends with in-person events across the state hosted by partner organizations in the cities listed below.

Each in-person session will have a finance panel, a resource panel, a small business story, and multiple roundtables.

If you register to attend in-person programming on Friday, May 8, you will receive a separate email with venue and program details.
Locations:

• Beloit
• Eau Claire
• Green Bay
• La Crosse
• Lac Du Flambeau
• Madison
• Marshfield
• Milwaukee - Downtown
• Milwaukee - South
• Racine