DSU Entrepreneurs Day returns to Madison
February 14, 2025
Dakota State University’s seventh annual Entrepreneurs Day is returning to Madison on Friday, March 28, in the Beacom PREMIER Complex. The event will be open to the public and livestreamed.
The event was moved to the MarketBeat Theater at Startup Sioux Falls last year due to a scheduling conflict. This year the event, featuring guest speakers and elevator pitch competition, will take place in the Heartland Captains Club at the Beacom PREMIER Complex, according to event organizer Dr. Brenda Merkel.
The event is co-sponsored by the Lake Area Improvement Corporation, Dakota State Paulson Cyber Incubator & Entrepreneurial Center, and the NSF I-CORPS Great Plains Hub.
As a DSU alumna, Merkel (A.S. ’95, B.S. ’96) is excited to feature DSU alumni throughout the program.
“Nothing is more powerful than watching where alumni are, where they’ve found success, and how they’re growing,” she said. “That’s a very powerful message.”
Michael Vetter, a DSU alumnus and lifelong entrepreneur, will return as emcee of the event. He has started and sold several businesses and is currently the co-founder of Wildfire Labs, a startup incubator that helps early-stage entrepreneurs launch their software businesses.
As in years past, there will be three speakers at the event, followed by the elevator pitch competition from three high school finalists and three college finalists.
“What’s unique about our speakers is that they are all at different stages within their business life cycles,” Merkel said.
Local entrepreneurial couple Jon and Brittany Waldman will start the event. Jon is an alumnus (B.S. ’04, M.S. ’06), and co-founder and Chief People Officer with SBS CyberSecurity in Madison. He is also co-owner of The Floral Shop in Madison with his wife, Brittany. Together, they run multiple businesses and raise their three children.
The second speaker this year will be Dr. Lizzie Crowston, an accomplished educator, instructional designer, and leader in education innovation. She created a platform, Plearn, to provide rural schools with affordable and innovative STEM learning opportunities. Crowston recently successfully completed a Great Plains Hub I-Corps cohort.
DSU alumnus Matt Paulson (B.S. ’08, M.S. ’09) will be the final speaker of the event. Paulson is the founder and CEO of MarketBeat, an industry-leading business with approximately three million subscribers. He is also a founder or co-founder of the Homegrown Capital, Falls Angel Fund, Startup Sioux Falls, and Cresten Capital, and the benefactor of the Paulson Cyber Incubator & Entrepreneurial Center at DSU.
Regional high school and college students have until Tuesday, March 11, at 5 p.m. to submit their business plans to be entered in the competition. Three finalists will be selected for each division to give an elevator pitch approximately 90-120 seconds long.
The program will end with the announcement of the winners of the competition. First place in each division will earn $1,000, second place $500, and third place $250.
For questions about the business plan portion of the event, or to submit a plan, reach out to Brenda.merkel@dsu.edu.