News & Updates from Janesville Innovation Center

Jumpstart your entrepreneurial journey with our intensive Business Startup Bootcamp! This comprehensive event is designed to guide you through the critical steps of starting a successful business. In just one day, you’ll gain the knowledge and tools you need to get your business up and running.

Effective February 1st, Blackhawk Technical College (BTC) began assisting the Janesville Innovation Center Board of Directors with the day-to-day operations of the business incubator and the innovation center. Mark Borowicz, BTC’s Director of Workforce and Community Development, is already working closely with the innovation center’s partners to ensure a successful transition from the scheduled retirement of Mike Mathews of Economic Growth Advisors, who served as the JIC’s long-time operations manager.

When Cynthia Chow purchased a hearing practice in Oak Park, Illinois, she never imagined expanding to Wisconsin. But her future husband was in Janesville, and with a growing number of industrial clients in the Badger State, a second location made sense. The Janesville Innovation Center (JIC) was a perfect fit.

David Farrell knows a thing or two about Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS). Designed to provide backup power in the event of an outage, they’re an essential piece of hardware that protects both electronic equipment and data. Devices that rely on a UPS include computers, wireless routers and modems, televisions, security systems, mobile devices, and more.

When Kane and Jennifer Carmody were growing up, their dad waged war with a stop sign. They never imagined that one-man showdown between a lawn mower and a sign post would lay the groundwork for their future business venture.

In its half-completed state, “Spider-Bot” looks like a primordial land crab—albeit one that is made of composite plastic rated for conditions harsher than the hottest desert and coldest tundra on Earth.

In this new feature, local economy reporter Natalie Yahr gets “In Your Business” with local entrepreneurs, discovering how they got where they are and what’s driving them now. 

(Janesville, WI) – In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rock County Board of Supervisors recently approved a $1 million dollar emergency loan program. This fund, known as the Rock County COVID-19 Emergency Small Business Loan Fund (SBLF), is designed to assist small businesses in Rock County that are experiencing financial difficulties which are directly attributed to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

February 14, 2019 – Janesville Innovation, Inc. (JII) has been awarded a $40,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to help fund the organization’s efforts to advance the climate for entrepreneurship and small business through the Rock County Entrepreneurial Business Development Program (RCEBD).