Joe Kirgues, Co-Founder of gener8tor, on Supporting the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs

When you create a pipeline for the next generation of entrepreneurs to get the resources and support they need, you are able to make an immense impact on building and growing the community as a whole. This week, episode 4 of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast is about supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs!

In this episode of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast, Jacob and Lauren, joined by their guest Joe Kirgues, are sharing the importance of providing opportunities to people who would not otherwise have them due to race, place, or gender and using this mentoring system to pass the torch of entrepreneurship to empower the next generation of leaders. 

Joe Kirgues

Co-founder of gener8tor | Milwaukee, Wisconsin

 

In this episode, we sat down with Joe Kirgues of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Joe is the co-founder of gener8tor, a turnkey platform for the creative economy. 

Through a diverse set of programs and national networks, gener8tor connects startup founders, musicians, artists, investors, universities and corporations. The gener8tor platform includes pre-accelerators, accelerators, corporate programming, upskilling, conferences and fellowships. 

We first were introduced gener8tor through gener8tor Skills, a program that Microsoft TechSpark brought to Southern Virginia in 2020 to help people increase their skills and find new work during the COVID-19 pandemic.  We were super excited to get to learn about gener8tor’s mission origin story, and other programs through this interview. In a another interview with Baylie Evans, we get even deeper into gener8tor’s gBeta accelerator, which is one of the programs Microsoft TechSpark has brought to Wyoming.  

In this episode, we get to hear Joe’s story of starting and growing a company that helps other people start and grow companies and careers. 

Podcast Episode Coming Soon

Key Takeaways

  • How entrepreneurs in rural towns are being supported by giving access to basic business concepts and resources.
  • The need for current leaders and entrepreneurs to guide the next generation in the ever-changing economy. 
  • The process of growing an ecosystem from scratch and the important metrics to look out for. 
  • The leadership philosophy that led Gener8tor to be ranked one of the most innovative companies to work for.  
  • How Gener8tor is working with SOVA to bring jobs to the rural economy and fill these jobs with eligible talent. 

About gener8tor

are a nationally-ranked venture capital firm and accelerator that brings together startup founders, investors, corporations, job seekers, universities, musicians and artists. The gener8tor platform includes more than 75 programs spanning startup accelerators, corporate programming, speaker series, conferences, skills accelerators and fellowships. gener8tor believes that everyone deserves opportunities, regardless of race, place or gender. And that is what we consider our mission. Learn more at https://gener8tor.com

CONNECT WITH JOE KIRGUES AND SUPPORT GENER8OR:

Gener8tor Website

LinkedIn

Twitter @JKirgues

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

Paul Graham 

Brad Smith, president of Microsoft