What WISC Partners does

WISC Partners (Wisconsin Inflection Stage Capital) is a privately-held regional expansion and acceleration private equity fund founded in 2013 and headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. The firm invests equity capital in growth-stage companies based in the Midwest corridor (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa) that have achieved product-market fit, generating between $5 million and $20 million in revenue and $1 million to $10 million in EBITDA with at least 10% trailing annual growth. Target sectors are technology-enabled services with a focus on healthcare information technology and medical devices, and on industrial and agricultural technology. The fund typically seeks controlling interest or control provisions and offers recapitalization and founder liquidity structures in addition to primary expansion capital.

The firm is distinguished operationally by a high-engagement, post-investment model in which three General Partners (Mike Splinter, David Guinther, and Tom Olson) and three Executive Advisors (Allen Dines, Cameron Ackbury, Craig Johnson) provide hands-on company-building support, board participation, and corporate development introductions. A formal public/private partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering gives portfolio companies direct access to engineering research and talent, which the firm cites as a core differentiator versus other regional funds. Revenue is generated through conventional fund economics: management fees on committed capital from Limited Partners and carried interest on successful portfolio exits, with publicly named investments including Imbed Biosciences (medical devices, first formal equity investment in 2014) and Wellbe (healthcare SaaS, ConnectedCare platform). The firm does not develop technology products, does not disclose fund size or AUM, and operates with a sub-10-person team from Madison with additional presence in Silicon Valley.

Name

WISC Partners

Legal name

WISC Partners, LLC

Website

https://wiscpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WISC Partners is a Madison, Wisconsin-based private equity fund founded in 2013 that invests expansion and acceleration capital in Midwest growth-stage companies with $5-20M revenue across healthcare, industrial, and agricultural technology sectors, differentiated by hands-on post-investment engagement and a UW-Madison College of Engineering partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity / Growth Equity

NAICS

Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (523150), Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare & Life Sciences Growth Equity (FSANACAB)

Keywords

• Expansion stage capital
• Growth equity investing
• Private equity fund
• Company building services
• Venture capital

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment returns from portfolio companies: WISC Partners generates returns by building successful, sustainable businesses through their portfolio companies and realizing positive return on investment. The firm makes money when their portfolio companies succeed. Returns are performance-based and tail-end oriented. Incentives are aligned between the fund and its limited partners (LPs).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

WISC Partners is a regional Expansion and Acceleration Fund that invests expansion and acceleration capital, recapitalization, and founder liquidity into companies with $5–20 million revenue, $1–10 million EBITDA, and at least 10% trailing growth, typically taking controlling interest or control provisions. The firm pairs capital with company-building experience, corporate development networks, and collaborative executive support delivered by General Partners and Executive Advisors. Sectors targeted are technology-enabled services in healthcare, industrial, and agricultural markets, plus healthcare IT/devices and industrial/agricultural technology.

Product overview

WISC Partners is a regional venture capital and private equity firm (Wisconsin Inflection Stage Capital) that provides expansion and acceleration capital, company-building expertise, and post-investment engagement to portfolio companies. Rather than a technology product company with distinct modules or offerings, WISC Partners functions as an investment fund offering financial capital, executive advisory services, corporate development networks, and collaborative support to growth-stage companies in technology-enabled services, healthcare IT/devices, and industrial/agricultural technology sectors. Their portfolio includes Imbed Biosciences (medical device company) and Wellbe (healthcare SaaS provider ConnectedCare), but these are portfolio companies, not products or services offered by WISC Partners itself.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Expansion and Acceleration Capital Equity capital deployed into Midwest-based growth-stage operating companies that have achieved product-market fit and need capital and expertise to scale; targeted at companies with $5–20M revenue and $1–10M EBITDA.
• Recapitalization Recapitalization transactions for portfolio companies within the fund's target profile, executed alongside controlling-equity investments.
• Founder Liquidity Equity transactions providing liquidity to founders of portfolio companies as part of WISC Partners' investment mandate.
• Post-Investment Company-Building Engagement Hands-on operational, strategic, board, and corporate development support delivered by WISC Partners' General Partners and Executive Advisors to portfolio companies, including board involvement, strategy discussions, operational and finance guidance, and executive-level business development introductions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Growth potential of >30% annually in revenue and profitability for target investments

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• UW-Madison College of EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWISC Partners has a unique public/private partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Engineering. This partnership seamlessly bridges the gap between world-renowned public research and private enterprise, giving portfolio companies access to world-leading engineers and researchers. This is a key differentiator for WISC Partners, providing portfolio companies with unparalleled technical expertise and a direct pipeline to academic innovation.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wisc-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments16 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WISC Partners