StartingBlock Madison

Name

StartingBlock Madison

Legal name

StartingBlock Madison, Inc

Website

https://startingblockmadison.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

StartingBlock Madison is a 501(c)(3) entrepreneurship hub operating a 50,000 sq ft coworking space in Madison, WI, offering memberships, accelerator and fellowship programs, and investor connections to roughly 140 companies and 425-plus founders across south central Wisconsin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coworking & Startup Incubator Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM), Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurial coworking space
• Startup accelerator programs
• Entrepreneurship support services
• Nonprofit founder hub
• Fellowship programs women entrepreneurs

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Coworking Memberships: StartingBlock generates revenue through various tiers of coworking memberships including Day Pass, Flex Desk, Reserved Desk, and Private Office memberships. These are recurring revenue streams from entrepreneurs, startups, freelancers, and small businesses.
2. Grant Funding: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, StartingBlock receives grant funding from government and institutional sources including the SBA Growth Accelerator Fund Competition ($75,000 in 2025 and 2023) and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation's Entrepreneurial Partnership Grant.
3. Leap Year Program Fees: The Leap Year program charges $10,000 total per participant, which includes a software license ($1,200), books and supplies ($200), one-year membership and dedicated desk ($3,600), and instructional and guest speaker fees ($5,000).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

StartingBlock Madison operates a nonprofit entrepreneurship hub providing coworking space memberships and structured accelerator, fellowship, and educational programs for entrepreneurs and early-stage companies. It sells access to physical workspaces (Day Pass, Flex Desk, Reserved Desk, Private Office), runs cohort-based accelerators (Madworks, Level Set, Next Level, Leap Year, Veterans Cohort, Midwest Housing Accelerator), and offers a fellowship for women entrepreneurs and recurring Lunch & Learn skill-building workshops.

Product overview

StartingBlock Madison is a 501(c)3 entrepreneurship hub in Madison, Wisconsin offering a comprehensive ecosystem for startups and entrepreneurs. The organization provides flexible coworking memberships (Day Pass, Flex Desk, Reserved Desk, Private Office) alongside accelerator programs (Madworks with Level Set, Next Level, and core tracks; Leap Year for young entrepreneurs; Veterans and Housing accelerators), professional development (Lunch & Learn Tactical Skills Series), fellowship programs (Summit Credit Union Fellowship for Women Entrepreneurs), and meeting/event spaces. The 50,000 sq ft facility in Madison's Capitol East neighborhood serves as a collaborative workspace and launchpad for startups at various stages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Day Pass Single-day drop-in access to StartingBlock Madison's coworking facility for prospective members, visitors, and occasional users needing workspace for one day.
• Flex Desk membership Recurring monthly coworking access to non-reserved shared desks at StartingBlock Madison's 50,000 sq. ft. facility, targeted at solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams needing flexible workspace.
• Reserved Desk membership Recurring monthly access to a dedicated, reserved desk within StartingBlock Madison's coworking space, for members who want a consistent personal workstation.
• Private Office membership Rental of an enclosed, lockable private office inside StartingBlock Madison's facility for small companies and founding teams that need a dedicated, private workspace with the amenities of the larger hub.
• Madworks Accelerator A cohort-based accelerator program at StartingBlock Madison for early-stage startup founders, applying the LeanStack customer development methodology to validate ideas and progress toward product-market fit.
• Level Set program An early-stage program in StartingBlock Madison's accelerator lineup, designed to help founders establish foundational elements of their venture before advancing to later-stage cohorts.
• Next Level program A mid-stage program in StartingBlock Madison's accelerator continuum, supporting founders who have completed earlier validation work and are scaling their ventures.
• Leap Year program An extended-duration program in StartingBlock Madison's accelerator continuum, providing longer-term structured support for founders progressing through their company's growth stages.
• Associated Bank Veterans Cohort A cohort accelerator at StartingBlock Madison serving veteran entrepreneurs, delivered in partnership with sponsor Associated Bank to provide structured programming and community.
• Midwest Housing Accelerator A cohort accelerator at StartingBlock Madison focused on startups innovating in the housing sector across the U.S. Midwest, providing structured support, mentorship, and ecosystem connections.
• Summit Credit Union Fellowship for Women Entrepreneurs A sponsored fellowship program at StartingBlock Madison supporting women entrepreneurs, delivered in partnership with Summit Credit Union.
• Lunch & Learn: Tactical Skills Series A recurring Lunch & Learn workshop series at StartingBlock Madison delivering tactical, skill-building sessions for founders and the local entrepreneur community.
• Meeting & Event Spaces Rental of meeting rooms and event spaces within StartingBlock Madison's 50,000 sq. ft. facility for member and community use.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 85 entrepreneurs through WEDC's 2024-2025 Entrepreneurial Partnership Grant
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Summit Credit UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 February 2025Summit Credit Union and StartingBlock co-host the 'Summit Credit Union Fellowship for Women Entrepreneurs,' a 12-week accelerator-style boot camp followed by nine months of monthly coaching. The second cohort (2025) includes 11 women entrepreneurs. The fellowship provides business basics, financial literacy, funding insights, mentorship, and workspace access. Summit CEO Kim Sponem noted the fellowship supports women building financial security and wealth through entrepreneurship.
• Associated BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociated Bank partners with StartingBlock to host the Associated Bank Veterans Cohort, a specialized accelerator program track supporting veteran entrepreneurs in the Madison region.
• Madison CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartingBlock maintains relationships with Madison College entrepreneurship programs as part of its network supporting aspiring entrepreneurs and alternative education pathways alongside its Leap Year program.
• UW-MadisoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartingBlock serves as a landing place for UW-Madison student founders who outgrow campus resources. The organization collaborates with UW's Entrepreneurship Hub, student organizations (Transcend UW), and individual student founders. Student founders regularly present at StartingBlock events including One Million Cups and Lunch with a Founder. The relationship creates a pipeline from campus to the startup hub.
• Livingston Street Parking RampminorOthersStartingBlock offers its members monthly parking access at the Livingston Street parking ramp, addressing a practical need for commuting members.
• Hubspot, Wix, Stripe, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TwitterminorOthersStartingBlock uses third-party technology platforms for its operations: Hubspot (CRM/marketing automation), Wix (website), Stripe (payment processing), and social platforms Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter for community engagement. No mobile information is shared with third parties for marketing purposes.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• 1871: Chicago's flagship nonprofit tech hub offering coworking, accelerator programs, and corporate partnerships for early-stage entrepreneurs. Closest analog as a nonprofit entrepreneurship hub combining workspace with structured programming.
• gener8tor: Wisconsin-based accelerator running multiple cohorts per year across the Midwest and nationally. Directly comparable through accelerator cohort structure, regional Wisconsin/Midwest roots, and founder-development focus.
• Rev1 Ventures: Columbus, Ohio-based startup hub combining coworking, accelerator programming, and venture capital. Directly comparable as an integrated hub-plus-investor model serving regional entrepreneurs.
• MassChallenge: Global nonprofit accelerator supporting early-stage entrepreneurs across multiple verticals with no equity taken. Comparable as a mission-driven, nonprofit accelerator serving cohorts of diverse startups.
• Galvanize: Coworking and education hybrid combining workspace with immersive data science and software engineering bootcamps. Comparable through the combination of physical coworking space plus structured educational programming.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global accelerator network operating hundreds of programs worldwide with a structured 13-week cohort model. Comparable accelerator framework, but operates at vastly larger scale with equity-based model.
• Founder Institute: Global pre-seed accelerator running cohort-based founder development programs across many cities. Comparable in curriculum-driven accelerator approach, but operates as a for-profit with equity participation.
• Industrious: Premium flexible workspace provider offering private offices and coworking across dozens of U.S. markets. Comparable in offering private office and coworking tiers, but is a venture-backed for-profit without accelerator programming.
• WeWork: Global coworking and flexible office operator offering shared and private workspace for entrepreneurs and enterprises. Comparable in coworking membership tiers and target SMB/entrepreneur segment, though far broader in scale and geographic reach.

Regional players

• University Research Park: UW-Madison-affiliated research park offering lab and office space for early-stage companies in Madison. Comparable as a regional innovation cluster serving Madison entrepreneurs, but focused on lab/research tenants rather than coworking members.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/StartingBlockM
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@StartingBlockMadison
• Facebookfacebook.com/StartingBlockMadison
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/startingblockmadison
• Instagraminstagram.com/startingblockmadison

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about StartingBlock Madison