Journey to Growth Press Release
For more information, contact:
Christina Knudsen, Chief Operations Officer
414-263-5450 • cknudsen@wwbic.com
U.S. Bank & WWBIC Provide Equity Injections to 17 Wisconsin Small Businesses
“Journey to Growth” Program Including an Accelerator, Pitch Competition and Equity Injection Wraps Up
MILWAUKEE, WI – U.S. Bank in partnership with the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC) presented 17 small businesses across Wisconsin with equity injections on Thursday as part of their “Journey to Growth” program. Award recipients, U.S. Bank executives, economic development partner representatives, WWBIC staff and dozens of other small business owners attended the presentation at Schitz Park in Milwaukee.
“We’re so grateful to U.S. Bank for their generosity and support of small business in Wisconsin through this program,” says Kathryn Dunn, WWBIC President and CEO. “By providing funding in the form of equity injections as well as training and technical support, they’re making a true impact in the lives of the small businesses we work with every day at WWBIC.”
The Journey to Growth program has been funded by U.S. Bank in an effort to help provide training as well as an equity boost to Wisconsin’s small business owners. On March 16, approximately 45 entrepreneurs started an 8-week online accelerator program where U.S. Bank and WWBIC provided intensive training on topics including cashflow, business credit, AI, marketing, financial planning, procurement, as well as one-on-one coaching with U.S. Bank mentors. At the conclusion of the accelerator, participants were invited to submit a video pitch. From those submissions, three winners were selected:
- 3rd place ($2,000) – VitaJug Smoothies, owned by Stephanie Castillo, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- 2nd place ($3,000) – Raising the Bar Catering, owned by Andrea Dennis, of New Berlin, Wisconsin
- 1st place ($5,000) – In the Garden of Eden, owned by Laurel Paschke, of Kenosha, Wisconsin
In addition to the accelerator and pitch competition, U.S. Bank provided funds for fourteen $5,000 equity injections as part of the Journey to Growth program to other WWBIC clients who received training and/or technical assistance across the state during the first quarter of 2026. These recipients are:
- Baeseman Consulting, Marathon, Wisconsin
- The Baker’s Connection, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Dane County Family Acupuncture, Madison, Wisconsin
- Driftless Healing, Viroqua, Wisconsin
- J.C. Santy Construction, Pulaski, Wisconsin
- JKP Properties, Kenosha, Wisconsin
- JustVeggiez, Madison, Wisconsin
- Nettle Witch Herbs, Madison, Wisconsin
- Partners in Grime Fox Cities, Appleton, Wisconsin
- Richmond and Associates, Janesville, Wisconsin
- Simply Gracen, Ferryville, Wisconsin
- Soft Lines, Ashland, Wisconsin
- True Skin, LLC, Elm Grove, Wisconsin
- Venerations, Herbster, Wisconsin
“This funding comes at a pivotal crossroads for my business,” says equity injection recipient Jenny Baeseman, Owner of Baeseman Consulting. “After a few years that included COVID, cancer, a brain aneurysm, and starting over, this support feels like exactly the right boost at exactly the right time. It’s the kind of momentum that doesn’t just help me keep going – it helps me finally get going in the way I’ve been working toward. It represents both validation and opportunity, giving me the confidence to lean into growth, take some smart risks, and bring [my products] to a much broader audience in a way that is both meaningful and sustainable.”
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About U.S. Bancorp
Headquartered in Minneapolis, U.S. Bancorp is the parent company of U.S. Bank National Association, the fifth-largest commercial bank in the United States. Our three major business lines serve 15 million clients throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe, and our team of nearly 70,000 people invest our hearts and minds to power human potential every day. Ranked 105th on the Fortune 500, we are deeply respected for our culture and long-term stewardship and admired for our diversified business mix and product capabilities. www.usbank.com
Since 1987, the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC) has served as the leading innovative economic development corporation that is “Putting Dreams to Work” by assisting microenterprise and small businesses throughout Wisconsin. WWBIC opens the doors of opportunity by providing any individuals who are interested in starting, strengthening, or expanding businesses with access to resources such as financial products and quality business and personal financial training.
WWBIC has fiercely championed its mission by operating in six Wisconsin regions to offer services statewide, channeling its activities through four pillars: credit/financial wellness; classes/training; capital/lending (ranging from $1,000 to $350,000); and coaching/connections. Since 1987, WWBIC has served 78,743 individuals and loaned $130 million to small business owners. Their technical and capital support has created or retained 16,895 jobs with over 11,336 businesses started, strengthened, or expanded. To learn more about WWBIC visit: www.wwbic.com.
Federal funding disclosure:
In accordance with Section 632 of Public Law 117-328:
WWBIC
Federal Funding – $2,281,870 (29%)
State Funding – $475,000 (6%)
Earned Revenues – $2,940,277 (37%)
Donations/Contributions – $2,289,127 (28%)
