For more information, contact:
Christina Knudsen, Chief Operations Officer
414-263-5450 • cknudsen@wwbic.com

WDVA Provides 20 Laptops & 9 Equity Injections to Veteran-Owned Businesses in Wisconsin Through WWBIC

“The WDVA has been a great partner for us, and we’re so appreciative of their financial support,” says Kathryn Dunn, WWBIC President and CEO. “Providing training, and then backing it up with useful equipment and equity makes a huge impact for our veteran clients.”

All award recipients attended at least one WWBIC entrepreneurial training session on topics like QuickBooks, AI and resources for veteran entrepreneurs in April and May. The equity injection winners were selected by a panel of business experts after submitting a video pitch. The winning businesses of the pitch competition are:

• Amberlulu, owned by Fanni Xie, Appleton, Wisconsin
• Beyond Yoga, owned by Michelle Marrero, South Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Driftless Provisions, owned by Ryan Wagner, Viroqua, Wisconsin
• Fireside Cabins, owned by James Gingras, Baraboo, Wisconsin
• Pulaski Community Masters, owned by Patrick Lara, Pulaski, Wisconsin
• Purple Basil, owned by Carolina Corral, Plover, Wisconsin
• S. Barnes Designs, owned by Shawna Barnes, Cable, Wisconsin
• Sullivan Family Farm, owned by Ryan Sullivan, Manitowoc, Wisconsin
• Weld X Metal Works, owned by Tyler Bierman, Kronenwetter, Wisconsin

2026 WDVA laptop and equity injection recipients pose with WWBIC President/CEO Kathryn Dunn

The 20 businesses who were selected to receive laptops loaded with QuickBooks software include:

• Acres Aweigh Farm Stay, New Glarus, Wisconsin
• AdjunctPro, Wind Lake, Wisconsin
• The Cat’s MeWow, Waukesha, Wisconsin
• DMP Development Analytics, Madison, Wisconsin
• Full Spectrum Health Services, Madison, Wisconsin
• Gear Inspections, Rio, Wisconsin
• Grant Canyon Outfitters, Waupaca, Wisconsin
• Harpoon Lures, Madison, Wisconsin
• Her Lounge MKE, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Highland Cottage Cafe, Rhinelander, Wisconsin
• Honey Bee Solar MKE, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Jump Street Party Rentals, Watertown, Wisconsin
• Living Vine Wellness, Weston, Wisconsin
• Rain Drop Irrigation, Gilman, Wisconsin
• SkyLabMKE, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Skytech Dynamics, Two Rivers, Wisconsin
• Spirit Mind & Body Yoga, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Springkleen, Manitowoc, Wisconsin
• Team Royalle Bookkeeping, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Warden Group, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

“Winning one of the laptops with Quickbooks  could not have come at a more perfect time,” says Judy Farrell, a Navy veteran and owner of Acres Aweigh Farm Stay. “Trying to track produce inventory, sales, expenses, etc. was already becoming too complicated for our hand-written log system. I am so grateful for this gift as it is going to save me so much time and frustration while freeing me up to focus on the heart of my business.”

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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

“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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