Three exceptional Badger alumni will share their entrepreneurial journeys, leadership insights, and how their UW–Madison experiences set them on the road to success at the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Showcase on September 25. The event offers the chance to hear from UW founders and take inspiration from their entrepreneurial achievements and mindset.
The featured speakers (bios below) are Chris Fernandez, the Co-Founder, Executive Chairman, and Chief Research Officer of EnsoData, the Madison-based AI company improving healthcare starting with sleep apnea; Nick Lawton, Co-Founder of SideShift, a top creator marketplace and hiring platform for Gen Z talent; and Marie Moody, Founder of Stella & Chewy’s, the leading raw and natural pet food company based in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Showcase is Thursday, September 25, with the speaker program from 5:30 to 7 p.m. (followed by light refreshments) in the Discovery Building, DeLuca Forum, 330 N. Orchard St., on the UW–Madison campus. It is free and open to UW–Madison students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the public. Pre-registration is requested at d2p.wisc.edu/WES.
The featured speakers are:
Chris Fernandez ’14, MS’15,
Co-Founder, Executive Chairman, and Chief Research Officer, EnsoData
With an MS and BS in Biomedical Engineering, Chris Fernandez co-founded EnsoData in 2015 to commercialize technology he and his co-founders developed as UW students. EnsoData is a Madison-based AI company improving the accuracy, affordability, and accessibility of healthcare, starting with sleep apnea. As founding CEO, Fernandez led EnsoData’s growth to 50+ employees, and more than $50M raised, 500 health system clinics, and 1.5M patient diagnoses. With 50+ AI research publications, and four FDA clearances on AI software, Fernandez has been recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 in Healthcare, InBusiness 40 Under 40, and accelerators including Y Combinator and gener8tor. EnsoData was named to Inc.’s Best Places to Work three years in a row.
Nick Lawton ’24, Co-Founder & CEO, SideShift
Nick Lawton is the co-founder and CEO of SideShift, a leading creator marketplace connecting over 350,000 active creators with 1,000+ brands, agencies, and enterprises. A UW–Madison graduate with a degree in Entrepreneurship and Economics, Nick and his team launched SideShift while students at UW, to give the next generation of creators flexible, high-earning opportunities. As the #1 place for hiring Gen Z talent, the company reached $4M annual recurring revenue in its first year, with the platform now available on 4,000+ campuses nationwide.
Marie Moody ’90, Founder, Stella & Chewy’s
Marie Moody combined her passion for animals and entrepreneurial spirit to found Stella & Chewy’s in 2003. What began in her Brooklyn kitchen is now a leading raw and natural pet food company based in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, with over 500 employees and products in more than 6,000 stores nationwide and online. Stella & Chewy’s earned a spot on INC. Magazine’s list of the 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies for six consecutive years. A UW alumna in English and Women’s Studies, Moody has received the American Express-sponsored “Make Mine a Million” award and was named a Wisconsin Woman of Influence by The Milwaukee Business Journal. She serves on the boards of Virtual Enterprises International and Long Island University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
The Wisconsin Entrepreneur’s Showcase is presented by the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship, Startup Learning Community, and Discovery to Product (D2P) at UW–Madison.