Wisconsin Inno’s 2021 “rising tech leaders to watch” list includes UW–Madison student and graduate of our Innovation to Market (I2M) and Igniter programs, Umer Sohail.
Wisconsin Inno Under 25: The 2021 rising tech leaders to watch
By Teddy Nykiel, Wisconsin Inno
Even with a relatively nascent technology and startup scene compared with other states, Wisconsin has some impressive young innovators.
From founders raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund their early-stage companies to student inventors filing patents for their novel creations, there are bright, emerging entrepreneurs in Madison, Milwaukee and other corners of the state.
As Wisconsin builds its innovation ecosystem, a constant flow of new founders, creators and technologists emerge. To find the up-and-coming tech leaders in the state, Wisconsin Inno sought nominations for its fourth annual Inno Under 25 Awards. (Check out the 2020 Wisconsin Inno Under 25 list.)
After reviewing the submissions, the Wisconsin Inno and Milwaukee Business Journal editorial team chose five rising tech leaders to recognize on this year’s list, as well as five others to watch.
Umer Sohail, 20
Co-founder of Abloh
Along with Pranav Srivastava, also age 20, Sohail co-founded education technology company Abloh, which is aiming to improve campus connectivity with its app and university-specific networks. The company has raised nearly $65,000 in investment capital to accelerate product development and implementation.
Sohail is also an intern analyst with Madison’s Lancaster Investments, where he focuses on researching and vetting early-stage investment opportunities.
“The patience and thoughtfulness he has brought to our team and investment process has already begun to pay dividends for our company,” Lancaster Investments director of operations David Becker said in his nomination of Sohail.
Born in Lahore, Pakistan, Sohail is a University of Wisconsin-Madison senior studying computer science and economics.