Forward Festival Returns

by Brian Lee

The fourth annual Forward Festival, held Aug. 15-24 in various locations around Madison, will once again showcase the burgeoning startup scene in the city.

“One of the things I personally like best about the festival is that it gives people in Madison and beyond a chance to sample a bit of everything out there that makes up the startup ecosystem in Madison,” Festival Co-Founder Matt Younkle said.

A new event this year is the Badger Startup Summit, which brings together people with Wisconsin ties to network and learn from business leaders in New York, Chicago and Silicon Valley.

In addition, two of Madison’s newest coworking spaces, 100state and Madworks Coworking at University Research Park, are playing host to events.

Returning events include the Forward Technology Conference on Aug. 21, featuring keynote speaker Kevin Conroy of Exact Sciences, and High Tech Happy Hour on Aug. 22.

About 2,000 to 3,000 people are expected to attend the festival. It was previously known as the “Forward Technology Festival,” but the word “technology” was dropped to be more inclusive, according to festival organizers.