KICstart
A suite of entrepreneurial services designed to foster community development and support the growth of early-stage scalable companies. This program will provide access to financial and technical assistance, mentorship, and innovative technology solutions, specifically tailored for underserved entrepreneurs.
Meet the Advisors
KICstart Office Hours, a weekly advisory series designed to centralize high-level expertise for early-stage companies and strengthen Southeast Wisconsin’s innovation infrastructure.
Held every Wednesday at the Kenosha Innovation Center (KIC), the program provides founders with direct, free access to legal, financial, capital, cybersecurity, and innovation leaders. Advisors will participate on a rotating basis, ensuring consistent access to curated expertise throughout the year.
Michael Best Startup Advisor
Aaron Nodolf, Legal Partner
Advises startups, advanced manufacturing companies, and universities on intellectual property strategies, and he facilitates business-to-business transactions that help companies and universities drive innovation and protect assets. Aaron is part of the firm’s Venture Best team, which includes experienced attorneys who assist with company formation and execute equity-backed transactions to help companies grow in their market.
Startup Innovation Advisor
Ernesto Camacho
Head of Innovation and Partnership Experience at 1871 in Chicago and U.S. Army veteran, brings deep expertise in corporate innovation, startup engagement, and operational strategy. He was recognized in 2024 as an Innovator of the Year USA finalist by the Forces in Business Awards.
CFO in Residence
Ben Wallace
​CFA charterholder and University of Chicago Booth MBA, has supported companies from seed through exit, including guiding 4C Insights through its acquisition by a Vista Equity Partners portfolio company. He advises founders on financial modeling, operational strategy, and scaling for growth.
Cream City Cyber
Jeffery Brand, Director of Product Security
Jeffery brings more than 25 years of technology and cybersecurity leadership experience. He leads product security strategy, ensuring solutions are built with resiliency, secure design, and strong risk mitigation to help organizations navigate complex digital environments with confidence.
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WWBIC
Keydi Bognar, Outreach & Client Business Advisor
Serving entrepreneurs throughout Southeast Wisconsin. Originally from Honduras, she brings a strong passion for entrepreneurship, community engagement, and small business development. In her role, she connects aspiring and established business owners with educational opportunities, financial resources, access to capital, and personalized business advising. She also collaborates with community organizations and local partners to expand awareness of WWBIC’s programs and services. Keydi values building meaningful relationships and empowering entrepreneurs to move forward with confidence.
Retired Senior Executive, SC Johnson
Meg Sranske
Retired senior executive from SC Johnson, will talk about “Founder Power” and her “Top 10 List” of questions that founders should understand and be ready to talk about when pitching their company for investment or acquisition. Throughout her 30 year career at SCJ, Meg worked in various roles in marketing, external technology development, M&A and innovation, with her last 10 years spent building and growing SCJ’s New Ventures organization. Post SCJ, Meg advises start-ups, serves on WWBIC’s Loan Committee and has recently joined KIN’s Advisory Council.
Mastercraft Ventures
Mason Cook
Served as president of a VC-backed augmented reality startup, led a Wisconsin-based startup accelerator, and held early leadership roles at a $70 million VC-funded fintech company. A graduate of Iowa State University and Columbia Business School, Mason supports founders with hands-on guidance rooted in real operating experience.
Supported by grant funding
