UW–Madison Hires Lewis Sheats to Lead New Entrepreneurship Hub

UW–Madison-affiliated founders have launched more than 400 Wisconsin companies since 1990, generating roughly $10 billion in annual economic impact — and the university has now hired Lewis Sheats to scale that record as inaugural associate vice chancellor and executive director of the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub. He starts Feb. 2.

Sheats arrives from Saint Louis University, where he was executive director of the Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship. Before that, he spent 20 years at North Carolina State University, including a stint as assistant vice provost for entrepreneurship. There he built top-ranked undergraduate and graduate entrepreneurship programs, launched the NC State Entrepreneurship Clinic, and led university-wide efforts to strengthen student engagement across colleges. He has also founded and led multiple companies and served on several venture and nonprofit boards.

What the Hub will do

The Hub is a new campuswide initiative designed to transform how the university supports innovators and launches ventures. Sheats will guide implementation of the entrepreneurship strategy Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin first announced in 2024. The Hub operates on a "hub-and-spoke" model: central resources and support connect to programs across campus, each tailored to different ways of empowering founders and building new ventures.

The structure is already taking shape. In November 2025, the Badger Tech Foundry became the first "spoke," focused on helping early-career researchers become serial entrepreneurs. Two existing campus programs — Discovery to Product (D2P) and the Innovate Network — will fold into the Hub, streamlining services for campus inventors and entrepreneurs.

In the role, Sheats will develop and execute a strategic plan, build partnerships with industry and regional organizations, and create bridges across UW–Madison's schools, colleges and centers. The mandate covers the full life cycle of entrepreneurship, positioning it as a career path for students, faculty and staff — from undergraduates to faculty founders.

A founder-first philosophy

"What has always motivated me is helping people build something of their own," Sheats says. "Universities are powerful places for ideas to grow, and UW–Madison has a remarkable history of bringing big ideas to life. I'm looking forward to building partnerships on campus and across the state to help foster an environment where more people can confidently pursue entrepreneurial paths."

Colleagues from NC State credit Sheats with turning connections into results. "Lewis is a connector, connecting faculty across the university that have a passion for entrepreneurship and turning those connections into impactful experiences for students and the emerging companies that sought support from the university," says Randy Woodson, former chancellor of NC State. "In short, his passion and action propelled NC State to be among the top entrepreneurship programs in the U.S."

Jon Eckhardt, Pyle Bascom Professor of Business Leadership and special advisor to the chancellor for entrepreneurship, chaired the search committee. "Lewis is a proven entrepreneur with a proven track record of building programs to support entrepreneurs within universities. He has a rare combination of entrepreneurial experience, program-building expertise, and an ability to inspire collaboration across disciplines," Eckhardt says. "His leadership will help us create the kind of founder-first ecosystem that makes UW–Madison — and Wisconsin — an attractive destination for entrepreneurial talent."

Guelay Bilen-Rosas, professor of anesthesiology at UW–Madison and founder and CEO of AyrFlo Innovation Labs, also served on the search committee. "As a physician-founder translating research from the lab to a startup, I felt Lewis truly understood the realities and needs of academic founders," she says. "Because he has walked that path himself, he can speak both the language of the university and of entrepreneurship and is uniquely positioned to build the kind of supportive, founder-centered ecosystem our institution needs."

A billion-dollar foundation

The university's baseline gives Sheats substantial material to work with. UW–Madison-affiliated companies sustain more than 40,000 jobs and contribute more than $320 million in state and local tax revenue. The university ranks among the nation's top institutions for patents, backed by a $1.93 billion research enterprise that ranks 5th nationally. In recent years, 34 alumni have started 30 companies that have reached a valuation of over $1 billion. The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation has facilitated the university's technology transfer for a century.

"Entrepreneurship has long been woven into the Wisconsin Idea, and we have an important opportunity to build upon our considerable strengths to support founders in more meaningful ways," Mnookin says. "Lewis brings deep experience helping people turn their best ideas into action, and I'm confident that his leadership will help ensure that discoveries and innovations from UW–Madison will translate into even greater economic and social benefits for communities across Wisconsin and the nation."

Sheats frames the mandate in competitive terms. "We have a remarkable opportunity to amplify entrepreneurship at UW–Madison in a way that draws more talent, strengthens industry partnerships and expands Wisconsin's innovation footprint," he says. "I'm honored to join this already vibrant community and I'm excited for the work ahead."

If Sheats replicates his NC State playbook at Wisconsin, the first test will be whether the hub-and-spoke model can convert the university's $1.93 billion research engine into a higher volume of venture formation — and keep founders in the state.