The Wisconsin Small Business Accelerator
Get through the buyer's door, one gate at a time
Runway Wisconsin is a free twelve-month program from the North Central Minority Supplier Development Council (NCMSDC), funded by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). Twenty Wisconsin small businesses work through the five things a corporate buyer checks before a purchase order, with buyers in the room scoring the work.
How it works- small businesses in Cohort 1
- 20
- months, Nov 2026 to Nov 2027
- 12
- gates a buyer checks
- 5
- cost to your business
- $0
The program
Built from the buying side
Most small businesses lose a corporate opportunity before anyone reads their proposal. A buyer can't find them, compliance flags a missing document, or the quote comes back too slow or too thin to hold. Runway Wisconsin works through those checks in the order a buyer makes them.
Every session, assignment and score maps to one of five gates. Corporate buyers teach the sessions, score the work against the same rubric they use at their desks, and meet the businesses that are ready at Buyer Match Day. By the Capstone in November 2027, each business has a clear record of where it stands with buyers and a pipeline of real accounts.
The five gates
What a buyer checks before a purchase order
You clear the gates in order. A gate is cleared at 4 out of 5 on the buyers' Scorecard.
Findable
Can I locate and vet you?
Qualified
Will you pass my compliance review?
Priced
Can you quote fast and still make money?
Proven
Can you deliver at scale?
Contracted
Can we get to signature?
The year
From Boarding to Takeoff
Mon Nov 9, 2026
Launch: Boarding
An evening in Milwaukee, seated with corporate buyers. Two buyers score each business on the five gates, and that score is the starting line for the year.
Nov 17, 2026 to Feb 2, 2027
The Sprint
Ten Tuesday evening sessions online, 6:00 to 7:30 PM Central, plus Flight Check labs to review the work. Gates 1 to 3.
March to October 2027
The Cruise
One session a month on the second Tuesday, 5:30 to 8:30 PM Central, in person and online. A mock RFP, capital, delivering at volume, terms, and a scored pitch. Gates 4 and 5.
Tue Sep 14, 2027
Buyer Match Day
Scheduled meetings between buyers and the businesses that fit the categories they source.
Mon Nov 8, 2027
Capstone Showcase: Takeoff
The cohort presents where it stands with buyers after twelve months.