Forward Fest, an event made by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, returns with 56 events planned throughout Madison the week of Aug. 17-21.
Billed as Wisconsinʼs largest technology and entrepreneurship festival, organizers expect more than 5,000 attendees for this yearʼs 16th annual gathering.
The five-day festival features locally organized events to connect entrepreneurs and through those connections, inspire innovation. Everyone from business operators to foodies will be part of bringing the technology and startup communities together to interact, share ideas, pursue venture capital and network.
As part of a unique structure, the individual events aren’t organized by event planners but by local entrepreneurs who serve as event hosts.
Bryan Chan, founder of local internet service provider SupraNet Communications, is a Forward Fest board member and one of the event’s original founders.
His company will host several events, including a kickoff party on Aug. 17 at Delta Beer Lab, as well as the 25th anniversary of High Tech Happy Hour, a cornerstone of Forward Fest, on Aug. 20 at the UW-Madison Memorial Union.
Chan said one message the festival attempts to convey to entrepreneurs is “you’re not alone.”
“Itʼs basically just for the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Madison,” Chan said, “and what you can get out of it, if youʼre a fellow entrepreneur, is that thereʼs a community of other startups and people and organizations that want to help you and grow that ecosystem.”
The 2026 events represent a mix of entrepreneurial education, networking and fun — and can be potentially financially rewarding.
Among the popular recurring events are the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerceʼs Pressure Chamber on Aug. 18 at the Sylvee; the Badger Startup Summit, an interactive program connecting Wisconsin entrepreneurs on Aug. 17; and DevFestWI, an inclusive technology and software conference scheduled for Aug. 19.
Ross Larson, a software developer with Paradigm in Middleton who serves on the Forward Fest board, said this yearʼs expanded events include experiential networking opportunities, from a sauna networking event to hands-on sessions covering topics like government sales, building stronger client relationships, founder productivity
and navigating social media trends.
“Ultimately, the most important events will vary from person to person, and people should take the opportunity to make connections, share advice and collaborate,” Larson said in an email.
According to Larson, the beauty of the Forward Fest model is that it allows the festival to continue to evolve alongside the entrepreneurial community.
“This yearʼs programming reflects the many ways innovation happens, from technology to business growth, culture, community impact and more,” he said. “Basically, if you want to learn how to start or grow a business, get funded or find collaborators, this festival is for you.”
Larson said he has his current job partially because of networking at a Forward Fest event 11 years ago, and he wants to make sure others have the same chance to connect.
Events are set for this year, including some virtual events, but entrepreneurs interested in organizing and hosting an event next year can learn a great deal by attending this yearʼs program.
“If youʼre looking to become an event host, think about the community that you want to serve and the value that you want to provide them, then try to attend as many events related to that subject over the course of the Forward Festival,” Larson said.
“Connect with as many folks in the community as possible and talk to them about where your event idea might fit. You might find connections to an event space, a collaborator, or a potential future co-host over the course of the week.”
It’s not too early to start thinking about next year, but Larson said most planning activity kicks into high gear around Forward Fest’s Spring Tech Kickoff in March or April, when the festival holds meetings for new and existing event planners.
Pressure Chamber
On Aug. 18, the Greater Madison Chamber will hold its 13th annual Pressure Chamber, a live pitch event in which select companies present their ideas to a panel of investors and to a live audience at the Sylvee.
The winning company is chosen based on a combination of judgesʼ scoring and audience votes, and will receive the “golden suitcase” and a spot at the Greater Madison Chamberʼs startup meetings with Silicon Valley investment firms in San Francisco this fall.
Kevin Little, vice president of the GMCC, said the application period closed in early July, applications were being reviewed that month and presenting companies would be announced a few weeks prior to the event.
Little said the Pressure Chamber is one part of a broader initiative that started more than a decade ago to capture more capital from coastal investors.
In 2024, Little said all startups in Wisconsin collectively raised just shy of $400 million, but over that same period, startups in the San Francisco Bay Area took in about $90 billion.
“We were looking for ways not only to connect companies with investment opportunities, but also from our standpoint, how could we amplify all the innovation thatʼs occurring here with a particular focus of that message to those key coastal hubs where so much of that investment capital is concentrated,” he said.
The second part of the initiative occurs in the Bay Area, where the startup that made the winning pitch is joined by a delegation of organizations that support local companies, including the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
“The advantage of us doing this together is that our organization also does a pitch and it allows us the opportunity to remind coastal investors that hereʼs a sampling of companies that are growing here,” Little said. “But let us pull back and tell you the broader economic picture and why you should pay more attention, building stronger connectivity with our region.”
Past participants have included Fetch (formerly Fetch Rewards), which in 2021 achieved “unicorn” status, meaning it became a startup valued at $1 billion or more, and Redox, a healthcare interoperability platform.
Counting all of the companies that have competed both locally and in San Francisco, Pressure Chamber participants have collectively raised nearly $1 billion in capital.
“This initiative is specifically designed for early-stage companies that have already raised a little bit of capital,” Little said. “They have gained some traction and now theyʼre looking for a growth investment. So often when Pressure Chamber companies are pitching, itʼs largely a seed to Series A round that they are looking for.”
Last year was the first year Pressure Chamber was held at the Sylvee, which provides a high-energy atmosphere for the pitches.
“Anyone whoʼs interested in entrepreneurship and just seeing whatʼs next, this is a really fun opportunity to see them, but also the way that we determine the winner of that local pitch, everybody in the audience gets a vote,” Little said. “So, thereʼs actually an audience engagement part to this that adds to the fun.”
That’s the ticket
Some events at the festival are free. A Forward Pass ($49-99) includes admission to all ticketed and free Forward Fest events. Single event tickets for those who only want to attend a specific event are also available at a range of prices.Check the website for more details.
Forward Fest
Aug. 17-21
On the web: forwardfest.org
