"Universities are powerful places for ideas to grow, and UW-Madison has a remarkable history of bringing big ideas to life," Sheats says.

Lewis Sheats has spent his career helping people turn ideas into companies. Now he's bringing that founder-first philosophy to the University of Wisconsin-Madison as the inaugural associate vice chancellor and executive director of the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub, a new campuswide initiative designed to transform how the university supports innovators and launches ventures.

"What has always motivated me is helping people build something of their own," says Sheats, an experienced entrepreneur and nationally recognized leader in university-based entrepreneurship. "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."

Sheats comes to UW-Madison from Saint Louis University, where he served as executive director of the Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship. Before that, he spent 20 years at North Carolina State University, including time as assistant vice provost for entrepreneurship. There, he helped build top-ranked undergraduate and graduate entrepreneurship programs, launched the NC State Entrepreneurship Clinic, and led university-wide efforts to strengthen student engagement across colleges.

Colleagues say Sheats' ability to connect people across disciplines was central to strengthening NC State's entrepreneurship ecosystem.

"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."

Sheats has also founded and led multiple companies and served on several venture and nonprofit boards.

"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," says Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin. "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."

A new model for campus entrepreneurship

As the inaugural leader of the Hub, Sheats will guide implementation of the campuswide entrepreneurship strategy that 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.

In November 2025, the Badger Tech Foundry became the first "spoke" within the Hub, focused on helping early-career researchers become serial entrepreneurs. Additionally, two existing campus programs - Discovery to Product (D2P) and the Innovate Network - will become part of the Hub, streamlining services for campus inventors and entrepreneurs.

In his 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. He will also lead the implementation of a campuswide strategy that supports entrepreneurship across the full life cycle, positioning it as an impactful career path for students, faculty and staff. This work will expand the resources available to founders at every stage, from undergraduates to faculty.

"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," says Jon Eckhardt, Pyle Bascom Professor of Business Leadership and special advisor to the chancellor for entrepreneurship, who chaired the search committee. "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," says Bilen-Rosas. "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."

Building on a strong foundation

UW-Madison has an entrepreneurial track record that offers substantial opportunities for growth. Supported by partners like the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, which has facilitated technology transfer for a century, UW-Madison-affiliated founders have launched more than 400 Wisconsin companies since 1990, generating an annual economic impact of roughly $10 billion, sustaining more than 40,000 jobs, and contributing more than $320 million in state and local tax revenue. The university also 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.

"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," Sheats says. "I'm honored to join this already vibrant community and I'm excited for the work ahead."

Sheats will begin his new role on Feb. 2.