Eight leading Midwestern universities launch Third Coast Foundry, a new Bay Area base for innovation and venture collaboration

Together, the partner universities account for nearly $10 billion in annual research investment and educate more than 300,000 students, producing one of the nation's largest talent pipelines.

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Jeanan Yasiri Moe
Director of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs
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MADISON, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-Madison and seven other leading Midwestern universities today announced the launch of Third Coast Foundry, a new San Francisco-based hub designed to strengthen the collective presence of Midwest research institutions in one of the world's most active venture ecosystems. The initiative brings together a select consortium of partner universities to support venture engagement and cross-institutional collaboration for university startups, researchers and more.

Third Coast Foundry is being launched as a two-year pilot supported by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) and UW-Madison with the following universities:

• Carnegie Mellon University
• Northwestern University
• The Ohio State University
• Purdue University
• University of Chicago
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Washington University in St. Louis

Located at 625 Second Street in San Francisco's South Park neighborhood - steps from one of the largest venture capital communities in the world and the emerging AI corridor - the 3,500-square-foot ground-floor workspace will serve as a short-term base for university-founded startups and teams traveling to the Bay Area, creating opportunities for investors, alumni and other partners to engage through meetings, events and programming. It stands as one of the first collaborative, multi-university Midwest bases in the Bay Area focused on venture engagement and innovation support.

"Third Coast Foundry represents more than just a physical space. Through this collaboration with our Midwestern peers, WARF and UW-Madison have a permanent base in San Francisco where the density of investors, talent, and industry partners is unmatched," says Greg Keenan, senior director and partner, WARF Ventures and WARF Accelerator.

"This effort reflects a new level of coordination and ambition across the Midwest. By establishing a shared presence in the Bay Area, we're increasing the velocity of our startups and demonstrating that venture-scale innovation from our universities belongs on a global stage," says Lewis Sheats, associate vice chancellor for entrepreneurship, UW-Madison.

The initiative is driven by the entrepreneurship, innovation and commercialization centers across the partner institutions, including Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University; Northwestern Innovation + New Ventures (INVO); Center for Software Innovation at The Ohio State University; Purdue Innovates; UChicago's Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation; U of I's Technology Entrepreneur Center; Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub and WARF; along with WashU. Together, these centers bring deep experience in startup formation, technology commercialization and venture engagement to support founders and strengthen cross-institutional collaboration through Third Coast Foundry.

"This is a significant moment for the Midwest's innovation ecosystem," said Samir Mayekar, managing director, Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago. "By establishing a visible footprint in the Bay Area, we're creating new opportunities for our founders to access capital, talent, and strategic partners while also strengthening ties between two of the country's most dynamic innovation communities."

Third Coast Foundry will also support demo days, receptions, seminars and workshops, expanding visibility for university startups and offering new ways for Bay Area investors and alumni to engage. Managed and operated by the Polsky Center at the University of Chicago, it will act as a shared resource for participating institutions, with each university contributing to programming and community-building efforts that elevate the collective Midwest innovation presence in San Francisco.

Third Coast Foundry sponsors include G2C Venture Partners and Wisconsin Investment Management Company (WISIMCO).

Grand opening details to be announced.

About WARF

Incorporated in 1925, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) patents and licenses discoveries from UW-Madison research, manages an investment portfolio generated from licensing and investment proceeds, and provides annual grants to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Morgridge Institute for Research to support further scientific investigation and research. By driving collaborations among researchers, investors, industry and entrepreneurs, WARF commercializes innovations from campus through various initiatives. WARF Accelerator improves the commercialization potential of university intellectual property through industry engagement and investment in proof-of-concept milestones to validate market potential, demonstrate commercial value and de-risk technology. WARF Therapeutics partners with UW-Madison and Morgridge Institute researchers employing an industry-focused approach to improve the value propositions of drug candidates. WARF Ventures is an early-stage venture fund that invests in startups based on UW/WARF technologies. Learn more at warf.org.

About the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub

Established in 2025, the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub (WEH) serves as the university's central platform for founder-focused strategy, programming and ecosystem development at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. WEH aligns and amplifies entrepreneurial activity across schools, colleges and research centers to support students, faculty, staff and alumni pursuing venture creation in every discipline.

By connecting founders to mentorship, experiential learning, venture engagement and commercialization resources, WEH accelerates the translation of ideas into scalable companies and societal impact. They work closely with campus partners, alumni, investors and industry leaders to strengthen pathways from ideation to startup formation and growth. Through cross-campus coordination and external partnerships, the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub advances UW-Madison's commitment to the Wisconsin Idea by positioning the university as a premier public institution for founders. Learn more at entrepreneurship.wisc.edu.

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