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FDI Directory · SelectUSA snapshot, February 2025

Wisconsin

Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation

Priority sectors
16
Incentive programmes
2
Shovel-ready sites
1
Incubators
2
Countries courted
15

Sectors it is courting

In its own words: Water Technology · Power & Control — typed in free text, so not filterable above.

Investment it is seeking from

Supply-chain projects it is looking for

Biotechnology, Electric Vehicles (EVs), Large Capacity Batteries, Medical Devices, Semiconductor Manufacturing and Advanced Packaging

Site-selection services it offers

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) offers a holistic site selection approach to foreign business investors. As the one-stop shop for business and investment attraction, WEDC will work with local partners throughout the state to find sites best suited for projects. Our team will connect with local governments, economic development groups, regional partners and even Wisconsin utilities to make sure potential investors’ questions are answered.

Incentive programmes

Shovel-ready sites

  • The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation has created, in partnership with a site selector consultant and community partners, a program that provides consistent standards for industrial site certification in Wisconsin. Certification means that the key approvals, documentation and assessments most commonly required for industrial uses will already be in place to assist with an expedited development timeline. A Certified Site designation serves as a pre-qualification, indicating that a property’s title is clear, that it possesses sufficient utilities and other infrastructure for industrial use, and that it is properly zoned and has adequate transportation access for such uses, among other criteria.

    Site details

Technology-sector sub-sectors sought

AgTech (including FoodTech), CleanTech, HealthTech (including MedTech)

Programmes for international technology startups

The entrepreneurial ecosystem in Wisconsin is robust. The accelerators, incubators and world-class universities create an attractive environment for startups in Wisconsin. Wisconsin offers innovative startups and early-stage companies certification and gap financing options to reach their funding goals. The Qualified New Business Venture Program incentivizes angel investors and venture funds to invest in Wisconsin-based companies through offering a tax credit equal to 25% of the investment to the certified company. [https://wedc.org/programs-and-resources/qualified-new-business-venture/][https://wedc.org/programs-and-resources/qualified-new-business-venture/] The Technology Development Loan Program provides loans of up to $750,000 to startups with equity investment four times the size of the requested loan. [https://wedc.org/programs-and-resources/technology-development-loans/][https://wedc.org/programs-and-resources/technology-development-loans/]

Programmes for international clean-energy projects

1) Focus on Energy – incentives for clean energy projects, efficiency and planning: https://focusonenergy.com/. 2) State Energy Office – incentives and technical assistance for a variety of project type: [https://psc.wi.gov/Pages/ServiceType/OfficeEnergyInnovation.aspx][https://psc.wi.gov/Pages/ServiceType/OfficeEnergyInnovation.aspx]

Incubators and accelerators

  • Multiple Accelerators

    Once a company has selected Wisconsin, various accelerators offer opportunities for startup growth through education, training, mentorship and funding.

  • ForwardBiolabs

    Forward BIOLABS’ co-working life science labs are fully equipped, maintained, and supported, and come with concierge introductions, training, and networking that help startups grow. The flexible, affordable labs and nurturing environment produces immense capital efficiencies gained by not spending time and money on lab equipment and setup. In addition to capital efficiencies, valuable operational efficiencies are gained through lab infrastructure such as waste management, safety protocols, equipment monitoring, security, and startup-specific training units. These efficiencies allow entrepreneurs to focus on their science and meet their milestones efficiently and fast. Within Forward BIO Labs’ innovation ecosystem and shared labs, early-stage companies initiate critical proof-of-concept work, create prototypes, and advance early stage projects in their first week in the lab, not their first year, and are able to focus on product development instead of setting up and maintaining a facility. More broadly, startups learn from other companies, attract funding and investment, get exposure to community resources, and create jobs that contribute to the local, regional and state economies and most importantly, to advancing their innovations for pressing issues in human health and the environment.

University and workforce programmes

  • The University of Wisconsin System

    The University of Wisconsin System is one of the largest systems of public higher education in the country, educating approximately 165,000 students each year and employing 40,000 faculty and staff statewide. With 13 universities across 26 campuses, the University of Wisconsin System is a tremendous academic, cultural and economic resource for Wisconsin, the nation and the world. Partnership opportunities with University of Wisconsin System faculty span across the entire system and include access to the academic and scientific infrastructure, with a goal of transforming discoveries into resources and products that address real-world issues. The University of Wisconsin System is continuously looking for ways to enhance industry partnerships and make the process easier for both domestic and foreign-owned companies in Wisconsin.

  • The Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities

    The Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU) is the organization of the 23 private institutions of higher learning in Wisconsin. All of WAICU’s programs support educational opportunities. The association administers joint ventures, resource sharing, the exchange of information and scholarship, and mutual consultation and cooperation among the 23 private colleges and universities in Wisconsin, which together serve more than 56,000 students. The association supports the development of the career professional at Wisconsin’s private colleges and universities so that the students and employers can be better served. Since 1991, Wisconsin’s private colleges and universities have hosted joint career fairs to provide employers with an opportunity to meet hundreds of college students and alumni seeking internships, professional employment and graduate school opportunities.

Additional services

Beyond site selection, WEDC will connect companies to local partners and assist with sourcing project-specific information in the areas of labor, taxes, utility costs and more in order to help foreign business investors make the best-informed decisions.

In its own words

The goal is to attract investments in our key industries (Advanced Manufacturing, Biohealth, Food & Beverage, Water Technology, and Energy, Power & Control) from all countries around the world.

Investor account, as submitted

HARIBO (GERMANY) – PLEASANT PRAIRIE, WISCONSIN Company background: Headquartered in Grafschaft, Germany, HARIBO is the world’s leading manufacturer of gummy candies, most famous for its classic Goldbears. Globally, the business employs nearly 7,000 associates and operates 16 production sites in 10 countries. Investment objectives: After considering several potential locations for its first manufacturing facility in North America, HARIBO ultimately chose Kenosha County for its shared values, ideal location, lot size and support from Wisconsin organizations. Upon the multi-phase build completion, HARIBO’s factory will be one of the largest investments of new operations by an overseas company in Wisconsin history. Why Wisconsin? HARIBO was drawn to the state’s friendly business climate, strong fiscal management, well-maintained infrastructure and skilled workforce. The Wisconsin attributes that appealed to the company included shared values (strong work ethic, diverse talent and a warm welcome); the location (a short distance from O’Hare Airport and access to a major interstate highway, I-94); the lot size (allowed for multiple project phases on large acreage); and collaboration among industry trade groups, economic development organizations, and officials at various levels of state and local government. The right decision: "HARIBO will invest well above $300 million in our state-of-the-art facility, the largest project in our 100-year history. In addition to that investment, we’re going to create up to 385 direct HARIBO jobs in phase one of our build and up to 4,200 indirect jobs upon completion of our full build, as per an independent economic study. It’s important to us to be exemplary corporate citizens and give back to the places where we live and work, so we’re proud of the relationships we’ve already built as we become part of the fabric of the community." – Wes Saber, executive vice president and chief financial officer, HARIBO of America FUJIFILM (JAPAN) – MADISON AND WAUWATOSA Company background: Fujifilm is a global company that creates innovative products and delivers effective solutions in a wide variety of fields to serve society, contribute to the quality of life and enhance environmental sustainability. Investment objectives: The company has long since branched out from its roots in the film industry, and currently its three main business fields are health care, materials and imaging solutions. In 2015, Fujifilm acquired two Wisconsin companies, Cellular Dynamics and Teramedica, that possessed innovations and expertise that aligned with the company’s growth strategy. Why Wisconsin? Founded in 2004 and located in Madison, Cellular Dynamics International (CDI) develops and manufactures fully functioning human cells. Founded in 2001 and based in Wauwatosa, TeraMedica Inc. develops software for diagnostic imaging tools. THE RIGHT DECISION: “By welcoming Cellular Dynamics Inc. to the Fujifilm Group and by combining the technologies and knowhow of both companies, we will seek synergies and efficiencies to be more competitive in the field of drug discovery and regenerative medicine.” – Shigetaka Komori, CEO, Fujifilm

Submitted by the economic development organisation, not independently verified.

Who to contact

  • Fanfu LiInternational Business Development Directorfanfu.li@wedc.org(608) 210-6868

201 West Washington Avenue, Madison, WI 53703

What Wisconsin did not submit

These headings exist in the federal questionnaire and this jurisdiction left them blank. Blank means unanswered, not zero — it is not evidence that there is nothing there.

  • Regional partner organisations

Source: SelectUSA FDI Database — U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration. All profile text above is Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation's own submission, carried verbatim. Snapshot: February 2025. Programmes close, budgets change and people move on; confirm with the organisation before acting on anything here.

Wisconsin: what it offers foreign investors — Applied America