By MaryBeth Matzek | Photo courtesy Shayna Hetzel
If there’s a throughline for Shayna Hetzel’s career, it’s supporting and helping innovative ideas come to life.
Hetzel, vice president of entrepreneurship and innovation at Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC), leads the strategies and programs to make the state’s economic ecosystem more supportive for entrepreneurs. The WEDC not only connects entrepreneurs with financial assistance, but also provides them with access to data insights and a directory of business and networking resources.
“My goal is to scale the infrastructure that allows startups to thrive,” she says. “I’m realigning priorities to make Wisconsin’s ecosystem more supportive for entrepreneurs.”
Working with entrepreneurs is energizing and inspiring, Hetzel says.
“They are problem solvers and have a resolute vision. High-growth entrepreneurs can see a future that’s not a reality yet,” she says. “Entrepreneurs are at the heart of economic vitality.”
Prior to joining the WEDC, Hetzel was a founding special impact investment director with the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact. The institute invests in entrepreneurs tackling some of society’s greatest challenges, and uses world-class talent and resources to amplify their investments. Through that experience, she met and worked with many entrepreneurs as they brought their ideas to life.
Before joining the institute, she worked at American Family as a senior project manager and planning administrator. Prior to working for American Family, Hetzel spent nearly a decade in roles at the Wisconsin Union and in state government.
“I’ve had a career dotted with big results and bold action across public, private, nonprofit and university industries,” says Hetzel, who earned both her undergraduate and master’s degrees at UW-Madison.
Those skills come in handy in her work at the WEDC. She also saw joining the organization as a way to bring her various career experiences together.
“I’ve focused on amplifying the work of others,” she says. “What I’ve learned is to surround yourself with people who believe in your vision and push you to refine it.”
Hetzel says successful entrepreneurs listen deeply, stay curious and ask for help.
“It’s OK for entrepreneurs to know they don’t need to shoulder everything themselves. There are people and resources available to provide them with assistance,” she says.
What’s a podcast you’re loving now?
“There’s an episode of ‘The New Builders’ called ‘Face to Face with the Next Generation of American Business.’ It lifts up stories about entrepreneurs that you don’t really hear much about — women and people of color. As a woman of color, I find it energizing to listen to.”
