Lauren  Flanagan

Lauren is a co-founder and Managing Director of the Phenomenelle Angels Fund I, LP. She brings 25 years experience in founding and operating early stage companies to the Fund. Lauren is focused on selecting prospective investments, leading due diligence, and working closely with portfolio company CEOs to help them achieve superior board governance, grow their businesses and craft lucrative exits.

Lauren also serves as CEO of SCIO Corp, which provides strategic advisory services to emerging companies in the IT, BioTech and CleanTech sectors. Previous to founding SCIO Corp, Lauren co-founded and was CEO of WebWare Corporation, a pioneer in Digital Asset Management and one of the first SaaS (Software as a Service) companies. She raised over $20 million in equity capital for WebWare, which was later acquired by a publicly traded company. During her 15 years of entrepreneurial experience prior to WebWare, she co-founded three technology companies and provided strategic consulting services to industry leaders such as Apple, HP, IBM, Microsoft, NeXT, Oracle, and Xerox.

A Springboard finalist in SV 2000, Lauren received Trailblazer Awards in 2000 and 2001 from the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs. She was also awarded IT Software CEO of the Year for 2002 by leading analyst firm, Frost and Sullivan. BusinessWeek selected her as one of the Top 25 Angels in Tech in 2010.

Lauren is Chairman of the Board at HarQen Inc; serves on the Boards of Directors of Springboard Enterprises and Michelle’s Miracle Inc; and is a Board observer to EraGen BioSciences Inc. Lauren also serves on the Angel Capital Association's Syndication Committee. During her 10 year association with Springboard, she has been a significant contributor to the team that helped 400+ women-led companies raise $5 billion in equity. 7 of the Springboard companies have gone public. Many more have generated high value returns for their investors. 85% of the companies are still in business or continuing operations after being acquired. These 400 companies have generated $4 billion in revenues and created over 10,000 jobs. Springboard's record is unmatched by any other venture catalyst organization.

Joseph P. Hildebrandt

Joseph is a co-founder and Managing Director of the Phenomenelle Angels Fund. He brings over 30 years of extensive experience in business law, finance, securities and venture capital in New York and Wisconsin.

He is a Partner Emeritus at Foley & Lardner, LLP where he was founder and chair of the Emerging Companies/Venture Capital Team and founder/co-chair of the firm's Private Equity & Venture Capital Practice. In addition to representing and counseling high tech, biotech and other rapid growth companies and structuring over 350 private placement offerings, Joe has personally invested in over 80 private companies and has been a vice president of a small investment brokerage firm and a small hedge fund.

Joe is also co-founder and the Managing Director of DaneVest Tech Fund, and is a partner in Wisconsin Investment Partners. He was a co-organizer of the Wisconsin Governor’s Summits on Venture Capital and has participated in drafting Wisconsin legislation for partnership, corporation, LLC, tax credit and securities law. Joe earned a BS in Finance, Investment and Banking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and simultaneously earned his MBA from said institution along with his JD degree from Harvard Law School. He currently serves on the board of directors of Avid Ratings, Capitol Bank, Capitol Bankshares, Eso-Technologies, and Michelle's Miracle as well as being a board observer to TrafficCast International, and Stemina Biomarker Discovery.

Tiffany Wilke
Tiffany W. Wilke brings 14 years of business experience, including 10 years in venture capital management to her role with the fund. She is CEO and co-Manager of Midwest Venture Capital Managers, LLC, one of the three members of the General Partner. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, with a BBA with distinction, in Finance, Tiffany worked four years with Andersen Consulting in Chicago as a Process and Senior Consultant. She then co-founded Midwest Venture Capital Management and Midwest Hospitality as Executive Vice President, working with start-up businesses in structuring and raising venture capital and then continuing with management contracts for a number of those entities.

Dedee Wojtal
Dedee Wojtal retired from the University of Wisconsin-Madison to co-found the Phenomenelle Angels Fund. At the University, she served as a writer and editor of publications focusing on the commercialization of research discoveries, growth and development of UW-Madison spin-off companies, and government initiatives supporting the State’s entrepreneurial activities. During her 28-year career at the University, Dedee was employed by the College of Agricultural and Life Science, University of Wisconsin Biotechnology Center, and the Office of University Industry Relations. She was writer and editor of news releases, newsletters, news magazines, and special reports including CALS Report, Research Works for Wisconsin, UWBC BioUpdate, Wisconsin Bio Issues, UIR’s on-line High-Tech News, and contributing writer for "Creating High-Tech Business Growth in Wisconsin." Dedee is a media consultant for, and invests in, Wisconsin startup companies. She holds a B.S. degree in Natural Science Education and an M.S. degree in Agricultural Journalism—both from the UW-Madison.

Valerie H. Wulf
Valerie H. Wulf is President and Co-Manager of Midwest Venture Capital Managers, LLC. She is an attorney and has invested in and helped start private venture businesses for 18 years. Valerie previously practiced as an attorney with national law firms in San Diego and Chicago. She currently is an independent Senior Director of an international women's business organization. Valerie has extensive experience in mentoring women entrepreneurs. She has ranked in the top 10 of her national area for four consecutive years. She is a Board Member of the Madison Ballet and a Director for the GBO, Inc. charitable foundation. Valerie earned her BBA with Honors in Business and Real Estate from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. She received her JD from the University of Wisconsin Law School.