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We are Irontek.

About Us

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OUR HISTORY

For 150 years, Beloit was the home to the Beloit Corporation, an enormous foundry that made paper making machines in the heart of downtown. When the plant was forced to closed its doors in 1999, the facility was abandoned and thousands were put out of work. Ken and Diane Hendricks bought the property in 2001 and began redeveloping the large manufacturing bays into office space for local tech companies. The 800,000-square-foot campus was renamed Ironworks to pay tribute to the early days of the Beloit Corporation. Today, Ironworks Campus is home to nearly 20 companies with more than 1,000 employees. 

Irontek came to fruition in 2016 as an 8,000-square-foot coworking space and tech hub on the Ironworks Campus. It was developed to cultivate Beloit’s entrepreneurial community and provide an affordable work space for startups, small businesses and remote professionals. As demands grew, Irontek expanded into another 10,000 square feet and added more private offices, conference rooms, and a podcast studio. Irontek now serves over 150 members and continues to grow and support new ideas every day.

MEET THE TEAM

Kari Swirth - Community Manager

KARI SWIRTH

COMMUNITY MANAGER

Kari entered the coworking world when she joined the Irontek team in 2019. She received her undergraduate from UW-Stout in hospitality management and her master’s degree from SIUE, where she operated a large campus recreation facility. Utilizing her background in hospitality and facility management, she grew from Irontek's membership coordinator to the community manager. Kari and her husband, Travis, reside in Janesville with their two dogs, Duke and Bane. Outside of work, you can find her walking the dogs, gardening or watching scary movies with her husband.

Erin Clausen - Investment Manager

ERIN CURRIER
INVESTMENT MANAGER

After graduating from the University of Wyoming with a degree in business administration, Erin jumped headfirst into a career working alongside entrepreneurs. She was the first person to join the Irontek team when the space launched in 2016 and continues to work closely with members and portfolio companies in her current role as investment manager. Erin is a girl mom, dog mom and plant mom. She loves live music and spending weekends at the lake with her family.

OUR PARTNERS

Grey Collar Venturs

Grey Collar Ventures (GCV) is Irontek’s venture capital arm, engaged in growing and investing in Beloit-based startups.

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gALPHA is a free, seven-week venture creation workshop for anyone interested in founding or joining a startup.
gener8tor.com

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gBETA is a free, seven-week accelerator for early-stage companies with local roots. Each program is capped at five teams and requires no fees and no equity. 
gener8tor.com

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The gener8tor Accelerator Studio is an intensive, 16-week program during which we partner with entrepreneurs to co-found and launch startups from scratch.
gener8tor.com

Beloit Chamber of Commerce

Located inside Irontek, the Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce (GBCC) advocates for local businesses and focuses on improving the economic, civic and cultural climate of the Greater Beloit Community.
greaterbeloitchamber.org

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