Since its founding in 1857, Milwaukee’s deeply rooted Northwestern Mutual has been synonymous with insurance and investment services.
As 2018 continues to unfold, Stig Haagensen said he hopes to add another word to the company’s equation of offerings that also begins with an “i” — innovation.
Haagensen, vice president of digital innovation and accelerators, is playing a pivotal role in the late summer launch of Cream City Labs, a program aimed at linking Northwestern Mutual’s employees with creative thinkers and digital innovators within and outside the company.
“We want to contribute toward the entrepreneurial ecosystem,” Haagensen said, when asked about the inspiration behind the new labs, which will be housed on the second floor of Northwestern Mutual’s downtown Milwaukee campus on North Van Buren Street.
Digital innovation has been on the forefront of Northwestern Mutual executives’ minds for much of the past decade, Haagensen said, and the overture has been solidified through the formation of the company’s Cream City Venture Capital arm.
Northwestern Mutual executives have said the lab’s imminent launch is a natural progression for Cream City Venture Capital, which is new. The lab is serving as a resource for CCVC
The new arrangement means companies within the portfolio of Cream City Venture Capital will be offered co-location space in the lab, as well as a range of mentoring services. The events listed will be held for employees and the public, but are not specific to the startup investments.
Also envisioned in the road ahead are an accelerator program and offerings aimed at bolstering science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum.
As he sees it, Haagensen said Northwestern Mutual and Cream City Venture Capital work hand-in-glove with one another, each ensuring the other’s vitality in an ever-evolving marketplace.
“We want to innovate. We want to make our services great,” Haagensen said. “It’s all about that digital revolution that’s taking place.”
Northwestern Mutual’s announcement of the Cream City Labs space just surfaced this spring, and construction began recently on the anticipated late August launch.
“This is a really great step for our company,” Haagensen said. “We’re offering the time and the space for people to innovate.”
By design, the flexible lab space is designed to foster a collaborative working environment, in addition to meeting space that will make some of the larger-attended events, such as the hackathons, possible.
While Haagensen and his team are focused on the imminent launch of Cream City Labs, the executive said he sees boundless possibilities as the program gets underway — particularly in the area of information technology and, possibly, virtual reality.
“Down the road, we’ll see where it goes,” Haagensen said.
Disclaimer: Northwestern Mutual is a founding partner of Wisconsin Inno.
Disclaimer: Northwestern Mutual is a founding partner of Wisconsin Inno.
