Elizabeth Thelen

Elizabeth Thelen is a Wisconsin-based entrepreneurship and innovation leader best known for building and running the BREW Accelerator at The Water Council in Milwaukee. As the organization's Director of Entrepreneurship and Talent, she served as the program's architect and public face — nicknamed the "BREWMaster" — overseeing international startup outreach, accelerator design, and evangelism for the Global Water Center, the freshwater-technology hub where the program is housed. The Water Council's president, Dean Amhaus, credited her with "a strong skill of bringing people together." She led the program through its first several cohorts before departing The Water Council in early 2018.

The BREW (Business. Research. Entrepreneurship. In Wisconsin.) launched in 2013 and was billed as a first-of-its-kind, mentor-driven seed accelerator focused solely on solving freshwater problems. Under Thelen, selected startups received up to a ~$50,000 investment (initially a Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation grant, later structured as an equity investment), workspace in the Global Water Center, access to industry mentors and corporate partners, and business training through the UW-Whitewater Institute for Water Business. She reported the program had become "a magnet for more entrepreneurs and startups," fielding inquiries from as far away as California.

Thelen holds a Master of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, along with multiple certifications in teams, change, leadership, and entrepreneurship — a behavioral-science foundation she applies to founder coaching and team-building. Over her career she has founded, co-founded, or led a range of organizations including BDHS Consulting (Be! BDHS Consulting / Be Nation), AeroX Tech, the Midwest Innovation Exchange, HRDC, and Slinger Speedway.

Since leaving The Water Council, she has worked at the intersection of technology, economic development, and people as Executive Director of Innovation Services and the Community Engagement Center at the Whitewater University Technology Park / Whitewater University Innovation Center. She also serves as Secretary of the Wisconsin Aerospace Advisory Board and as Wisconsin chapter leader of the Independent Women's Network, and sits on multiple business advisory boards.

• Single-sector conviction — water: Backs startups producing cutting-edge technology to solve freshwater challenges (treatment, monitoring, infrastructure, resource recovery); the BREW is described as "the only mentor-driven seed accelerator program solely focused on solving freshwater issues."
• Seed / pre-seed stage: Targets early-stage companies that can benefit from intensive mentorship, corporate-partner access, and a structured cohort, rather than later growth rounds.
• Capital + ecosystem, not just a check: The value proposition pairs ~$50K with workspace in the Global Water Center, water-specific sales training, and a network of 200+ industry leaders and partners — she invests where the platform and mentors matter as much as the money.
• People-first underwriting: With an I/O psychology background, she emphasizes team strength, coachability, and relationship-building — "connecting people, leading projects and organizations, and getting things done."
• Geography-agnostic sourcing: Recruited startups from across the U.S. and internationally into Milwaukee, treating the Global Water Center as a magnet for global water-tech talent.