Startup Chippewa Valley '25 | Closing Keynote

In a world where technology evolves daily and challenges come faster than ever, resourcefulness is the true advantage. Startup Chippewa Valley celebrates that spirit — the ingenuity, adaptability, and grit it takes to turn an idea into impact.

This year’s theme, “Becoming Resourceful,” explores what it means to build smarter, stronger, and more sustainably in 2025 and beyond. From harnessing the power of AI to mastering time-tested principles of entrepreneurship, each session, workshop, and conversation will equip founders and small business leaders to do more with what they have — and build toward what’s next.

Whether you’re a founder scaling your dream, a future entrepreneur preparing to leap, a small business owner ready to grow, or a community leader or investor supporting innovation in the Valley, this is your week to connect, learn, and celebrate what makes our region thrive.

Friday, November 14 | 1-3pm | Pablo Center

We’ll wrap the week with two powerful keynote speakers who embody what it means to “become resourceful” — innovators who have built, adapted, and led with creativity and courage.

Expect engaging storytelling, practical insights, and a Q&A that connects their lessons directly to your journey. Together, we’ll celebrate the wins, share highlights from the week, and reflect on how the Chippewa Valley’s entrepreneurial spirit continues to grow.

It’s not just a conclusion — it’s a launchpad for what comes next.

Part 1: Emily Liard, “Beyond ChatGPT: Practical Delegation of AI.”

Emily Laird is the AI Integration Technologist at the University of Wisconsin–Stout, where she advances AI literacy and integrates emerging technologies into curriculum and instruction. She collaborates across Wisconsin with faculty, staff, and students to promote thoughtful adoption of AI in education.

Beyond her work in higher education, Laird serves as an industry consultant helping organizations enhance AI literacy and identify practical, high-impact applications of generative AI across sectors. She also hosts the podcast Generative AI 101, where she shares accessible insights into the tools, trends, and opportunities shaping the future of AI integration.

As a keynote speaker, Laird bridges the gap between technical potential and real-world practice. Her talk offers a grounded perspective on how businesses, educators, and innovators can move from experimentation to intentional delegation — leveraging AI to work smarter, faster, and with greater purpose.

Most teams have experimented with chatbots, but few have developed a plan to delegate real work to AI. This session explores the broader generative AI landscape of text, vision, audio, code, agents, and workflow automation. Participants will discover how to assign the right jobs to the right models without burning cash or risking data. Attendees will leave with a lightweight delegation framework, tool examples they can pilot, and a clear path forward for implementing AI with purpose.

Key Learning Objectives / Takeaways:

• Identify where generative AI goes beyond chat (document processing, image/video, speech, code, search/RAG, agents, automation).
• Apply a simple delegation framework to real processes and workflows.
• Select low-risk, high-ROI starter use cases.
• Implement essential guardrails to stay compliant while moving fast.

Part 2: Zach Halmstad, “Resourcefulness”

Zach Halmstad is a native of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and an alumnus of the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, where he studied music and computer science. His early work in the university’s IT department sparked his realization that existing tools weren’t fully addressing enterprise needs for Mac and iOS device management.

In 2002, he co-founded Jamf Software with Chip Pearson, building it into a global leader in Apple device management. Under his leadership, the company grew rapidly, maintaining deep roots in Eau Claire while influencing technology operations worldwide. Following his departure from Jamf, and beyond his tech credentials, Halmstad has also helped shape the revitalization of downtown Eau Claire, through ventures in hospitality and real-estate, including hotel renovations and foundations supporting arts and community revitalization.

As a keynote speaker, Halmstad brings a unique perspective at the intersection of deep technical understanding, startup grit, regional commitment and community-building. He speaks from the vantage point of having built a successful tech company from the ground up in a non-traditional tech hub — offering insights on resourcefulness, scaling, sustaining growth, and integrating business with regional impact.

Part 3: Live Q&A

Part 4: Celebrating and Concluding Startup Chippewa Valley 2025

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Pablo Center at the Confluence, 128 Graham Avenue, Eau Claire, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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