Get to know:
Beth Paulson, Co-founder & co-CEO, Divorcist
“Divorce registries should totally be a thing.”
A simple comment on a Facebook post between friends sparked a business concept for Beth Paulson, co-founder of Divorcist — the nation’s first gift registry exclusively for breakups.
Before they were tech startup founders, Paulson commented on Eliza Cussen’s Facebook callout asking for donations of household items on behalf of a friend experiencing an unexpected divorce. The Green Bay-based duo began researching the concept of divorce registries and were surprised to find … nothing. Online gift registries were plentiful for life’s happiest moments — weddings, births, graduations — but when it came to tough times like divorce, the landscape was barren.
“We kept Googling it thinking, ‘Okay, this has to exist,’ but it didn’t,” Paulson says. “Knowing basically nothing, we went to TitletownTech and talked to Chloe Pahl, who gave us a crash course in tech startup 101. She was really helpful in pointing us to resources like The Blueprint Green Bay through Urban Hub, and it took off from there.”
Divorcist graduated from The Blueprint Green Bay, an entrepreneurship training initiative of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, New North Inc., and the Greater Green Bay Chamber.
In March, Paulson and Cussen launched Divorcist, which Paulson describes as “The Knot of divorce.” Users can create secure registries to replace items lost through divorce or separation, set up cash funds and find support through the Divorcist online community.
Paulson — who is an author, mother to 8-year-old son Rory, and an ex-marketing VP — says her goal is growing the community aspect of the platform.
“The registry is the hook to the whole concept we’ve designed, which is to be the resource for people like me who, when I was getting divorced, had no idea where to turn,” she says. “I wanted to build a site that was a one-stop shop for resources on things like parenting through a divorce, the difficult task of divorcing a narcissist, all of it.”
Paulson says the New North region offers an abundance of support to startups like hers, including the NEW Launch Alliance Pitch Event and the ability to secure seed funding from local investors.
“Once we got plugged in, we were on the right path,” she says. “We’ve learned a ton and feel really lucky to be in this community.”
Riverfront redevelopment
The Village of Kimberly, with project partner Hoffman Planning, Design & Construction, Inc., has announced its latest addition to The Cedars riverfront redevelopment. The Blue at the Trails neighborhood represents the final segment of Kimberly’s ongoing NewPage Mill redevelopment. The 24-acre community concept features riverfront condominiums and townhomes, as well as two-story homes along Wilson Street. “Blue at the Trails is designed to inspire community bonds … [and connect] everyone to 1,900 feet of Fox River frontage complete with trails and future scenic piers,” Hoffman Vice President of Design Randy Bremhorst said. Groundbreaking on the project’s first phase is scheduled for late spring to early summer 2023, following completion of infrastructure improvements.
Leadership 2.0
The Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce announced a new leadership development program exclusively for graduates of Leadership Fox Cities, the chamber’s nine-month program for emerging leaders. Leadership Fox Cities 2.0 is an extension of the original program that takes a deeper dive into topics such as board service, government and human services. “The curriculum is not a duplication of the Leadership Fox Cities sessions, but rather an exciting extension of topics not covered in the original program,” Leadership Fox Cities Director Amy Schanke said. The program will hold four sessions starting in October and continue through spring 2023.
Brew School
The Oshkosh Area School District (OASD) debuted its Brewing Futures Mobile CAFE (Coaching Ability For Employment), the nation’s first fully-accessible mobile classroom and food truck. The customized food truck is operated by OASD students receiving special education services to provide them real-life working opportunities and showcase their employability skills. “This food truck is one way we can show our community that our students are incredible and can be an asset to any business,” OASD Director of Special Education Linda Pierron said. Among other events, Brewing Futures Mobile CAFE is scheduled to be at Oshkosh’s Leach Amphitheater Aug. 2, 16 and 26 and at the Oshkosh Farmers Market Aug. 13 and 27.
