The power of Milwaukee’s startup ecosystem and community is alive and well, as evident by startups like Technova Industries – a startup that took root during the FOR-M Startup Incubator in the fall of 2023 and was awarded one of the $10,000 FOR-M grants. 

Technova came about from their CEO and Founder, Aymen Azim, a Morocco-native who has a deep technical background in physical security and threat detection, dedicating his career to securing ports and sensitive sites across the world. Back in 2023, he realized the passive nature security systems were operating in. Aymen saw an opportunity to turn security systems into an active tool, leveraging generative AI to prevent problems and create operational value without ripping and replacing existing infrastructure. This solution transforms efficiency in creating compatible systems – a process that historically took over a year and hundreds of thousands of dollars to do. Technova can integrate any system in less than 48 hours. 

 When Aymen and his wife Jenna Faville-Azim joined FOR-M, they just moved from France to Wisconsin. The two had met as they were on their way to a Packers game – a team Aymen fell in love with after traveling to the states for work. Shortly after the move, Aymen was eager to build their network and startup in Milwaukee. Jenna, who has a background and film and television, noted a similarity between film development and building a startup, stating that films have the same foundational structures: seed an idea, grow it, attach the right people, find the financing, find buy-in, and execute. Naturally, she worked with Aymen in creating this startup. 

Jenna credits FOR-M for being the steppingstone that got them to where they are now. FOR-M acted as a resource to get connected, gain visibility, and provided materials needed to develop their idea. From there, their entrepreneurial journey took off: 

• Technova participated in the gener8tor accelerator program in Madison in the spring of 2024. 

• They were given the Best Convergence & Integration Solution award from the Security Industry Association with other major companies involved, including Motorola and Intel. 

• They received one of MKE Tech’s $10,000 FOR-M grants. 

• They participated in the UW-Madison’s Creative Destruction Lab program through the “risk” innovation stream. 

• In October of 2024, they closed their pre-seed round led by TitletownTech. 

• In December of 2024, they focused in on the logistics industry, quickly landing two Fortune 500 companies for Nova Control – their gate and dock verification platform. 

Through all their successes and hard work to get to where Technova is today, Jenna’s biggest lesson was to understand the beauty of failing quickly and adapting to keep the momentum and continue moving forward. 

“We’re in the wild west of building something that doesn’t really exist yet, and you’re not going to know what’s going to work or not work until you put something out there.” 

In the very real challenges of building and pursuing a startup, Jenna encourages entrepreneurs to turn to the thriving community in Wisconsin’s tech ecosystem. 

“Building a startup will take everything you have, so find your support system,” she said. “We’re a Wisconsin-based community that went through this ecosystem and are very hopeful of the direction Wisconsin’s tech ecosystem is heading.” 

FOR-M has given over $500,000 in grants since 2021, funded in collaboration with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and Bader Philanthropies. Click here to find out where other grant awardees are with their startups today.