Epic founder Judy Faulkner MS’67 returns to campus to inspire the next generation of UW–Madison technology builders.
When students filed into the lecture hall for the first session of a new entrepreneurship course in the Computer Sciences department, the energy felt different from a typical class. This wasn’t a syllabus review or a technical deep dive. Instead, it was a fireside chat with one of the most consequential technology founders in healthcare: Judy Faulkner MS’67, founder and CEO of Epic.
The conversation, hosted by Professor Suman Banerjee, set the tone for a semester built around learning directly from people who have successfully built companies, navigated uncertainty, and translated ideas into real-world impact. The course brings founders, investors, and industry experts into the classroom — not as distant case studies, but as living examples of what it takes to go from technical insight to lasting innovation. It’s part of a broader shift in emphasis within the department, expanding the pathways available to students who want to turn technical ideas into lasting companies.
From Technical Roots to Lasting Impact
Banerjee, the David J. DeWitt Professor of Computer Sciences, opened the session by framing Faulkner’s story as one through which students could see themselves. A UW–Madison alumna who earned her master’s degree in Computer Sciences, she began her career writing code to solve real problems in healthcare long before electronic medical records were standard. “What’s especially inspiring for a roomful of computer science students,” Banerjee told the class, “is that Judy didn’t follow the typical corporate executive model; instead, she was a technical founder — a software developer solving real problems.” The point wasn’t to mythologize success but to make it feel attainable.
Faulkner’s own reflections reinforced that same practicality. When asked what pushed her to start a company, she described responding to real needs she encountered while working with clinicians. “People would call me up and say, ‘Judy, start a company,’ and I would say, ‘No,’” she recalled. Over time, that steady pull from users who valued the software became the foundation for building Epic into a company underpinning healthcare delivery across the country and world. Today, Epic’s systems touch nearly every facet of American medicine — and increasingly, medicine globally — with records for more than 305 million patients stored in its software, making it arguably the most consequential healthcare technology company ever built.
Rethinking Growth, Funding, and Long-Term Vision
During the discussion, Faulkner was candid about making choices that run counter to Silicon Valley orthodoxy. Faulkner spoke openly about why she never took venture capital or went public. For example, those investors are typically focused only on their financial returns. As a result, Epic staff can focus more sharply on serving their customers. Faulkner’s long-term approach — designing systems carefully, hiring rigorously, and resisting shortcuts — offered students a different model of what building a technology company can look like.
Her advice challenged the prevailing “move fast and break things” mentality popular in Silicon Valley and start-ups. In healthcare, she argued, the stakes demand another approach entirely: thoughtful design, patience, and accountability to users. The lesson resonated with students who are often immersed in fast-paced tech culture but curious about building technology that lasts.
What Students Hope to Learn
For Banerjee, that perspective is exactly why founders like Faulkner belong in the classroom. “This course is aimed at inspiring students towards entrepreneurship and exposing them to what’s involved and what success looks like,” he said. “Of course, that’s not to imply this is by any means easy, but at least it lays out the entrepreneurial path for students so they can consider embarking on the journey.” The emphasis is on demystifying the process of building companies and showing students the various directions available to them. The CS department is expanding opportunities for students to explore entrepreneurship through other avenues, as well, including pitch competitions, capstone courses, and departmental programs like CS Nest that give students space to experiment with entrepreneurial thinking.
Students in the room represented that range of curiosity. Some arrived with startup ideas already in mind; others were simply trying to understand how people turn ideas into companies. Faulkner’s answers met both audiences where they were. She spoke about early hiring mistakes, the value of rigorous evaluation over gut instinct, and the importance of building culture intentionally. “Winners focus on the customers; losers focus on the winners,” she told the room, underscoring a philosophy that prioritizes people over hype. Faulkner’s return to the classroom reflects her continued engagement with UW-Madison and her commitment to cultivating the next generation of technology builders and leaders.
A Growing Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Computer Sciences
The course itself reflects a broader shift in how computer science education is evolving at UW–Madison. Alongside traditional technical training, there is growing attention to entrepreneurship, mentorship, and pathways for students to turn ideas into products that matter. “This class is the first step in an entrepreneurship program that the CS department has been planning for some time,” said CS Chair Paul Barford. “The three key thrusts of the program include education, fostering and facilitating new companies, and mentorship.” Banerjee said, “There seems to be a lot of untapped potential” among students in the course, and he noted that supporting startups is one way to translate student talent into broader societal impact.
For many students, seeing a founder who once sat in similar classrooms — who earned her master’s degree in their own department and went on to reshape an entire industry — made the possibilities feel tangible. The fireside chat wasn’t just a guest lecture; it was an invitation. By bringing builders like Faulkner into the room, the course makes entrepreneurship less abstract and more human. It shows students that building lasting technology companies is not about chasing hype, but about patience, design, and a willingness to care deeply about the people you serve.