A new program called UpStart was created by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation to help aspiring minority and female entrepreneurs gain the skills needed to be successful in business, the organization announced this week.

Instructors from the University of Wisconsin Small Business Development Center and area professionals will teach the free, 13-week sessions, the first of which will begin in February. Each session can take up to 25 students.

“WARF’s UpStart program is designed to be inclusive, and we welcome participants from a variety of backgrounds and all walks of life,” Program Manager Zach Ellis said in a statement. “We have people interested in technology startups, retail and service businesses and even nonprofits. What they share is a desire to put their classroom knowledge to use in a way that increases their likelihood of success.”

According to a release, the classes will run from 6-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays and be held primarily at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. Topics range from legal and financial issues to market research, customer development, accounting and business plan basics.

UpStart program candidates can already be in business or are thinking about starting one. The deadline to apply for the first session is Dec. 31.