DEED in the News
 Last week's Twin Cities Startup Week featured several key events focused on diversity and inclusion. "This is the first year that there has been some intentionality on the part of Startup Week," said Shawntera Hardy, DEED commissioner
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HabitAware brought home $100,000 from this year's Minnesota Cup for its startup idea, a bracelet that helps you stop your bad habits. MN Cup is a competition funding effort for entrepreneurs across the state. DEED sponsored three award categories at this year's competition: the most innovative idea lead by a minority entrepreneur, the most innovative idea from Greater Minnesota, and the most innovative idea lead by a veteran.
A Mankato startup looking at ways to make safer football equipment received an interest-free loan from DEED. Guardian Athletics is getting a $50,000 loan to help research and develop personal safety protection equipment for football players. The loan is part of DEED's Minnesota Innovation Loans for Entrepreneurs (MILE) program.
Four high-tech startup businesses in Minnesota, including three owned and operated by women, have been approved for interest-free loans totaling $196,000 under a pilot program at DEED. The agency approved the funding from the Minnesota Innovation Loans for Entrepreneurs (MILE) program for UR Turn in St. Louis Park, Thrivors Inc. in St. Paul, Poma 22 in Mendota Heights and Guardian Athletics in Mankato.
Serving Our Customers
The state of Minnesota launched a new assistive technology website guide to help make sense of all the options available to people with disabilities. Assistive technology is any technology designed to help people with disabilities. Each disability can come with its own set of unique challenges and therefore requires its own unique technology to help people adapt. The Minnesota Guide to Assitive Technology exists to help people with disabilities find the specific device they may need.
Recent Blog Posts
Bricks-and-mortar stores have been struggling nationwide in recent years, but retail jobs are still growing in central Minnesota. Retail employment and businesses in the area grew at a faster pace than any other Minnesota region in 2017, according to a story by Luke Greiner in Trends magazine. Altogether, the region had just over 36,000 retail jobs last year. Central Minnesota has added 760 net new retail jobs since the industry bottomed out in 2010 in the wake of the recession. Follow the link to see more about retail in Minnesota.
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