Launch Minnesota Awards over $450,000 in Innovation Grants to Startups  

17 startups received Innovation Grant funding 

St. Paul – The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) today announced that it has awarded $454,375 in Launch Minnesota Innovation Grants to startups. This follows $746,295 awarded earlier, totaling over $1.2M this fiscal year, leaving close to $400,000 remaining to allocate. The $1.6 million was fully allocated in the first year of funding. 

Since January, DEED awarded grants to 17 companies, of which 13 are target minority, veteran or woman-owned businesses or are located in Greater Minnesota. 

Launch Minnesota Innovation Grants are targeted to the most promising innovative and scalable technology businesses in Minnesota. The grants help reduce the risk for Minnesota technology startups and entrepreneurs who are solving problems and growing our state’s innovation ecosystem. 

“Providing resources and support for technology startups is important to help our state’s economy as these companies grow,” said DEED Deputy Commissioner of Economic Development Kevin McKinnon. “It’s even more important now as we look to help businesses during the pandemic recovery.” 

“Putting capital in the hands of founders can make a big difference in their long-term success,” said Launch Minnesota Executive Director Neela Mollgaard. “We know firsthand the difference it is making in the ability to grow these startups and new technologies.” 

Since Launch Minnesota’s creation in 2019, it has awarded 118 Innovation grants of over $2.8 million to 88 startups statewide. Launch Minnesota was created with bipartisan support during the 2019 legislative session as a statewide collaborative effort to accelerate the growth of startups and amplify Minnesota as a national leader in innovation. 

Visit LaunchMinnesota.org or the Launch Minnesota grants section of the DEED website to learn more about grant opportunities, see a listing of grant recipients and access application materials. 

Awards recipients since January and their location listed below: 

Agriculture Pollution Innovation, Northfield 
Removing nitrites from wetlands 

Ambient Intelligence, Minneapolis 
Providing a real-time patient health monitoring device 

Annum, St. Paul 
Offering marketers smarter and faster planning 

BlueCube Bio, Minneapolis 
Developing preservative products for preservation of cells used in cell therapy manufacturing 

BlueRithm, Champlin 
Making software for construction project commissioning 

CoraVie Medical, Minneapolis 
Developing a subcutaneous, continuous blood pressure monitor 

Dominative Development, Bemidji 
Creating a virtual racing community 

Forever Ware, Minneapolis 
Developing software and a fleet of reusable containers for restaurants and grocery stores 

GoAdvntr, Winona 
Providing an online marketplace connecting experience seekers with small businesses 

Lite Run, St. Paul 
Developing a spacesuit-based rehabilitation technology for the treatment of persons with gait and balance difficulties 

Nanodropper, Rochester 
Producing an eyedrop bottle adaptor that increases access to expensive eyedrop medications by reducing waste 

Pikup, Minneapolis 
Developing an app called pikup that connects people who need something with neighbors who are already on their way to the store for free delivery 

Respiratory Sciences, Minneapolis 
Developing a respiratory diagnostic and monitoring device for in clinic and home use 

Sasya, Osseo 
Producing animal nutritional supplements 

Shrpa, Rochester 
Connecting travelers with self-guided adventures 

Soundly (SnoreX), New Brighton 
Developing digital therapy that reduces snoring and sleep apnea 

Vortrex, Waseca 
Designing and manufacturing state of the art eco-friendly electric track utility terrain vehicles 

You can find a full list of all Innovation Grants on the Launch Minnesota website Innovation Grants page. 

Launch Minnesota, spearheaded by DEED, is aimed at growing Minnesota’s startup ecosystem. The Launch Minnesota Network, which started in March 2020, includes 8 hubs and over 80 partner organizations statewide in a hub-and-spoke model designed to help startups access resources and education wherever they are based. 

For more information, visit LaunchMinnesota.org Follow Launch Minnesota on Twitter and Facebook.