$1M Awarded to Support Startups

We announced the award of $1 million to 9 organizations throughout Minnesota to help start and scale new ventures. This is the third round of Launch Minnesota Education Grants, which are awarded to organizations that help start-ups and entrepreneurs across Minnesota achieve success through education, mentoring, and networking opportunities.

Here are the groups that were awarded grant funding:

• Agriculture Utilization Research Institute – MBold
• Greater Bemidji - NoW Innovators Network
• Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation
• Forge North/Greater MSP
• Itasca Economic Development Corporation - Innovate 218
• MNSU Strategic Partnership Center - Launch MN SW

• Red Wing Ignite – Entrepreneurs First Collaborative

• Social Impact Group

• University of Minnesota
  • Venture Builders
  • Discovery Launch Pad
  • Technological Leadership Institute

Read more about the grantees.

Minnesota Cup Feeder Competitions

This year marks the first time that all Launch Minnesota hubs will host a regional competition that feeds directly into MN Cup. We worked with MN Cup and entrepreneurial support organizations (ESOs) to implement these events, which will provide an automatic entry into the competition’s semifinalist round for one founder from each region. Launch Minnesota is proud to support these efforts that increase the visibility of innovation in Greater Minnesota. Several are scheduled this spring:

• Southeast’s E1 Ignite Cup on the 24^th
• Southwest’s Big Ideas Challenge on April 14
• Northeast's Rink Competition (completed)
• West Central’s inaugural competition on April 13^th
• Northwest’s IDEA Competition (ongoing and completed in mid-April)

Friday Forum – Friday, March 25

Launch Minnesota’s Friday Forums are an opportunity to discuss the topics facing Minnesota’s startup community.

The topic this Friday is Polishing Your Pitch. We’ll be joined by David Russick from Gopher Ventures, Cathy Connett from Sofia Fund, Brevity CEO Kelvin Johnson, and Carla Pavone from UMN’s Holmes Center of Entrepreneurship.

Learn more

Apply for BETA Backers

Minnesota-based startups that are actively fundraising are invited to apply to BETA Backers, an event series connecting active investors with top emerging startups. Founders are encouraged to apply by submitting their pitch deck between now and the application deadline on Sunday, April 3^rd. Accepted applications will be sent to investors who will choose up to six startups to meet with on May 12.

Learn more and apply

Startup and Small Business Calendar

Our Startup and Small Business Calendar contains events from organizations throughout the state. Every week, groups like BETA, LegalCorps, SCORE, E1 Collaborative and more are utilizing this resource to share their events with entrepreneurs. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s coming up:

Upcoming Events

March 14-April 15: Apply for MN Cup

March 23: MinneAMA: Personal Finance 101

March 24: MN Tech Job & Opportunities Fair

March 24: Red Wing Ignite Cup

April 6: IDEA Competition Info Session

April 6: 1 Million Cups Mankato

April 13: MN Entrepreneur Kickoff

More events on Launch Minnesota’s Startup and Small Business Calendar

Resources for Entrepreneurs:

• Launch Minnesota’s Startup Resource Guide
• Friday Forums
• List of Investors 
• Join the Minnesota Exchange
• Get to Know Launch Minnesota’s Innovation Grantees 
• Angel Tax Credit Program 
• Startup and Small Business Calendar