Friday Forum: April 26

Join us this Friday for an exciting Friday Forum in which we hold a panel discussion with Launch Minnesota grantees: Buncha, CoraVie Medical, Leah Labs, Spave, and Uptrends.ai. Hear their stories and learn from their successes and challenges. Learn more.

Minnesota PROMISE Act Funding

The funding is to support disadvantaged small businesses. The PROMISE Act Grant program will provide $86.4 million in working capital grants and the PROMISE Act Loan program will provide $28 million in capital improvement loans in designated areas of the Twin Cities and in Greater Minnesota. PROMISE Act Grants can be used for working capital to support payroll expenses, rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, equipment and other similar expenses that occur in the regular course of business. PROMISE Act Loans can be used for site acquisition and preparation, building construction, infrastructure, landscaping and other eligible capital improvement cost. Learn more.

Upcoming Events

From Ideas to Impact Conference Join us for the “From Ideas to Impact” in Red Wing MN with The Center on Rural Innovation and Red Wing Ignite. It’s a packed schedule that explores topics like scalable tech entrepreneurship, bridging the gap between tech careers and local skilling initiatives. Register now.

Ole Cup - April 27 The Ole Cup is an annual student entrepreneurial pitch competition open to all St. Olaf students. The Ole Cup helped launch successful businesses like JonnyPops, Teranga Strings, and the Ole Thrift Shop. Learn more about the Ole Cup 2024.

CodeLaunch - May 9 Come experience the next generation of 'venturetainment' and the impact we make on helping startups raise funding for tech ventures and connect with the leaders and innovators in Minnesota. Get tickets now for CodeLaunch.

United We Transform - May 21 With the mission of uniting Minnesotans for collective problem-solving and collaboration. The event will be held from 8:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. at the St. Paul RiverCentre. Learn more and register.

Enterprise Rising - May 22 This in person event is 100% enterprise SaaS, 100% startups and 100% Midwest. Check the conference details.

MN Small Business Call

On May 14th , MN Pollution Control Agency (PCA) will share new rules being implemented that may impact small businesses.

Resources for Entrepreneurs

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