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DEED OSBI Newsletter: November Edition

Updates and Opportunities from Office of Small Business & Innovation

Celebrate the Season of Small Business

The holiday season presents an exciting opportunity to highlight the vital role that entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses play in our communities and economy. DEED invites Minnesotans to celebrate the big impact that small businesses have on our state during the Season of Small Business.

How YOU can support the Season of Small Business:

Join us at a Season of Small Business event!
Please reshare the campaign’s social posts and personalize to your community, business or the businesses you serve.
Use #MNSmallBizBigImpact to show your support.
Let us know if there are small business events in your community we can help amplify. You can also post on our statewide small business calendar.

Join Us at a Season of Small Business Event

Rochester Entrepreneur Roundtable and Small Business Walking Tour

Date: Tuesday, December 2
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Walking tour at 10:00 a.m.
- Roundtable discussion at 11:00 a.m.
Location: RAEDI, 221 1st Ave SE, Suite 600, Rochester, MN

Brooklyn Park Entrepreneur Roundtable

Date: Thursday, December 11
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Location: Brooklyn Park Small Business Center, 7970 Brooklyn Blvd, Brooklyn Park, MN

Crosby Small Business Walking Tour

Date: Tuesday, December 20
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Starting Point: Cuyuna Brewing, 1 E Main St, Crosby, MN

Direct Investment Venture Capital Program Update

The University of Minnesota is DEED's state-sponsored entity for Minnesota's SSBCI Direct Investment Venture Capital (DIVC) Program. DIVC continues to make progress in investing early-stage capital in Minnesota startups. The program provides equity co-investment into high-growth companies alongside qualified private investors, helping founders grow and scale in Minnesota.

The University of Minnesota, which manages the state’s DIVC investment activities, has committed $7.24 million to five funds and is currently in due diligence with several additional funds. DIVC has also invested $2.25 million across six Minnesota startups.

When looking across both DIVC direct investments and the MN Fund Venture Capital (MFVC) investments, the impact is even more substantial.

36 Minnesota-based startups supported
$3.14 million in SSBCI dollars deployed through VC programs
$8.97 million invested by MFVC fund managers in SSBCI-eligible transactions
323 full-time employees at the time of investment
561 projected new positions (full-time, part-time, and temporary) to be created as these companies grow

These numbers reflect the momentum of our state’s innovation ecosystem and the continued value of public-private partnerships that help entrepreneurs succeed statewide.

Preparing for Paid Leave

Starting January 1, 2026, Paid Leave will offer payments and job protections so people can take time off work to care for themselves or their loved ones during some of life’s most important moments.

Employers can prepare by taking these three steps now:

Set up your accounts. You need an employer account and an administrator account to meet your responsibilities under Paid Leave.
- Register for an employer account at uimn.org
- Designate a Paid Leave Administrator in your employer account.
- Create a Paid Leave Administrator Account at paidleave.mn.gov.
Notify employees. You must notify your employees about Paid Leave by December 1, 2025.
- Hang the Paid Leave workplace poster.
- Provide individual notices to your employees. Sample notices will be available soon.
Prepare your workplace policies. There are other important decisions you can make today to make Paid Leave work best for your organization.
- Explore decisions you can make about premiums, leave policies and more on the Paid Leave website.

More employer resources and updates available here

Questions? Contact DEED's Paid Leave team: 651-556-7777 or paidleave@state.mn.us

Emerging Entrepreneur Board Openings

The Minnesota Emerging Entrepreneur Board is responsible for studying, surveying and supporting small businesses owned and operated by entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds. This includes companies founded and managed by a business owner from one of the following backgrounds: women, BIPOC founders, veterans or persons with disabilities.

The Emerging Entrepreneur Board is accepting applications for its open positions. Those with experience in economic development and working to address racial income disparities are encouraged to apply.

Learn more

Explore Entrepreneurship in Your County

Explore the state of entrepreneurship in Minnesota with our newly created Minnesota County Entrepreneurship Index. This interactive tool provides key county data across economic indicators of innovation, equity, and vibrancy. Whether you’re a support organization or entrepreneur, this dashboard offers valuable insights to inform decisions and drive local entrepreneurship growth.

Learn more

DEED Assists with opening of childcare incubator.

DEED Provides Funds for Childcare Business Incubator

CLUES, Minnesota’s largest Latino-led nonprofit, recently opened a childcare business incubator in East Saint Paul to help launch four Latina-owned family childcare businesses. The program will provide a three-year coaching program to provide education and training to members. CLUES was awarded $300,000 in funding as part of DEED’s Child Care Economic Development grant program.

Learn more