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MN Cup is a startup competition and hub to direct mentorship, education and seed capital to the best new ventures in Minnesota. Our process leverages volunteer judges with industry and functional expertise in each of our nine divisions. Ten companies in each division will be selected by these judges to move forward into the semifinalist round, which will take place between May 22nd and August 11th. Two subsequent rounds will further narrow the participants, ending at our Final Award Ceremony on Monday, September 18th. Over $400,000 in prize money will be given away to competitors, with no equity taken or strings attached.
MN Cup Competition Benefits
$400,000+ in seed money, Mentorship opportunities with industry leaders, Exclusive event access, Business plan feedback, Networking opportunities with potential investors, Media exposure
Competition Divisions
Education & Training, Energy/Clean Tech/Water, Food/Ag/Beverage, General, High Tech, Life Science/Health IT, Impact Ventures, Student, Youth.
To qualify for MN Cup
1) Demonstrate your startup/ company is based in Minnesota via entity formation or residence of founders
2) Generate less than $1 million in annual revenue
3) If your venture has already taken home 1st or 2nd place prize money from the MN Cup competition, we ask that you not re-apply. This goes for ventures that are subsidiaries of or owned by those winning entities. Previous MN Cup winning founders can participate again with new ventures that have no affiliation with those past prize-winning companies.
2) Generate less than $1 million in annual revenue
3) If your venture has already taken home 1st or 2nd place prize money from the MN Cup competition, we ask that you not re-apply. This goes for ventures that are subsidiaries of or owned by those winning entities. Previous MN Cup winning founders can participate again with new ventures that have no affiliation with those past prize-winning companies.