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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 18th and August 7th. Two subsequent rounds will further narrow the participants, ending at our Grand Finale on Monday, September 14th. 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 operated in Minnesota via entity formation or residence of founders
2) Generate less than $1 million in annual revenue
3) If your venture has previously been selected as a Division Winner 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 previously been selected as a Division Winner 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.
Questions?
Check out mncup.org for application tips and frequently asked questions.
Or reach out to hellomncup@umn.edu.
Or reach out to hellomncup@umn.edu.