It’s no secret that the Twin Cities tech ecosystem is growing and has been for over a decade.
Much of this growth can, and should, be attributed to an increasing number of funding’s and healthy exits over the years, and also to the success of local startup pillars.
But credit should also be given to community organizations such as Minnestar, Minnesota Cup, Beta.MN and many others that are solely focused on strengthening and connecting the region’s innovation economy. These groups have supported Twin Cities startups through events, competitions and meetups for years.
For would-be entrepreneurs and techies that are considering taking the startup plunge, here’s our semi-official beginners’ guide to the Twin Cities tech supporters:
(NOTE: This guide outlines community organizations and does not include individuals or venture capital firms). Last updated: April 2020
THE GODFATHERS
According to Reed Robinson, a Twin Cities tech vet and co-founder of Beta.MN, community organizers in the area can be divided into three distinct groups based on when they were founded. Every movement needs a catalyst, and Robinson, among other entrepreneurs in the Twin Cities, believes the following three were the ones that got things started.
minne*: Since 2006, Minnebar has been an annual technology and software conference held in the Twin Cities. Like other BarCamps, Minnebar is a user-generated conference that is participant-led. There are no keynote speakers or formal workshops, and all sessions are led by people from the tech and business communities. This event is free and open to anyone with a passion for technology!
Minnesota Cup: MN Cup is a community-led, public-private partnership supporting Minnesota’s entrepreneurs. They host an annual competition that reaches emerging entrepreneurs from across the state and connects them with tools, resources and support to launch and accelerate the development of their new ventures. Their competition and events are totally free and take no equity in exchange for the seed funding they give away. The Minnesota Cup is the self-proclaimed largest statewide startup competition in the country.
THE SECOND WAVE
Following the precedent set by groups like minne*, several more supporters have popped up in the last several years offering additional events, competitions and support for local entrepreneurs.
Beta.MN: Beta provides founders from the top local startups with the resources and relationships required to scale their business. In response, they launched Beta Showcase, A semi-annual event where local founders showcase their products to investors and community members. The success of Showcase then lead to the launch of Twin Cities Startup Week, a partnership between Beta.MN and other Twin Cities supporters.
Healthcare.mn: Healthcare has a heavy presence everywhere in Minnesota, and the tech community is no exception. Healthcare.mn brings together professionals from all sectors of the industry, from doctors to software engineers. Each month, the organization hosts casual networking events where its members connect and swap ideas.
Sureswift Capital: They buy bootstrapped businesses from SaaS founders worldwide and take them to the next stage of growth. They have learned what works and they have developed a thorough and transparent transition timeline and turnover guide to take the stress out of the sales process.
THE UP AND COMERS
As the Twin Cities tech scene continues to expand, demand has increased for more industry-specific startup supporters, similar to Healthcare.mn.
Enterprise Rising: A conference focused exclusively on enterprise software founded by local serial-entrepreneur, Casey Allen.
Grow North: A resource and connection hub for Minnesota’s food and agriculture entrepreneurs.
Impact Hub: A business incubator, coworking space and community center rolled into one, Impact Hub offers its diverse members a place to learn and connect. While not industry-specific, the new group focuses on bringing people together from different industries to create opportunities for collaboration.
MinneAnalytics: A nonprofit organization serving the state’s data science and analytics community.
