More than a thousand people came together in Minneapolis on International Women's Day to support local women and non-binary entrepreneurs as part of the second annual FeMNist Day.
Hosted by Still Kickin, The Coven and local author and entrepreneur Nora McInerny, FeMNist Day consisted of two major events: a startup showcase and a market for local makers. The market attracted more than 1,000 attendees and generated around $45,000 in sales for its 42 vendors, according to event organizers.
"There's a lot of great work that's happening here in the Twin Cities, but everyone is at a different stage in the startup journey and their needs might be different," Power 100 co-founder Ella Daniels told Minne Inno. "We wanted to come together to lift up some entrepreneurs early in their journey, not just to learn about what they're doing, but to come together and activate the community in order to support them."
Just under 30 entrepreneurs applied to pitch in this year's FeMNist startup showcase. Three social-impact startups were selected: TUSA, KP Inspires and the Twin Cities LGBTQ Community Center.
Created by current Finnovation Fellow Mimi Aboubaker, TUSA is a financial technology startup that aims to connect underrepresented students to financial aid. KP Inspires is a locally-designed home decor line from Kprecia Ambers that celebrates black culture. Headed by Shor Salkas and Roxanne Anderson, the Twin Cities LGBTQ Community Center aims to become the first such center in the state.
All three projects are in the early stages. The objective of the showcase was not solely to fund the companies, Daniels said, but to connect them with others in the community who could help them grow their business.
"Everyone wanted to contribute," Daniels said. "Rather than assuming what people needed, we decided to have a conversation about how best to give these entrepreneurs exactly what they needed."
Of course, a little funding never hurts. The showcase followed Power 100's model – where 100 people donate $100 with the goal of giving away more than $10,000 in total. FeMNist Day attendees raised $8,125 in cash for the showcase speakers, according to Power 100. The prize money was split evenly between the three companies.
In addition to small amounts of funding, the three entrepreneurs received a handful of prizes and services from local businesses. Aboubaker, the showcase winner, will receive up to three hours of pro-bono consulting from Lunar Startups. The runners up will each receive one hour of services from Lunar.
Local design firm Rose & Co. offered to support Salkas and Anderson with the LGBTQ Community Center for the duration of 2019 with a pro-bono design package. This will include assistance building a website, designing a logo and developing branding for the project.
Ambers will receive a spot at any Minneapolis Craft Market of her choosing in 2019.
Additionally, all showcase speakers received a 2019 membership to The Coven, a co-working space for women and non-binary founders in Minneapolis' North Loop.
"It's cool to see that by year two, this has already become a powerful platform for women and non-binary folks in the community who are creating really amazing things," Daniels said. "Things feel very collaborative, and we're going to keep building on that."
