Twin Cities tech startups are being invited to pitch their ideas this spring at a free accelerator competition that is coming to Minneapolis/St. Paul for the first time.
CodeLaunch, described as "Shark Tank" meets "American Idol," wants to attract startup founders who reside in Minnesota and are ready to pursue seed and Series A funding. The competition is run in partnership with CodeLaunch's parent company, Dallas-based technology consultant firm Improving.
The competition will run from March until May, with the finale event taking place May 9 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Filmore in Minneapolis. At the final event, six finalists will compete for the championship belt and title of CodeLaunch Champion Minneapolis 2024.
The six finalists will also be up for receiving pro bono professional software development (at least $15,000 worth of free professional developer hours per startup). The event's organizers said that after competing at CodeLaunch, finalists on average are able to raise about $600,000 in capital.
Applications are due Mar. 3. There is no cost to apply.
“Minneapolis was a natural choice for CodeLaunch because of its fast-growing startup ecosystem," with tech startups targeting markets in health, insurance and finance said CodeLaunch President and Founder Jason Taylor, in a statement.
CodeLaunch is also hosting an informational event Feb. 7 at Workbox Downtown in Minneapolis.
“We encourage as many startups to sign up, regardless of whether they actually have an MVP product or even paying clients," contined Taylor. "CodeLaunch is capable of helping and supporting early stage startups at various points in their development. Startups who don’t make it all the way to the finals will still learn from the process and advice they receive, and they can come back to future events."
CodeLaunch, which is based in Frisco, Texas, has been hosting quarterly startup competitions since 2013, resulting in over $1.6 million in accelerator services provided, the company said.
