Founders Day 2026 to Highlight Experiential Courses & Startups

Founders Day 2026 brings together alumni, students, and the business community to celebrate innovation and entrepreneurship across the University of Minnesota. The event showcases recent UMN startups, highlights 25 prototypes from the MVP Challenge, and features experiential entrepreneurship courses happening across the University.

The 15th annual event also recognizes the Student, Teacher, and Alumni Entrepreneurs of the Year. The MVP Challenge, a semester-long program, supports 25 teams with workshops, mentoring, and grants to build early prototypes and conduct customer discovery. Participants across the teams represent 13 colleges, departments, and research labs at the University of Minnesota.