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6 Organizations That Support & Empower Entrepreneurs
The creation of new businesses is a vital part of the world economy. Small start-ups with new ideas and fresh perspectives bring unique products and services to the table, which helps the marketplace continue to evolve. That's why organizations like the ones listed here work to help aspiring entrepreneurs get the skills, funding, and inspiration they need to succeed. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.
PRIVATE RECIPE TO PUBLIC PRODUCT: THE COST OF STARTING UP A FOOD BUSINESS
FEBRUARY 26TH, 2019
The price shock is a common moment for budding entrepreneurs, says Lauren Pradhan, managing director of the University of Minnesota’s Grow North program. “Everything costs more than you think it’s going to,” she says. “Everything takes more time than you think it’s going to.”
MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE
OCTOBER 7TH, 2018
Food innovators stage own startup week to promote Minnesota's winning ideas
The people of Minnesota’s original startup industry — farmers and other food innovators — are reaching for the spotlight that has been shining on techies for the past few decades.
As thousands of tech entrepreneurs and investors gather this week for the fifth annual Twin Cities Startup Week, a group of food company founders and executives have put together their own conference, called Food, Ag, Ideas Week, alongside it. Continue reading ...
FINANCE & COMMERCE, MARCH 6, 2018
There’s a sense that Minnesota is well-positioned to become a global leader in turning waste into profit because of the state’s status as an agricultural leader and the home to huge multinational food companies. Continue reading ...
WALL STREET JOURNAL, JANUARY 21, 2018
A growing movement in Minnesota aims to break free of its Midwest roots and embrace its bone-chilling winters with a new identity: the North. Continue reading ...
2017 MAKE IT. MSP. SUMMIT!, NOVEMBER 3, 2017
Make It. MSP. team members and project leaders shared all kinds of ways they are partnering with others to take action and advance shared goals like improving social inclusion, supporting innovators and entrepreneurs, and connecting people to our community.
MINNEINNO TWIN CITIES BEAT, JUNE 22, 2017
Lauren Pradhan, director of Grow North, a resource and connection hub for Minnesota’s food and agriculture entrepreneurs, said that while it’s too early to gauge exact effects, the acquisition represents a likely positive, seismic shift in the food industry. Continue reading ...
In reference to Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods.
MINNEINNO TWIN CITIES BEAT, JUNE 9, 2017
I have spent my entire career in the food industry, and the changes happening right now in food manufacturing and production can only be described as revolutionary. Continue reading ...
SOURCELINK BEST PRACTICES BLOG, APRIL 10, 2017
What if you could create a network of startup resources—a veritable food and ag hub—for your food and ag-tech innovators? Meet Grow North, SourceLink’s newest affiliate partner in our entrepreneurial network.
STAR TRIBUNE, MARCH 20, 2017
Feature: Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship
Grow North is a program of the Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship, the hub of entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Minnesota that inspires, educates and connects the next generation of Minnesota's entrepreneurs. We mobilize the community and provide support for emerging entrepreneurs, both within and outside the University, through experiential courses and engaging outreach programs. Continue reading ...
STAR TRIBUNE, FEBRUARY 25, 2017
Sunday Conversation with Lauren Mehler Pradhan of Grow North
Today, people associate Los Angeles, Austin, Texas, and Boulder, Colo. with food innovation. A century ago, Minneapolis would have been on that list. The city earned the nickname "Mill City" for its flour milling techniques that harnessed the power of St. Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River. Now, a new group called Grow North MN wants to restore Minnesota's place as a known food hub. Continue reading ...
MN MONTHLY, JANUARY 23, 2017
Ever Dream of Starting A Food Business? Help is Here.
You've got the perfect frozen pizza. The ideal healthy protein bar. Or maybe your artisanal shrub business has stalled out. Minnesota has a lot of food energy going on: we are the home of General Mills, SuperValu, Cameron's Coffee, and Angie's Boomchickapop. Continue reading ...