MN Cup

Startup Competition. Seed Funding. Mentorship. Pitch Coaching. Exposure. Connection to experts. For all Minnesotans. From any industry. For free.

We’re here to help people with big ideas. We want those ideas to become viable startups, and for those startups to change our state.

2023 MN Cup Semifinalists

Each spring, judges select the top 90 companies as semifinalists to advance in the competition. These teams are paired with experienced mentors and invited to participate in educational workshops and events throughout the summer. Teams prepare and submit presentations, short videos and business plan summaries to be reviewed by a judging panel of industry veterans.

The following companies advanced in MN Cup's 2023 season, and will compete for a share of more than $400,000 cash prizes.

Click Here to Meet the 2023 Semifinalists

To stay up to date on the progress of our companies, follow @MinnesotaCup on Instagram and LinkedIn, and sign up for our newsletter here.

2022 Grand Prize Winner

With more than 30% higher participation than previous records, the 2022 MN Cup competition was one for the record books. Eighteen companies split more than $400,000 in cash prizes.

BKB Floral was the Grand Prize winner, receiving $85,000 for developing a new compostable and non-toxic foam brick that will serve the global flower market. The longer-term potential exists for indoor farming applications supported by this technology developed at the University of Minnesota.

Carbon Origins was the Runner up, receiving $35,000 as they sought to make robots commonplace by developing the operating systems for remotely operating robots worldwide.

Click here to learn more about the 2022 participants.

See Star Tribune and Twin Cities Business press coverage on the competition.

About MN Cup

MN Cup is a community-led, public-private partnership supporting Minnesota’s entrepreneurs. We host an annual competition that reaches emerging entrepreneurs from across the state and connects them with education, mentorship and support to launch and accelerate the development of their new ventures. Our competition and events are totally free, and we take no equity in exchange for the seed funding we give away. You won't find any other industry-agnostic competition like ours.

Serial Entrepreneurs Dan Mallin and Scott Litman

Prolific tech founders and creators of the Minnesota Cup startup competition, the duo behind Magnet 360, Lucy, other companies talk about their proudest accomplishment: building an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Minnesota.

Listen to Dan and Scott's story