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 Grand Prize Winner

With more than 17% higher participation than previous records, the 2023 MN Cup competition was one for the record books. 21 companies split more than $400,000 in cash prizes.

Carba was the Grand Prize winner, receiving $85,000 for their revolutionary technology that utilizes the power of photosynthesis, evolution, and reactor engineering to remove carbon dioxide from the air and permanently store it underground in the form of solid carbon.

REMastered Sleep was the Runner-Up, receiving $40,000 as they seek to impact the ever-growing airway health epidemic with their REMplenish Myo Nozzle that assists individuals affected by sleep-disordered breathing.

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

2023 MN Cup Division Winners

Read about our 2023 Division Winners, who were awarded $25,000 and went on to compete throughout our 2023 season. These 9 teams of entrepreneurs, inventors, and innovators received expert feedback from judges and mentors that aided in the refinement of their business plan, pitching skills, and needs specific to their company.

Click Here to Meet the 2023 Division Winners

To stay up to date on the upcoming 2024 Season, follow @MinnesotaCup on Instagram and LinkedIn, and sign up for our newsletter.

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 teams received expert feedback, sharpened their pitching skills, and overall refined their business plans.

Click Here to Meet the 2023 Semifinalists

To stay up to date on the upcoming 2024 Season, follow @MinnesotaCup on Instagram and LinkedIn, and sign up for our newsletter here.

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