2025 MN Cup Participant Stats

This was a record-smashing year of applications, with continued growth in the diversity of our applicants. We’ve been tracking detailed demographic information on our applicants since 2013, and are proud of the progress we’ve made in getting our applicant pool to more accurately reflect the diversity of Minnesota entrepreneurs.

At a high level, here are some summary stats on who participated in MN Cup’s application process this year: 

• 3,617 Minnesotans participated in the application process this year - exceeding our previous application record by 14%
• 1,297 unique applications were submitted from 71 of Minnesota’s 87 counties
• 74% of submitted applications came from the 7-county metro, 26% from Greater Minnesota
• Participating teams include co-founders with the following gender identities:
  • 53% Male
  • 44% Female
  • 3% Non-binary, third gender or prefer to self-describe
• We’ve continued efforts to increase awareness within Minnesota’s BIPOC communities this year - 43% of applicants identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
• Age ranged from 8 to 87. The average age of applicants this year was 40. 

Here’s a detailed breakdown of our participant demographics* for this season:

*Percentages reflect those who filled out the full demographic information. Some folks who started an application but did not finish or submit did not fully report this information.
 

Identifying Ethnic/ Gender/ Other Groups