AcQumen Medical team accepts the 2025 MN Cup Grand Prize.

AcQumen Medical Wins MN Cup Grand Prize

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

AcQumen Medical took home the 2025 Minnesota Cup Grand Prize last night at the Grand Finale celebration, concluding this year’s competition of entrepreneurs from across the state.

MN Cup, in its 21st year, is the country’s largest statewide start-up competition. A record-breaking 3,617 Minnesotans applied to participate this year.

The monthslong competition offers all participants mentorship, educational workshops, and networking connections through Minnesota Carlson’s Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship. Cash prizes help launch and accelerate their new ventures.

AcQumen Medical, which offers hospitals a revolutionary approach to monitoring heart function of critically ill children and infants, won an additional $50,000 in funding. The Grand Prize Review Board selected the winner out of the nine division winners, each of whom earned $25,000.

“I would like to dedicate this win to every baby or child, [and] every parent or caregiver that’s sitting by their bedside, and every doctor or nurse caring for them and saving lives every day,” said Dori Jones, co-founder and CEO of AcQumen Medical, as she accepted the Grand Prize.

AcQumen Medical offers the UltraTrac system, which combines the accuracy of ultrasound with the ease of use and continuous capabilities of bioimpedance, resulting in noninvasive measurements of cardiac output and other key hemodynamic parameters, along with analytics for physician decision support. The company has two existing patents and two patents pending, and the team has developed strategic partnerships with universities and children’s hospitals to advance innovation and clinical research in support of FDA clearance by late 2026.

During the Grand Finale event, MN Cup’s top competitors also presented pitches to hundreds of audience members who voted for their favorites. Throughout the competition, entrepreneurs received more than $400,000 in cash prizes.

Since 2005, MN Cup has supported more than 30,000 Minnesota entrepreneurs and has awarded competitors more than $6.2 million in cash prizes. MN Cup alumni companies have gone on to raise more than $1.1 billion.

This year saw continued growth in the diversity of MN Cup applicants, including 43% identifying as nonwhite, 44% identifying as female, and 3% identifying as nonbinary or self-described gender identity. The youngest applicant was 8 years old, while the oldest was 87. Additionally, 26% of applicants were from Greater Minnesota.

MN Cup is a community-led, public-private partnership that brings together corporations, investors, foundations, government, and skilled volunteers to support Minnesota’s entrepreneurs. MN Cup’s annual competition reaches emerging entrepreneurs from across the state and connects them with education, mentorship, and resources.