Candi Walz (MPP '09)
was recently selected as one of 70 teams to advance in the Minnesota Cup for
her project, Let's Talk Kids: BrainBuilders, A Playing and Learning Kit, that was part of the Social Division
of the contest. The Minnesota Cup is an annual competition that seeks to
support and accelerate the development of the best breakthrough ideas from across
Minnesota.
Excerpts from the June 9, 2014 press release follow:
Excerpts from the June 9, 2014 press release follow:
MINNEAPOLIS — June 9, 2014 — The Minnesota Cup announced
today that it has advanced 70 teams of Minnesota-based entrepreneurs, inventors
and innovators to the second round of the 2014 competition. A new record total
of nearly 1300 participants submitted entries to the tenth annual Minnesota
Cup, which is the largest statewide new venture competition in the country. The
following semifinalists, in seven divisions, will now compete for a share of
$300,000 in prizes, as well as the opportunity to make their entrepreneurial
dreams a reality.
Thirty-four percent of the tenth annual Minnesota Cup
entries came from women-led teams, while a total of 45 percent included entries
with at least one female team member — the largest representation of female
participants in the competition’s history, due in part to two new programs
launched earlier this year by the Minnesota Cup and the Holmes Center for
Entrepreneurship to encourage more women to get involved in entrepreneurship, as
well as the competition.
The Minnesota Cup’s semifinalists were chosen from a wide
range of small businesses, entrepreneurs and inventors who entered in the
following divisions: Food/Agriculture/Beverage, Energy/Clean Tech/Water,
General, High Tech, Life Science/Health IT, Social and Student. These
semifinalists will now have the chance to put together a detailed business plan
with the help of the competition’s mentor network, take advantage of a free
one-month PRO membership to Cafe, Inc., meet members of the Cup’s review board,
as well as attend events organized by Cup partners.
The 2014 semifinalists will be honored on June 18 at a
reception at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management by
contest organizers — including Minnesota Cup co-founders Scott Litman and Dan
Mallin, review board members, mentors and partners, in addition to past Minnesota
Cup finalists and winners.
“Minnesota has long been an incubator for innovation, and
the Minnesota Cup harnesses that innovative spirit with the help of our
extensive local business network,” says Minnesota Cup co-founder Scott Litman.
“Our goal is always to find the great ideas of the future and help transform
them into the next successful, Minnesota-based companies. And this year’s
strong applicant pool is no exception — we’re so excited to see what will
develop through the summer.”
Read the full press release.
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