What Lunar Startups does

Lunar Startups is a Saint Paul, Minnesota-based nonprofit accelerator founded in 2018 that supports entrepreneurs identifying as Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+, women, and non-binary — founder demographics that the organization cites as historically underinvested by traditional startup ecosystems. The organization's core offering is a 14-week (publicly described as a 6-month) customized cohort accelerator featuring executive coaching, on-demand workshops, mentorship from the Lunar Expert Network (over 90 Twin Cities business professionals), pro-bono legal services via Fox Rothschild LLP, and Global Accelerator Network perks (HubSpot, Drift, Freshbooks) valued at over $1M. A secondary digital product, Lunar Everywhere, extends the in-person model into a self-serve online learning platform with the Lunar Startup Library and free CEO-oriented courses (Fund Your Startup, CEO Course).

The revenue model is hybrid and nonprofit-typical: nominal program fees ($499 per startup, plus $125 per founder monthly) layered on top of a foundation-and-corporate-sponsor funding base that includes Knight Foundation (founding funder via a December 2017 gift to APM | MPR), Bush Foundation, McKnight Foundation, Target Foundation, and a 2021 Funders Circle of US Bank, Bremer Bank, Launch Minnesota, FullStack St Paul, Forge North, Agora, FR Bigelow Foundation, Sundance Family Foundation, Shavlik Family Foundation, SPMF, and Best Buy. As of Cohort 6 (April 2023), Lunar had served 77 startups, with portfolio companies generating $235.6M-$294M in regional economic impact and 614 jobs supported in 2022 alone.

On August 15, 2023, the Lunar Accelerator was formally acquired by ConnectUP! Institute, a nonprofit social finance and enterprise development studio. The original Lunar Inc. nonprofit entity was dissolved as the accelerator was embedded within ConnectUP!, providing Lunar alumni direct access to the ConnectUP! Integrated Capital Fund ($25-60K hybrid capital). Danielle Steer (Founding Executive Director) transitioned to the ConnectUP! Board of Directors; Amanda Heyman leads Lunar Everywhere as Director. The Lunar Startups brand, website (lunarstartups.org), and program continue under ConnectUP! Institute.

Name

Lunar Startups

Legal name

Lunar Inc.

Website

https://lunarstartups.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lunar Startups is a Saint Paul-based nonprofit accelerator (founded 2018) supporting BIPOC, LGBTQ+, women, and non-binary founders through a 14-week cohort program, the Lunar Expert Network, and the Lunar Everywhere digital learning platform; it served 77 startups across six cohorts before being acquired by ConnectUP! Institute in August 2023.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Accelerator Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

Keywords

• Startup accelerator services
• Inclusive entrepreneurship programs
• Founder mentorship network
• Cohort-based business acceleration
• Digital entrepreneurial learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Program Fees: Lunar Accelerator charges $499 per startup (two payments of $250), plus $125 per founder monthly programming fee. The program also offers over $95,000 in services to participants.
2. Donations and Grants: Nonprofit organization funded by donations and grants from foundations and corporate sponsors including Knight Foundation, Bush Foundation, McKnight Foundation, Target Foundation, and others.
3. Lunar Everywhere Digital Platform: Digital learning platform with free tools and resources for CEOs, including online courses like Fund Your Startup and CEO Course.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lunar Startups operates a 6-month customized cohort accelerator program for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, women, and non-binary founders of high-growth startups in Minnesota, providing executive coaching, mentorship from 90+ local professionals, free legal services, and tech perks. It also operates Lunar Everywhere, a digital cohort and coaching platform delivering entrepreneurial resources and on-demand learning tools for CEOs. The accelerator was acquired by ConnectUP! Institute in August 2023, with portfolio companies having generated $294 million in regional economic impact since 2018.

Product overview

Lunar Startups operates as an inclusive startup accelerator offering two core programs: the Lunar Startups Accelerator (a 6-month customized cohort program featuring executive coaching, on-demand workshops, expert mentorship from 90+ local professionals, tech perks, and free legal services), and Lunar Everywhere (a digital cohort and coaching experience with entrepreneurial resources focused on operational excellence and infrastructure scalability). These programs are supplemented by the Lunar Expert Network (providing consulting and mentorship), the Lunar Startup Library (a digital learning hub), and the Lunar Startups Podcast. The organization was acquired by ConnectUP! Institute in August 2023.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lunar Accelerator: A 6-month customized cohort program including executive coaching, workshops, expert mentorship from 90+ local professionals, tech perks, and free legal services.
• Lunar Everywhere

Products and services

• Lunar Startups Accelerator A 6-month (14-week) customized cohort accelerator program offering executive coaching, on-demand workshops, expert mentorship from 90+ local professionals, tech perks, and free legal services. Founders progress through 12 critical milestones covering capital readiness, operational excellence, infrastructure, sales, intellectual property protection, and executive leadership. Each cohort accepts 12-15 companies; over 77 startups have been served since 2018.
• Lunar Everywhere A digital cohort and coaching experience providing entrepreneurial resources focused on operational excellence and infrastructure scalability. Includes the Lunar Startup Library digital asset hub and free online courses like Fund Your Startup and CEO Course, available to early-stage and growth-stage CEOs.

Quantifiable outcome

• $294 million in economic impact for Minnesota since 2018
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ConnectUP! InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 August 2023On August 15, 2023, Lunar Accelerator was formally acquired by ConnectUP! Institute. The Lunar Startups nonprofit entity dissolved and the accelerator was embedded within ConnectUP!. This provides Lunar founders direct access to ConnectUP!'s Integrated Capital Fund ($25-60K hybrid capital) and expanded resources. ConnectUP! is led by Y. Elaine Rasmussen, an Integrated Capital Fellow recognized for inclusive economic development.
• Glen Nelson Center / APM | MPRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLunar Startups was created as a program of the Glen Nelson Center and APM | Minnesota Public Radio. Initial home at Osborn370 in St. Paul's downtown core.
• Fox Rothschild LLPcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides pro-bono legal services to Lunar cohort companies. Integral partner for legal resources offered to participating startups.
• Global Accelerator Network (GAN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLunar is a member of GAN, an invite-only community of the world's most respected organizations providing startups with resources to create and grow. GAN membership provides Lunar startups access to over $1M worth of free services, investor introductions, and soft landing spaces worldwide.
• TechstarsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial Techstars Affiliate, enabling fast-tracking of startups through Techstars application process for programs or network connections.
• Backstage CapitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLunar was selected as Minneapolis-St. Paul host for the 2020 Backstage Capital Tour. Partnership included private founder/investor events and public evening events where startups could compete for minimum $25,000 investment.
• Lurie LLPminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCPA firm providing tax, record keeping, and audit workshops and resources for Lunar founders.
• Best BuyminorOthersCorporate partner supporting Lunar Startups ecosystem.
• TravelersminorOthersCorporate partner supporting VilCap Communities pilot and Lunar ecosystem.
• VilCap CommunitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive pilot program for equity and social justice-focused accelerators focused on investment readiness training. Included partners: Black Girl Ventures, Goodie Nation, Meta-Bronx, WePower STL, reSET Co.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Village Capital: Village Capital is an impact-focused venture development organization running peer-selected cohort programs for early-stage impact-driven startups. Lunar was part of VilCap Communities' pilot cohort of equity-focused accelerators, sharing the peer-driven cohort model and impact orientation.
• gener8tor: gener8tor is a Midwest-headquartered accelerator operating cohort-based programs for early-stage startups. Both operate regionally-concentrated, cohort-driven accelerators with similar structure (12-15 companies, mentorship networks, follow-on capital pathways), making it the most directly comparable peer for operational benchmarking.
• Black Girl Ventures: Black Girl Ventures supports Black and Brown women founders through cohort-based funding and pitch competitions. It was a VilCap Communities pilot peer alongside Lunar, sharing the mission focus on Black/Brown women founders and the cohort/community-driven programming model.
• Camelback Ventures: Camelback Ventures is a BIPOC-led accelerator specifically supporting Black and Latinx founders, closely mirroring Lunar's mission-driven inclusive entrepreneurship model. Both provide cohort-based programming, mentorship networks, and pre-seed capital access for underrepresented founders, operating as 501(c)(3) nonprofits with similar funder-driven revenue structures.
• Backstage Capital: Backstage Capital is a VC fund and accelerator specifically focused on underrepresented founders (women, people of color, LGBTQ+). Lunar partnered with Backstage on its Minneapolis-St. Paul tour stop, and the two share an explicit mission focus on closing the capital gap for minority founders through cohort-based programming.
• Goodie Nation: Goodie Nation is an accelerator supporting Black and Latinx tech founders through cohort programming and ecosystem partnerships. As another VilCap Communities pilot peer, it shares Lunar's mission to scale underrepresented founders via structured programs, mentorship, and capital connections.
• NewMe Accelerator: NewMe Accelerator is a minority-focused startup accelerator originally built for Black founders, offering cohort programming, mentorship, and demo day exposure. It shares Lunar's specific mission orientation toward underrepresented founders and similar cohort-driven nonprofit-ish structure.

Broad incumbents

• MassChallenge: MassChallenge is one of the largest global nonprofit accelerators with cohort-based programs, mentorship networks, and zero-equity terms. As a GAN peer alongside Lunar, it operates the same 'no equity taken' cohort model at much larger global scale, making it a useful comparison point on operational efficiency and ecosystem impact.
• Techstars: Techstars is the largest global accelerator network. Lunar is an official Techstars Affiliate, allowing startups to fast-track through Techstars application. While Techstars operates at much larger scale and global reach, its cohort-based accelerator model with mentorship and demo day structure is the benchmark Lunar's regional program is modeled against.
• Techstars Foundation: Techstars Foundation is the nonprofit arm of Techstars, providing ecosystem-building programs targeting underrepresented founders globally. It represents the scaled, foundation-supported version of Lunar's model and the closest analog for understanding how a mission-driven accelerator can grow within a larger platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lunar-startups
• Instagraminstagram.com/lunarstartups
• Xx.com/LunarStartups
• Facebookfacebook.com/lunarstartups

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lunar Startups