The Minnesota Cup

What The Minnesota Cup does

The Minnesota Cup (MN Cup) is a community-led, public-private partnership operating the longest-running statewide startup competition in Minnesota. Founded in 2003 and hosted by the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, the program runs an annual multi-division competition that selects 90 semifinalists each spring and distributes over $400,000 in non-dilutive cash prizes to roughly 25 winning companies, with no equity taken and no entry fee charged. The 2025 Grand Prize of $100,000 was awarded to AcQumen Medical, with the $40,000 Runner-Up going to clean-energy venture Swinergy. Complementary offerings include a mentorship program that pairs semifinalists with industry veterans throughout the summer season and a series of educational workshops covering topics such as pitch preparation, short video creation, and business plan development.

The program is funded through a tiered corporate sponsorship stack (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze), media and PR partners, and community/mentor volunteers. Operations are run by a small team (1-10 employees) out of the Carlson School at 321 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis. MN Cup does not generate revenue in the commercial sense: the legal entity is the Regents of the University of Minnesota, classified as a government/state entity, and the program distributes prize money funded by sponsors rather than collecting fees. The 2025 season recorded 14% higher participation than prior records, and a 2026 season has been scheduled with Showcase Week on August 3-6 and the Grand Finale on September 14.

The organization's value proposition to participants is non-dilutive seed funding combined with mentorship and educational programming; to sponsors it is brand association with Minnesota's flagship startup competition and visibility into the state's emerging venture pipeline. Distribution relies on direct self-serve applications via the Carlson School website, Instagram and LinkedIn (@MinnesotaCup), email newsletters, and earned media through outlets such as Twin Cities Business. Geographic scope is explicitly limited to Minnesota, with no claims of global footprint.

Name

The Minnesota Cup

Legal name

Regents of the University of Minnesota

Website

https://MNCUP.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Minnesota Cup is a community-led, public-private startup competition hosted by the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. It runs an annual statewide contest that awards more than $400,000 in non-dilutive cash prizes and mentorship to early-stage Minnesota entrepreneurs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Competition and Entrepreneurship Development

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Championship & Cup Organizers (MPAKADAB), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Startup competition
• Entrepreneurship programs
• Seed funding
• Business mentorship
• Venture competition

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Prize Distribution (Not Revenue Generation): The Minnesota Cup is not a revenue-generating entity. It distributes cash prizes to competition winners, funded by sponsorships and partnerships. The competition is free to enter and takes no equity from participants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Minnesota Cup is an annual statewide business competition that connects emerging Minnesota entrepreneurs with education, mentorship, and seed funding. It is free to enter, takes no equity in exchange for seed capital, and distributes over $400,000 in cash prizes annually across division winners and a grand prize winner. It is operated as a community-led, public-private partnership by the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

Product overview

MN Cup is a single, unified annual business competition program operated by the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. The core product is the MN Cup Annual Competition, which is supported by two complementary components: the Mentorship Program (which pairs semifinalists with experienced mentors) and Educational Workshops and Events (which provide educational content throughout the summer). The competition is entirely free to enter, takes no equity in exchange for seed funding, and distributes over $400,000 in cash prizes annually across nine division winners and a grand prize winner. The program serves as a community-led, public-private partnership supporting Minnesota's entrepreneurs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MN Cup Annual Competition An annual statewide business competition that reaches emerging entrepreneurs across Minnesota and connects them with education, mentorship, and seed funding to launch and accelerate new ventures. The competition is free to enter, takes no equity in exchange for seed funding, and awards more than $400,000 in cash prizes across multiple divisions.
• MN Cup Mentorship Program A program that pairs semifinalist teams with experienced mentors who provide expert feedback and guidance to sharpen pitching skills and refine business plans throughout the competition season.
• MN Cup Educational Workshops and Events Educational workshops and events held throughout the summer for semifinalist teams, covering topics such as presentation preparation, short video creation, and business plan development.

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Carlson School of Management, University of MinnesotacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota serves as the primary institutional host and organizer of the Minnesota Cup competition. As a community-led, public-private partnership, the school provides infrastructure, staff, and academic credibility to the program.
• Media & PR SponsorscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partners providing press coverage and promotional support for the Minnesota Cup competition and winners.
• Community Partners and MentorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExperienced mentors and industry veterans provide feedback to semifinalists, helping refine business plans and pitching skills. Teams are paired with mentors throughout the summer competition season.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• MassChallenge: Global startup competition and accelerator offering equity-free programming, mentorship, and prize funding. Directly comparable to MN Cup as a non-equity-taking competition model targeting early-stage entrepreneurs, though operating at national and international scale rather than regional.
• MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition: Premier university-hosted startup competition at MIT offering $100K+ in prizes to student and alumni founders. Comparable as a long-running, university-affiliated pitch competition that distributes cash prizes and provides mentorship with no equity taken.
• Stanford BASES: Stanford University's premier entrepreneurship society hosting pitch competitions, treks, and a startup conference. Comparable as a university-affiliated entrepreneurship competition providing mentorship and prize funding to student and alumni founders.
• Rice Business Plan Competition: University-hosted graduate-level business plan competition operated out of Rice University. Closely comparable structure: hosted by a business school, awards substantial cash prizes, free entry, and selects semifinalists/finalists through a multi-round judging process.
• Hult Prize: Global student-led social entrepreneurship competition with $1M grand prize and university-based regional rounds. Directly comparable as a competition-focused, prize-distribution model that engages university partners and awards seed funding to winning teams.
• Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA): Entrepreneurs' Organization competition recognizing student entrepreneurs running real businesses while enrolled in university. Comparable competition-and-prize model targeting early-stage founders, with regional qualifying rounds leading to a global finale.

Regional players

• 43North: Buffalo, NY-based startup competition awarding $5M+ annually to high-growth companies willing to relocate to the region. Comparable competition-and-prize model, but geographically focused on upstate New York and takes equity in exchange for its larger cash awards.

Broad incumbents

• Venture For America: Nonprofit fellowship placing recent graduates in startup roles in emerging US cities, with associated pitch competitions and programming. Comparable as a mission-driven nonprofit supporting early-stage entrepreneurship and providing seed-stage capital and mentorship without traditional equity terms.
• SXSW Pitch: Startup pitch competition held annually at the SXSW conference in Austin. Comparable as a high-profile pitch competition awarding cash and in-kind prizes, but operates as one component of a much larger conference ecosystem rather than as a standalone annual program.
• TechCrunch Startup Battlefield: Flagship startup pitch competition at TechCrunch Disrupt awarding $100,000 to the winner. Comparable prize-and-pitch model targeting early-stage companies, but operated as a marquee event within a larger tech media brand rather than as a regional university program.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carlsonschoolumn
• Instagraminstagram.com/minnesotacarlson
• Xx.com/carlsonnews
• Facebookfacebook.com/mncup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments5 records

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

Frequently asked questions about The Minnesota Cup