Here are all 90 startups competing in the 2020 Minnesota Cup

Photo by Maddy Kennedy

By Maddy Kennedy

June 01, 2020, 12:14pm CDT

The Minnesota Cup, the state's largest startup competition, officially kicked off Monday with the announcement of the 90 local startups that will compete in the Cup's 16th season.

Created and managed by the University of Minnesota, MN Cup is a statewide, five-month-long competition where local startups compete for a share of $500,000 in prize money. Winners from each division will receive $30,000 and a chance to win the $50,000 grand prize in October.

After winning last year's MN Cup, med-tech company Abilitech quickly closed on $7.4 million to support the commercialization of its flagship product, a device that helps restore mobility to people with upper-limb and neuromuscular conditions.

After the semifinalist announcement, there is typically a reception where competitors pitch their startup to members of the business and tech communities. But because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the rest of this year's events will be virtual.

There will be a series of free educational sessions about various areas of entrepreneurship. MN Cup will be sharing more details about these events on Twitter.

The pandemic has affected Minnesota startups in a multitude of ways, but one thing remains unchanged – MN Cup is one of the most popular annual events in the community. More than 1,000 Minnesotans applied to participate in this year's competition, the organization said.

MN Cup Director Jessica Berg previously told Minne Inno that the Cup was designed to operate virtually if needed and she expects the core of this year's competition to continue on a relatively normal trajectory.

“We’re staying the same,” Berg said. “No matter the outcome of this pandemic, we’re going to be giving away $500,000 to startups going through the program.”

Here are all 90 companies competing in this year’s Minnesota Cup:

Education & Training