General Division

Innovative services and solutions not included in the other program divisions.

The General division of the Minnesota Cup seeks out, supports, and celebrates Minnesota entrepreneurs whose ideas may not be a fit in the other Minnesota Cup divisions.

Awards and Benefits Include:

General Division Winner:

• $25,000 in seed capital
• Premium access to the Minnesota Angel Network
• Business organization (or services of similar value) from the law firm Maslon
• Accounting assistance from Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP
• Professionally produced and edited video of final pitch at Grand Prize judging round courtesy of TECHdotMN 
• Scholarship to The Collaborative’s Annual Minnesota Venture & Finance Conference

General Division Runner-up:

• $5,000 in seed capital

All finalists:

• Featured in a supplement that is included in the December issue of Twin Cities Business magazine.
• Division Finalist Training - "Winning Investment Presentations" by Spoken Impact.
• Detailed feedback of their final written entry and oral presentation.
• The opportunity to present their plan to a review board of esteemed business leaders.

All semi-finalists:

• An invitation to attend a semi-finalist reception at the Carlson School of Management.
• The opportunity to be paired with a University of Minnesota alumni mentor with extensive entrepreneurial experience.

All entrants:

• Opportunity to learn about resources available to entrepreneurs and attend events organized/promoted by the Minnesota Cup.
• Networking with Minnesota Cup supporting partners and other entrepreneurs.
• A chance to improve the entrepreneur’s pitch given the required elements of the initial entry, which also represent a basic outline for a business plan.
• One year, complimentary subscription to Twin Cities Business.
• A valuable experience that will help all entrants as they work on their ventures.