Student Division

The Student division of the Minnesota Cup seeks out, supports, and celebrates Minnesota's most innovative and promising young entrepreneurs. Entrants must be full or part-time undergraduate or graduate students attending a college or university in Minnesota and who are between the ages of 19 and 30 and have less than 5 years of work experience.

Awards and Benefits Include:

Student Division Winner:

• $10,000 in seed capital.
• Premium access to the Minnesota Angel Network.
• Scholarship to The Collaborative’s Annual Minnesota Venture & Finance Conference.
• Video production and 3 months of hosting via Startupshoppe's Minnesota Startup Showcase.

Student 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.
• The opportunity to receive pro bono legal services from the University of Minnesota Law School's Business Law Clinic.
• 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.