Support for Innovators, Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses
The Minnesota entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem is vibrant with a wide array of resources to gain traction for your technology commercialization goals and objectives. We are at the intersection of government, industry and academia to small businesses in the federal R&D arena. Below are some important programs available within the ecosystem.
SciTech Internship Program
We direct many of our clients to the SciTech Internship Program to hire vetted STEM students (undergraduate and graduate). The company must first register with SciTech before hiring any students. Up to $2,500 per student.
Launch Minnesota Innovation Grants
- Innovation Grant (formerly the Business Operations Grant): These grants provide up to $35,000 for business operations, including research and development, direct business expenses and technical assistance.
- SBIR/STTR Phase I and II Matching Grant: These grants are for first time Phase I and Phase II awardees and will be based on sliding scale of their federal award (up to $35,000 for Phase I awards and up to $50,000 for Phase II awards). The firm must be a client of MNSBIR, Inc. to leverage these funds.
Launch Minnesota Calendar
Launch Minnesota’s calendar contains events from organizations across the state. This is your place to find networking groups, pitch competitions, coffee clubs, learning opportunities and more, both in your region and throughout Minnesota.
You are welcome to add your events to the calendar that benefit startups and small businesses.
Minnesota APEX Accelerator
Since 1991, APEX Accelerator has contributed to the growth of its clients and Minnesota’s economy by providing counseling and procurement technical assistance of the highest quality and relevancy. APEX Accelerator provides technical and marketing assistance to all Minnesota businesses interested in selling their products and services to the government. We provide the necessary tools to be competitive in the contracting arena. The APEX Accelerator is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense.
We encourage all companies of all sizes and statuses looking to commercialize a new product, service, or process review the educational content, resources and presentations offered from experts in a vast array of fields and industries.