Last week, the Minnesota Cup, the largest state-wide venture competition in the U.S., announced its 2016 division winners. Of the eight divisions, four of the winners participated in or mentored MIN-Corps programs!
A sport and active wear brand using performance fabrics and modest sportswear designs to level the playing field for Muslim females everywhere.
Program: Spring 2016 STARTUP course (which focuses on customer discovery and development)
Student: Jamie Glover is a UMN MBA student who teamed with Fatimah Hussein, a social worker who works with the Minnesota Somali community.
Berd Spokes - General Division
Bicycle spokes manufactured from braided plastic filament that are stronger, lighter and more durable than conventional metal spokes. These benefits are also application to additional markets under exploration.
Program: Spring 2016 STARTUP course
Student: Charlie Spanjers is a UMN post-doc in Chemical and Materials Science who also happens to be an avid bicycle racer.
A breakthrough soft magnet material that can reduce the size and weight of electrical transformers while increasing efficiency. Multiple potential applications ranging from small electronics to electric vehicles.
Program: I-Corps Energy and Transportation program at the NextEnergy Center in Detroit
Student: Md Mehedi is a UMN PhD student in Chemical and Materials Science.
A suite of new stem-cell technologies that are setting a new economic paradigm to meet the demands of drug discovery and personalized medicine. StemoniX grows, differentiates, and prints organ cells from skin cells, in a way that makes them biologically accurate, to better predict their toxicity and improve efficacy.
Program: CEO Ping Weh has been a mentor to our STARTUP course. Before starting StemoniX, the cofounders spent almost a year doing customer discovery to tailor their value proposition to customer needs.
Congratulations, and best of luck in the MN Cup finals on September 22 during Twin Cities Startup Week!
