The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced $400,000 in grants to support 16 innovative Minnesota startups. All but two grantees are startups led by entrepreneurs of color, veterans, women or persons with disabilities, or are located in Greater Minnesota.
Launch Minnesota Business Operation Innovation Grants provide up to $35,000 to promising, innovative and scalable technology businesses to use toward operational costs such as research and development, direct business expenses and technical assistance. Launch Minnesota is a statewide collaborative effort spearheaded by DEED to support startups and grow Minnesota’s innovation ecosystem.
Since its inception in 2019, Launch Minnesota has awarded $9.5 million in grant funding and 64% has been awarded to targeted founders. Grant recipients have gone on to raise more than $240 million in additional post-award funding.
“DEED knows that small businesses have a big impact on our state’s economy,” said DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek. “By investing in innovative, early-stage businesses, we’re creating opportunities for companies to grow and thrive in Minnesota.”
“We’ve seen the positive impact that Launch Minnesota’s Innovation Grants have on the startups that receive them,” said Neela Mollgaard, DEED Office of Small Business and Innovation executive director. “DEED is proud these funds have accelerated growth. For every dollar granted by DEED, startups have gone on to raise over $26.40.”
“Grants help fill a gap of capital needed to bring new technologies to market that are changing the way we work, learn and live,” said Launch Minnesota Director Rob Cimperman. “These awards are assisting businesses at a critical stage in their development.”
The following companies received Business Operations Innovation Grants:
Acqumen Medical: Redefining NICU and PICU care by providing non-invasive and accurate hemodynamic analytics.
Altheia Inc: Addressing the problem of healthcare management challenges faced by consumers due to rising financial risks such as higher deductibles and premiums and healthcare churn, which leads to gaps in care and significant costs.
Aurora Medical Technologies: Creating a device that innovates the endoscopic practice of suturing.
Daynamica: Helping researchers and organizations understand how people spend their time and feel about their lives.
Delve Health, Inc: Offering a digital health platform for patient monitoring, diagnosis assistance and clinical trials by providing data collection, patient engagement and remote patient monitoring through integrated wearable devices.
Freedom Vehicle Lifts: Creating a patented line of safer portable wireless vehicle lift products for vehicle maintenance and repair in the racing and consumer vehicle markets.
Genograms: Developing innovative tools, including interactive genograms, to help professionals map and understand family dynamics, uncover intergenerational patterns and guide healing interventions.
Glome Health: Redesigning home dialysis to make it simpler, safer and more accessible for patients.
Gobo: Creating a fair, affordable and flexible way to buy and sell tickets for independent shows.
MyMedVita: Developing a marketplace to search, sort and select upfront procedure prices.
NexGen Cancer Detection: Diagnosing residual cancer from a blood draw.
Particle4X: Revolutionizing particle diagnostics by leveraging advanced imaging and AI to deliver precise, real-time solutions for industry and academia.
The Playbook: Tracking stress, well-being and resilience, giving athletes insights to enhance performance and teams tools to act early, preventing potential mental health crises.
Progia Medical Inc.: Developing and manufacturing therapy and analysis products for those suffering from the swallowing disorder dysphagia.
Sersense Inc.: Specializing in pioneering automated microfluidic point-of-care technologies, integrating electrochemistry, immunoassays and advanced engineering to deliver innovative diagnostic solutions for neonatal blood testing and preeclampsia analysis.
Simpli-Fi Automation: Designing and producing a range of integrated health and environmental monitoring sensors for the healthcare industry.