DEED, State Leaders Celebrate Minnesota’s Startup Community

St. Paul – This week, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) hosted a virtual event to celebrate Minnesota’s startup community and Launch Minnesota’s first anniversary. Participants included two state legislators, six startups and seven partners from across the state who are part of the Launch Minnesota Network.

Launch Minnesota is a statewide collaborative effort to accelerate the growth of startups and amplify Minnesota as a national leader in innovation. It began last year with bipartisan approval and funding from the Minnesota Legislature and Governor Tim Walz.

“This investment in our innovation ecosystem helps our state’s economy both now and into the future,” said Governor Tim Walz. “It creates an upward spiral with new technologies and innovations giving rise to new jobs, improving people’s health, fostering knowledge, attracting talent, and making Minnesota an even better place to live and work.”

“It is a challenging time, but I think it is a hopeful time for startups,” said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove. “New business starts have kicked up nearly 60% compared to a year ago. Minnesota has such as diverse economy and such a great community of entrepreneurs and startups, we think we have a real shot at becoming an epicenter of new startup growth and problem-solving as we invest in economic recovery.”

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