Do you know why some people are 1 to 4% Neandertal?

The discovery of modern day humans with some neandertal DNA came as a surprise to many in the scientific community (especially when you consider that most depictions of neandertals show them as very ugly and that “mixing DNA” meant modern-looking humans back then were having sex with these knuckle-draggers!).

It came as a surprise to me too, not because some other people have this DNA within them, but because I have had my DNA profile created by 23andMe and recently discovered that my genetics contain an estimated 2.5% neandertal DNA. Maybe that’s why I have a thick protruding forehead and think about living in a cave!  ;-)

“Your Inner Neandertal” is a 30 minute presentation showing how art can uniquely express science concepts and why some of us may find a little “Neander” in our genes. With examples from “At the Crossroads” video and her very cool DNA Portrait traveling show, Lynn will explain how some genes may be a surprising and generous gift from our ancient and now extinct cousins (and this I gotta hear).

Saturday, April 28th at 11 am
Minneapolis Downtown Hennepin Library
This keynote talk for Minneapolis DNA Days
is free and open to the public. Please register (go here).
For more information, parking and directions (go here).

More DNA Days events at area libraries (info here) will cover topics like genetic testing and screening, capturing family health history and tools for collecting the information.

To learn more about multimedia artist Lynn Fellman, someone focused on “illuminating the human genome through art, design and narrative,” check our her site at: FellmanStudio.com

“Your Inner Neandertal” DNA Day Talk is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

It just keeps getting bigger and bigger — and better!  A pre-party the night before was a new, fun twist this year, held at Vic’s, across the river from Downtown Minneapolis.  On Saturday, some 60 breakout sessions provided a wide array of learning and sharing experiences, along with awesome hallway discussions that were in full swing all day long — from 8:00 am all the way through the closing reception well after 6:00 pm.

Kudos to organizers Ben Edwards, Luke Francl, and Adrienne Peirce of Minnestar.org, and their many volunteers who work so hard to make this event successful. And thanks to all the great sponsors: Code42 Software, Fredrikson & Byron, 8th Bridge, W3i, ipHouse, August Ash, Bloom Health, Barcamp Tour, Split Rock Partners, ChowGirls, and Ech03.

It seems I say this every year, but it’s true (I’ve attended the last six annual events in their entirety):  the level of energy and enthusiasm about Minnesota Tech was more than I’ve ever experienced!  You can just sense the growth and excitement in our tech community. And, if you’re like me, you keep meeting so many more new and amazing people — technology and business professionals who are contributing to great new startups here in Minnesota, as well as to the broader technology industry in our state.  It was a pleasure to behold.  I had so many excellent conversations, trust me — there isn’t enough room in this blog post to tell you about them all <haha>.

But I can show you pics I shot Friday night and all day Saturday, which I posted on Instagram. Here’s a selection of those pics that I put into a Minnebar 2012 Flickr set.

Minnebar 2012: Tech Geek-Out Extraordinaire! is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

This is Minnesota’s premiere entrepreneural event and past ones have seen stiff competition in every category since there are so many great startups here in our State. To familiarize yourself with this year’s competition, please find several resources below in the embedded document (we compiled the press release, “fast facts” and a good article on the MN Cup for you to review in one place which, if you want, you can also download using the download button in the toolbar below).

Use the “Full Screen” button for the best way to view this embedded doc:

Minnesota Cup Entry Starts Today is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

Why this ‘camp’ and why now? Over the last few years, Lief has said he’s had the incredible opportunity to travel to, attend, and speak at numerous SaaS-specific events. Most of what he has learned has been locked away in his head as tacit knowledge. Since “the cloud” and software as services online has become so hot, Lief has been asked by several companies to share some of this information. Like all of us, Lief’s weekday priorities to Workface means that a weekend event would probably be the best forum for the SaaS community.

Lief Larson, CEO of Workface

SaaS Camp 2012 is being tightly packed into a single session-intense Saturday and has been created for SaaS practitioners and businesses embarking on SaaS models.  It will be held at CoCo MSP in the Minneapolis Grain Exchange on Saturday, April 21st, from 9am-4pm.

Thirteen major areas of SaaS will be covered, ranging from pricing models to channel development.  The price is $199, which is being used to cover the facilities costs, catering/lunch, and materials.  It will be limited attendance because Lief is hoping to keep it manageable and more intimate.  Registration info available at: http://saasclass.com/events or http://saascamp2012.eventbrite.com.

SaaS Camp 2012 is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

Details in the embedded PDF below or go directly to the registration page.

Entrepreneur’s Rally at CoCo Minneapolis is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

We humans are not going to get less mobile (though our waistlines might state otherwise) and new mobile devices, apps, and ways to connect us all will only continue to become better and more prolific. As such, knowing trends in mobile, how to (and what’s involved in) develop mobile apps, and what you should do next are just a few of the things you need to know if you have any interest in the mobile space.

This is the primary reason that you need to make certain you attend MobileMarchTC (and maybe bring along that young person you’ve given advice to!). The agenda just came out and the press release is after the jump which you can read after clicking “(more…)” below.

MobileMarchTC not only looks like a fabulous event, in my estimation you would need to travel to San Francisco or New York to find a mobile event to rival it. Event registration can be found at http://mobilemarchtc.eventbrite.com/.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 9th, 2012

Annual Mobile March Grows to Two Days

Twin Cities’ premiere mobile event announces agenda including
more business-focused sessions and developer workshops.

Minneapolis, MN – The Organizers of Mobile March, today announced the agenda for it’s third annual mobile event to be held on March 16-17, 2012 at the Embassy Suites-Minneapolis Airport. This year’s event new two day agenda grows to include more business and marketing focused session as well long-form developer workshops. In addition, a third track of learning includes sessions and information in Mobile Development and Mobile Business as well as a new General Knowledge track.

In its third year Mobile March focuses on a very active mobile environment in the Twin Cities and throughout the Midwest.  Mobile March’s Justin Grammens noted, “Each year there is more and more things happening in mobile here. We want to offer information and insight to anyone interested in mobile but also provide a deeper involvement for developers. That’s why we’ve added Friday’s workshops covering iOS, Android and Windows Phone” Linda Cummings, event co-organizer also noted, “Business is moving more and more toward mobile, including integrating it into a marketing strategy or a communication platform for their employees. We’ve really focused on offering more business insight during the additional day.”

The agenda, available online at www.mobilemarchtc.com, includes Mobile Business track sessions like: Loyalty through Mobile, Games in iOS and Android, and Actionable Mobile Stats and Trends for 2012. The Mobile Technical Track includes: 3D Programming for iOS- What is OpenGL ES and how does it fit into the Apple-verse, Windows Phone 7: From Zero to App and the popular platform showdown, this year featuring iOS and Windows Phone. New General Sessions include session entitled: Mobile in Learning, What Can The Beatles Teach Us About Mobile Web Design and iPhone, QR Codes, and HTML5 (Oh, My!)

Registration is now open for Mobile March, Friday March 16^th and Saturday March 17th at the Embassy Suites-Minneapolis Airport via the Mobile March website at www.mobilemarchtc.com or directly through the event registration at http://mobilemarchtc.eventbrite.com/.

About Mobile March

Founded by Justin Grammens, Phil Wilson and Linda Cummings in 2010. Mobile March is an event dedicated to exploring the latest in mobile technology and trends. The name Mobile March not only denotes the month in which it takes place, it also emphasizes the ongoing advancement and growth of mobile technology and the related lifestyle.

By offering content that appeals to mobile developers, business people, and users we hope to facilitate a greater understanding between the constituencies that make mobile happen.  Whether you make money with mobile or just use it to stay connected, we invite you to join us for Mobile March.

Event sponsors include: Code 42 Software, Livefront, PDS, Verizon, MixMobi, Microsoft, The Nerdery, W3i, Sundog, Recursive Awesome, RemainComm and Focus Business Development.

CONTACT:  Phil Wilson

612-743-7860

phil@mobilemarchtc.com

Mobile March Grows to Two Days is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

Joining us on the ‘cast is our frequent guest host, Julio Ojeda-Zapata, as well as Albert Maruggi of Provident Partners (the moderator for the panel discussion on mobile social media). Toward the end Lisa Grimm joins us to chime in on mobile social media and what she’s up to at Mall of America.

The panel, hosted by Albert, included Liz Giel, Digital Strategist at Fallon; Kevin Hunt, Corporate Social Media Manager at General Mills; and Breon Nagy, Marketer at Code42 Software.

Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott, Graeme Thickins and Phil Wilson.

A few photos from SMBMSP:

Discussed during the show:

• Amazon Kindle Fire launches to mostly positive reviews: Verge; Engadget; GigaOm
• Julio’s draft of his upcoming Sunday review of the Kindle Fire
• B&N Nook Tablet also ships: Engadget; Techcrunch
• Tablet publishing tools are proliferating: Yudu; Genwi; Adobe; App Press; JoeMobi (local Minnesota startup); Apple: In March of this year, Gadget Daily News claimed that Apple has an answer to the iPad publishing question in the works: a magazine template for the Xcode development environment
• Responsive web design: A List Apart article that got this topic started; What It Is and How To Use It; 50 Examples and Best Practices
• Our Minnov8 Gang Podcast is now on Stitcher! Listen to us on your iPhone, Android Phone, BlackBerry and WebOS phones.

Upcoming Events

• Wednesday, December 7th: MOJO Mixer 2 – Speed Mentoring for Startups: 6:00 PM, PSoup HQ, St. Paul
• December 10th to 13th: TIES 2011 EduTech Conference – , 9:00am – 5:00pm, Hyatt Regency Minneapolis

Minnov8 Gang 146 – Is Fire *Your* Tablet? is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

In a 10-minute video interview I did with Robert while we were having coffee and rolls before the general session started Thursday morning, we covered a range of topics — including the recent announcement that Best Buy is acquiring managed services provider MindShift for $167 million. I also got a sneak preview of other topics Robert was going to talk about in his opening keynote:

All the videos I shot at Defrag 2011, including three other interviews, are posted on my YouTube channel.  In addition, I have a photo set of the Defrag event on Flickr (213 pix) that documents my view of the proceedings over the three days. In some of the photos, you’ll be able to pick out several Minnesotans who attended this 5th edition of Defrag.  Startups represented included AsystMe, enStratus (a sponsor), FanChatter, KidBlog, Rifr, TST Media, and Zingstring.

Here are those screenshots showing a selection the tweets during Robert Stephens’ keynote:

Robert Stephens Rocks the #DefragCon Crowd is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

Click the “more” link to view the post with the embedded liveblog archive within it.

Minnov8 at MIMA Summit 2011 is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

MIMA Summit 2011: Interview With Tim Brunelle and Ed Boches is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

And it did prove to be a better bet for me, and for several of the folks I did said schmoozing with.  Wow, there were so many great conversations and introductions brokered, my head was spinning. Or was that the beer? No matter, a good tech time was had by all.  And you can read all about those startups that pitched in the auditorium here. A brief stop at the after-party (on the outdoor patio on the second-floor of nearby Brit’s Pub) put a nice capper for me on a very pleasant — warm! — evening, blabbing with so many of the key players in our awesome Minnesota startup community.  Thank you, Minnedemo organizers and sponsors, for another great get-together!

#Minnedemo Turns Up the Heat in Downtown Minneapolis is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

I’ve been *so* wanting these folks to come to our town, and was delighted to represent Minnov8 at the event, along with my colleague Steve Borsch.  Tech Cocktail’s events have the stated purpose of “helping connect, amplify, and showcase the local technology scene” — and it’s now held such events in more than 20 cities, founder Frank Gruber told me.  The local sponsors who made this one happen were W3i and Ovative Group — kudos to them! (And a special shout-out to our friend Kim Garretson.)

Tech Cocktail Mixes It Up In Minneapolis is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

Winners will be chosen at an equally swanky ceremony on November 3rd at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Join the crowd as they choose from the following finalists:

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AWARD

• CyberOptics Corporation (Golden Valley)
• IKONICS Corporation (Duluth)
• Nova-Tech Engineering (Willmar)

CLEANTECH AWARD

• Ecolab Inc. (St. Paul)
• Honeywell International Inc.(Golden Valley)
• LightingHouseUSA, Inc. (Plymouth)

COMPUTER HARDWARE & ELECTRONIC DEVICES

• Barrier1 (Ramsey)
• Global Traffic Technologies (St. Paul)
• Imation Corp (Oakdale)

EDUTECH AWARD

• Capella University (Minneapolis)
• Naiku, Inc. (Inver Grove Heights)
• Sophia (Minneapolis)

INNOVATIVE COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR AWARD

• Maverick Software Consulting Partnership (Lakeville)
• Normandale Community College and Foundation (Bloomington)
• TIES (St. Paul).

LIFE SCIENCES AWARD

• Ecolab, Inc. (St. Paul)
• Minntech Corporation (Minneapolis)
• Starkey Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie)

Small-and-growing company finalists are:

• OrthoCor Medical (Minneapolis)
• Pursuit Vascular, Inc. (Minnetonka
• QuickCheck Health (Excelsior).

MOBILE & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

• Avtex Solutions, Inc. (Bloomington)
• GeaCom, Inc. (Duluth)
• QONQR, LLC (Roseville)

SOFTWARE

• Imation Corp. (Oakdale)
• State of Minnesota – CareerOneStop (St. Paul)
• Unisys Corporation (Roseville)

Finalists for small-and-growing companies are:

• Calabrio, Inc. (Plymouth)
• Insite Software (Minneapolis)
• Xollai, LLC (St. Paul)

TECHNOLOGY EXCELLENCE IN A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

• Asian Media Access (Minneapolis)
• City of Minneapolis (Minneapolis)
• TIES (St. Paul)

TECHNOLOGY SERVICES & CONSULTING AWARD

• Digital River, Inc. (Minnetonka)
• Merrill DataSite (St. Paul)
• Thomson Reuters (Eagan)

Finalists for small-and-growing companies are:

• Agosto (Minneapolis)
• Apex Print Technologies (St. Paul)
• CaSTT, Inc. (Minneapolis).

TECHNOLOGY USE IN SUSTAINABILITY

• KPMG LLP (Minneapolis)
• Neighborhood Innovations (Golden Valley)
• Parallel Technologies, Inc. (Eden Prairie).

2011 Tekne Award Finalists Announced is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

After an opening reception in the atrium, a series of speakers and presentations followed in an adjoining auditorium. The main focus of these talks was to inform and instruct the 47 semifinalist teams (across six categories, called “divisions”) about how they can best prepare for the ongoing judging.  That includes the opportunity for each these startups to work with their choice of “Mentors” chosen by the Minnesota Cup and the Carlson School (a major sponsor).  A list of 47 such mentors, with their bios, was handed out, and John Stavig of the Carlson School is coordinating the choice of mentors by the semifinalists.  Most all the mentors are graduates of the U of M, the majority with degrees from the Carlson School, and they represent a wealth of business-building experience.

What’s next for the Minnesota Cup semifinalists?  Here’s what we learned last evening about the upcoming schedule:

• Each semifinalist submits a 20-page business plan by midnight July 22nd.

• The division finalists are announced on August 19th

• The division finalists present and winners are selected on Augusts 30th

• The division winners present to the Grand Prize Review Board the afternoon of September 8th

• The Minnesota Cup awards event is held the evening of September 8th at the U’s McNamara Alumni Center

Congratulations and good luck to all the semifinalists! And thanks to the many sponsors and partners of the Minnesota Cup, as well as to Scott and his cofounder, Dan Mallin, for helping another great crop of our state’s startups go through their excellent program.  I really believe all the entrants (1000+ this year) are winners, because they get an opportunity to learn so much from the process. Go, Minnesota startups!

Minnesota Cup Honors ‘High Quality’ Crop of Semifinalists is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

What: TiE Minnesota in conjunction with the St. Thomas Graduate Programs in Software and the sponsorship of MentorMate is bringing together premier leaders in the Minnesota mobile community to address “Mining the Mega Mobile Opportunity.”

Who: TiE Minnesota is the local chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs (“About” page) and St. Thomas Graduate Programs in Software (see speaker/presenters here)

When: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 from 6:30 – 9pm

Where: 3M auditorium is in Owens Science Hall (OWS) room no. 150 (Map)

Cost: Charter Member $15.00; Member $15.00; Student Member $10.00; Non Member $35.00

More details: and to register, go here.

Event: “Mining the Mega Mobile Opportunities” is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

Hosts: Steve Borsch and Phil Wilson (Tim Elliott and Graeme Thickins are off)

Minnov8 Gang 127 – UnSummitting is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

These semi-finalists were selected and announced this morning out of more than 1,000 aspiring entrepreneurs who participated in the 2011 competition. Judging the first round entries was challenging as the overall quality of entries was excellent. 47 of the best and most innovative business ideas will now compete in the second round of the contest. Congratulations to all semi-finalists and good luck in the next round of the competition!

More than 1,000 aspiring entrepreneurs participated and 47 (plus 4 finalists from the Social Entrepreneur division) of the best and most innovative business ideas will now compete in the second round of the contest. Congratulations to all semifinalists and good luck in the next round of the competition!

High Tech Division

The full press release is after the jump…

2011 Minnesota Cup Semi-finalist News Release

NEARLY 50 SEMI-FINALISTS CHOSEN IN SEVENTH ANNUAL MINNESOTA CUP COMPETITION

Local enterprises continue to get behind statewide search for breakthrough business ideas
Competition eclipses 1,000 participants vying for more than $185,000 in seed capital and valuable professional services

MINNEAPOLIS – June 13, 2011 – A high-tech interactive geo-social game that allows players to virtually conquer real world locations. A health-conscious honey product made without the help of bees. A virtual exchange that connects buyers and sellers of biologic products such as blood. These are among the 47 semi-finalists who were today named in the seventh annual Minnesota Cup, a statewide contest supported by a growing number of local corporations to seek out Minnesota’s newest and most innovative business ideas. Visit www.minnesotacup.org for the complete list of semi-finalists.

The contest began accepting breakthrough business ideas in late March 2011. When the entry period closed, more than 1,000 aspiring entrepreneurs, inventors, small businesses and other individuals with potentially breakthrough ideas had participated; 47 of these business ideas will now compete in the second round of the contest.

“In our seventh year, it’s exciting to see the Minnesota Cup continuing to gain momentum in our community,” said Scott Litman, co-founder of the Minnesota Cup. “As a testament to this momentum, leading Minnesota companies continue to get behind the competition and this year we are extremely pleased to welcome Carlson, General Mills and Digital River as the newest lead partners.”

One significant benefit semi-finalists receive in the Minnesota Cup is exposure to a review board comprised of nearly 50 prominent investors, successful entrepreneurs and other leaders in the Minnesota business community. Semi-finalists are also paired with mentors who assist the semi-finalists as they write their business plans. “Connections like these are invaluable to aspiring entrepreneurs,” adds Litman.

The 2011 semi-finalists will be honored with a reception at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management on Tuesday, June 21 from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. Joining the 47 semi-finalist teams will be contest organizers, including co-chairpersons Scott Litman and Dan Mallin, review board members, sponsors and supporters as well as past Minnesota Cup finalists and winners.

During the next phase of the competition – June 21 through July 22 – the semi-finalists will be asked to refine their business plans. During this time period and into August, semi-finalists will have opportunities to attend a number of workshops and events organized by Minnesota Cup supporters in an effort to help them further develop their business plans.

Sponsored events include:

• June 12: Fredrikson & Byron, BioBusiness Alliance of MN and The Consulate General of Canada’s Minneapolis office host an event for Clean Tech and BioScience semi-finalists, providing an opportunity to pitch their ideas to an experienced group of professionals.
• July 29: Gray Plant Mooty and Lurie Besikof host a panel discussing competition strategy and give veteran advice to all semi-finalists.
• August 10: Messerli & Kramer hosts an event for all semi-finalists featuring notable local investors and business advisors, who will give valuable advice on how to approach finances during the early stages of business.

After July 22, the review boards will narrow the field to three finalists in each of the five divisions – High Tech, BioSciences, Clean Technology & Renewable Energy, Student and General. One finalist from each division will be awarded the top prize of $25,000 ($10,000 for the Student division winner). New in 2011, capital from new sponsors allows the Minnesota Cup to add a $5,000 cash award for the second place finalist in each division.

The competition’s sixth division, Social Entrepreneur, is managed by Social Venture Partners Minnesota(SVPMN). Given a new partnership between SVPMN and The Mosaic Company, the Minnesota Cup’s Social Division competition is now known as the Mosaic Social Entrepreneurs Cup. The Mosaic Social Entrepreneurs Cup selected four finalists in mid-May: Mind Body Solutions, GiveMN, HourCar andDesignWise Medical. These finalists will present at EPCON: The Engaged Philanthropy Conference on June 16 where the audience will choose the winner. The winner goes on to compete against the other five Minnesota Cup division winners for the grand prize of $25,000 and the Minnesota Cup, presented by Dave and Carolyn Cleveland. The grand prize winner will be named at the 2011 Minnesota Cup awards event on September 8 at the McNamara Alumni Center.

By the numbers

• $185,000 in prize money
• $30 million+ capital raised by ’09 and ’10 finalists alone
• 6,000+ participants in the first seven years

About the Minnesota Cup
The 7th annual Minnesota Cup is a statewide competition that seeks out inspiring entrepreneurs with the next breakthrough idea. High-tech or no-tech, this competition brings together innovative business ideas from a wide range of industries including automotive, health care services, telecommunications, technology, leisure, outdoor recreation, energy conservation, education and many others. Contest judges select the top entrants – 8-10 from each division – to participate in the semi-final round of competition, from which judges will determine the top three finalists in each division. Each finalist will then present their ideas to a prestigious panel of executives, investors and notable entrepreneurs who will choose this year’s division winners and award them $25,000 – with the exception of the student division ($10,000) and the Mosaic Social Entrepreneur Cup winner ($20,000). The winner from each division, including the social division, will then compete for the grand prize of an additional $25,000 on Sept. 8, 2011, at the 7th Annual Minnesota Cup awards event at the University of Minnesota McNamara Alumni Center.

Key Minnesota Cup Web Links
• Minnesota Cup General Information
• Minnesota Cup Judging Process
• Minnesota Cup Review Board
• Minnesota Cup Sponsors and Supporters

Stay Connected with the Minnesota Cup
• Minnesota Cup Email Notification List
• Minnesota Cup Twitter Feed
• Minnesota Cup on Facebook

CONTACT
Jessica Snell
Haberman
612.372.6452
jessica@habermainc.com

Tags
Minnesota Cup, business competitions, business plans, business plan assistance, small business tools, entrepreneur resources, job growth, innovative business ideas, University of Minnesota, Wells Fargo, State of Minnesota, Carlson, General Mills, Scott Litman, Digital River

# # #

Minnesota Cup Semi-Finalists Announced is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

Founded by Justin Grammens, Phil Wilson and Linda Cummings in 2010, they point out the essence of the event on their website, “…Mobile March offers two tracks of learning; Mobile Development and Mobile Business. By offering content that appeals to mobile developers, business people, and users we also hope to facilitate a greater understanding between the constituencies that make mobile happen.  Whether you make money with mobile or just use it to stay connected, we invite you to join us for Mobile March.“

If you’re keeping track of the explosion in mobile devices (and networks like Verizon beefing up their networks with 4G) then you’ll instantly understand why this is such a timely and important event for you to attend.

Twin Cities Premier Mobile Event is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

Senator Klobuchar also used the occasion to outline what was termed as a comprehensive package of legislation she will introduce to strengthen America’s ability to innovate and compete for long-term economic growth and job creation. (As of this writing, no specifics of that package have been provided by the Senator’s office.)

In the short term, Klobuchar said, “We need to deliver a series of targeted tax breaks and regulatory reforms designed to galvanize the private sector and unleash a fresh wave of invention, entrepreneurship, and exports.”

In the long term, she added, “We need to help secure our standing in the global economy, lay the groundwork for future innovation by improving science, technology, engineering, and math education; cut red tape; and increase the ability of our businesses to attract and retain the world’s brightest scientists, engineers, and researchers.”

We look forward to hearing more specifics from the Senator and applaud her efforts to re-energize innovation nationally and can think of no better place than Minnesota from which to start.

Summit Showcases Senator’s Innovation Agenda is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.

As for the presenters and demos at the event, the evening highlighted applications, services, and hardware that catered to a wide range of interests. From gamers to writers, security to slap shots the evening moved along at a brisk pace leaving plenty of time for socializing and networking out side the presentation space at the St. Thomas’ Schultz Hall.

Some of the standouts included…

Inveni-I’ve followed the development of Aaron Weber’s discovery and recommendation engine for quite some time and it didn’t fail to impress. Entertainment (Movies, TV) is the sweet spot for Inveni right now and offers the ability to share your highly personalized Inveni picks with your network. Now if Aaron could only get Netflix to secure a better class of streaming selections…

Zipnosis-With the promise of a diagnosis in minutes for just $25, Zipnosis was perhaps the most polished demo of the evening. We’ve showcased Zipnosis and are big fans. I also found the theme of the demo, providing low-cost healthcare, interesting. Zipnosis clearly wants to move past the tech and on to the benefits.

LitLift-This demo was the darling of the event. Providing tools to help writers in the areas of character, settings, and plot, LitLift helps authors organize their literary efforts. Presenter Brad Marsh, a writer himself won over the crowd with his humor as well as his assertion that he has invested all of $10 in LitLift and already has hundreds of authors using it. Showing off the character name generator didn’t hurt either.

Passy-Pass-I would be remiss if I didn’t highlight sigflup and her password generator. This piece of hardware does away with the need to constantly think of, and remember, new passwords. Paraphrasing sigflup’s words, humans shouldn’t have to deal with such things. Her demo and the incredibly raw nature of her working prototype really drove home the essence of what demos are all about.

The complete list of presenters, compliment of Minnedemo, is below.

One last word, while the surroundings for Minnedemo were really top-shelf (I believe this is the first time with actual carpeting.), the real standout of the evening was the caliber of presenters. The passion, enthusiasm and polish of most of the demos was exceptional. There is no doubt we have much of which to be proud from our tech community.

Presenters

• Inveni: a discovery engine where users receive highly personalized recommendations based on their custom taste profile and facilitates effortless sharing and socializing with friends (Aaron Weber).
• Qonqr: an augmented reality combat game, winner of Startup Weekend Twin Cities (Scott Davis, Justin Peck)
• Passy-Pass: a is password generator and storage device, written up by the Make blog (sigflup).
• Zipnosis: Doctor e-diagnosis tool with mobile component. Winner of Minnesota Cup Student Division in 2008. (Ben Peirce & Jon Pearce)
• Daybreak Heroes: a new social game for the iPhone, integrating some revolutionary ideas into the blossoming social game genre (Evan McMahon)
• Evolve-Stop playing with yourself. A social network catering to gamers.
• Event Burn: an online service that makes social media more useful by finding and summarizing the good stuff (Dan Frankowski)
• LitLift.com: a free novel writing application that’s helping hundreds of authors make the most of their limited writing time (Brad Marsh)
• Sophia: makes knowledge easier to share, easier to find, and easier to organize. Sophia lets you teach what you know and learn what you don’t (Steve Anastasi).
• Minnesota Hockey Hub: Bringing pro level functionality to the masses via the SPORT NGIN platform (Carson Kipfer)

Minnedemo Screams Diverse Developer Community is a post from: Minnov8 and published under a Creative Commons license.