This just in from the folks at the Minnesota Cup, a phenomenal event for startup Minnesota:
“The Minnesota Cup is a statewide entrepreneurial contest that seeks out and supports Minnesota’s newest and most innovative business ideas, today announced the finalists for the 6th Annual Minnesota Cup competition. Finalists include a company that is developing the world’s first multilingual medical communication system and another with a revolutionary greenhouse technology for growers in any climate.
“Given the great success of so many of last year’s Minnesota Cup finalists, we’re thrilled to see some of the best and most promising business ideas in our program’s history this year,” said Scott Litman, Minnesota Cup co-founder. “These finalists are a true testament to the great entrepreneurial ideas that come from the state of Minnesota, and we look forward to honoring them at our awards ceremony in September.”
Read the full release after the jump.
MINNESOTA CUP ANNOUNCES COMPETITION FINALISTS
Sixth annual contest names top “breakthrough” business ideas in High Tech, BioSciences, Clean Tech & Renewable Energy, General and Student divisions
Grand prize winner to be announced Sept. 13 at University of Minnesota’s McNamara Alumni Center
MINNEAPOLIS – Aug. 19, 2010 – The Minnesota Cup, a statewide entrepreneurial contest that seeks out and supports Minnesota’s newest and most innovative business ideas, today announced the finalists for the 6th Annual Minnesota Cup competition. Finalists include a company that is developing the world’s first multilingual medical communication system and another with a revolutionary greenhouse technology for growers in any climate.
“Given the great success of so many of last year’s Minnesota Cup finalists, we’re thrilled to see some of the best and most promising business ideas in our program’s history this year,” said Scott Litman, Minnesota Cup co-founder. “These finalists are a true testament to the great entrepreneurial ideas that come from the state of Minnesota, and we look forward to honoring them at our awards ceremony in September.”
In the next round of the contest, the finalists in each division will compete by giving a 12-minute oral presentation to the judges. The winner of each division will be announced on Aug. 31 and will then compete for the grand prize, which will be awarded on Monday, Sept. 13, at the University of Minnesota’s McNamara Alumni Center in Minneapolis.
Contest organizers, University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks, the Minnesota Cup review board, mentors and past winners will join the finalists at the awards reception.
More than $130,000 in prizes will be awarded to winners, as well as consulting services from leaders in finance, accounting, legal and management support services. One finalist from each division – with the exception of the student category – will be awarded $20,000 in seed capital. The grand prize winner will be awarded an additional $20,000 and receive the Minnesota Cup, presented by David and Carolyn Cleveland and sponsored by the University of Minnesota.
One student winner will receive a $5,000 prize and the opportunity to compete for the grand prize.
The Minnesota Cup congratulates the following finalists:
Minnesota Cup Finalists – High Tech
- Curation Station – provides a multifaceted tool for gathering, curating and sharing content of nearly any media type on the web.
- GeaCom – developing a multilingual medical communication system.
- Open Preferences – provides a service that allows users to manage and control their ratings and preferences across many different media (e.g., music, movies, TV) and services (e.g., Netflix, TiVo, Yahoo, Last.FM, Pandora).
Minnesota Cup Finalists – BioSciences
- BioMatRx – provides tissue engineering products, equipment and information to the dental industry.
- MRI Robotics – designs and tests medical equipment for use inside an MRI scanner.
- NirvaMed – developing an organ-specific therapy-delivery technology platform for various clinical applications.
Minnesota Cup Finalists – Clean Tech & Renewable Energy
- EarthClean – commercializing an environmentally safe liquid that is exponentially more effective than water, Class-A Foams, and toxic retardants at stopping fires.
- Silent Power – manufactures and markets easy-to-install, highly reliable, power inverters for the renewable energy and backup power markets.
- Visiam – provider of processing technology that reduces the volume of municipal solid waste, dramatically increasing recycling rates and decreasing transportation costs.
Minnesota Cup Finalists – General
- Fresh EcoHarvest – developing a revolutionary greenhouse technology that allows growers to produce abundant, healthy food locally and in any climate with minimal environmental impact.
- Fruchi – provides a line of nutritious, real fruit frozen smoothies.
- Go Home Gorgeous – provides postpartum recovery treatments that have proven effective in decreasing the physical and emotional stress commonly associated with childbirth.
Minnesota Cup Finalists – Student
- Blue Water Ponds – provides environmentally-friendly services for restoring ponds through the use of barley straw and pond weed harvesting in an effort to control aquatic plants in the long term.
- OncomiR – developing a data repository of microRNA expression profiles; this information is critical to the development of drugs for cancer treatment.
- Power Trowel Solution Applicator – developing a device that allows a power trowel operator rather than a bystander to apply a chemical solution that slows the rate at which concrete dries.
About Minnesota Cup The 6th Annual Minnesota Cup is a statewide competition that seeks out aspiring entrepreneurs with the next breakthrough business ideas. From high-tech to high-touch, biosciences to retail, agriculture to social ventures, this is a competition for entrepreneurs, inventors and anybody with an innovative business idea. With more than $130,000 in prize money and support from the state’s leaders in finance, accounting, legal and management support services, the Minnesota Cup is the premier business idea generator in Minnesota.