Register to
Attend the
Ignite Cup
Proudly brought to you by
Congratulations to our 6 Finalists!
These 6 companies will pitch live to a panel of judges
Come watch with us!
StableFeed
Compass Carts
Trailtopia
Mini Me’s
Persimmon
Freedom Race Lifts
To come watch the 9th annual Ignite Cup business pitch competition with us!
Thursday, March 28th 2024
What is the Ignite Cup?
The Ignite Cup is the top premier business ‘pitch’ competition in southeastern Minnesota. It's a chance for startup founders, entrepreneurs, and small business owners to present their business ideas to a panel of experts. Winning comes with a cash prize and valuable resources, but even participating in the competition helps emerging businesses attract investors and customers.
Led and founded by Red Wing Ignite, the Ignite Cup has experienced remarkable growth in the past year, thanks to a pivotal partnership with the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), in-kind support from the Entrepreneur's First (E1) Collaborative, and Red Wing Ignite's increased capacity to serve more entrepreneurs in southeastern Minnesota.
Join us!
And watch the pitches live in person
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Each startup completes an online application using the YouNoodle platform. (login required)
The application period for YouNoodle will commence on January 8th, 2024 and conclude at 11:59pm on February 16th, 2024.
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A team of experts will carefully evaluate every application to be sure it aligns with the established guidelines and qualifications for the pitch competition. 10 semi-finalists will be selected to advance to the next round.
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The top 10 applicants will be notified that they have advanced to the Ignite Cup 2024 semi-finalist round.
At this time, each semi-finalist will begin signing up for individual, 30-minute slots for the semi-finalist round, held virtually on March 6th and March 7th.
As you advance to the semi-finalist and finalist rounds, you will receive expert coaching from business specialists at Red Wing Ignite and the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF).
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10 semi-finalists will have the opportunity to showcase their businesses to a panel of judges.
Each semi-finalist will present their business and engage in a Q&A session. The entire session is expected to last around 30 minutes.
Following the presentations, the panel of judges will evaluate and score each semi-finalist. The top five companies with the highest scores will earn the title of being named the 2024 Ignite Cup finalists.
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The finalists for the Ignite Cup will be announced!
These companies will then have the opportunity to pitch live at the Ignite Cup on March 28th.
In advance, all finalists will have the opportunity to participate in two preparation sessions with entrepreneurial and business experts from Red Wing Ignite and the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. The first prep session, focused on the pitch deck, will be held on March 14th and the second, focused on the pitches themselves, will be held on March 21st.
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Finalists will present to a panel of judges.
The in-person finalist round is the evening of Thursday, March 28th, at the Red Wing Ignite building (419 Bush Street) in Red Wing, Minnesota.
Judges award 1st, 2nd, 3rd place cash winners.
Who will advance as a semi-finalist to the MN Cup Competition?
Top placing business from the 11 county SE Minnesota region.
A student (college enrolled) from the 20 county SMIF Region.
Audience will select the People’s Choice Winner.
Check out the cash and other
prizes the winners will receive
Mentorship Opportunities
Legal Services
Semi-finalist MN Cup Seat
Place
$5000.00 Cash
Plus
10 hours of pro-bono
legal support, provided by LegalCORPS
Place
$2000.00 Cash
Plus
10 hours of pro-bono
legal support, provided by LegalCORPS
Place
$7500.00 Cash
Plus
10 hours of pro-bono
legal support, provided by LegalCORPS
Awarded to top placing business from the 11 County E1 Region
Awarded to the top student of
the 20 County SMIF Region
$500
Cash prize
Cash prizes are courtesy of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation
Are you an entrepreneur?
Start preparing now for the 2025 Ignite Cup!
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The Ignite Cup is a terrific opportunity for a business that has taken steps towards validating their business model, conducted some customer discovery, and has a scalable business model. If this sounds like your business, you will likely be very competitive in the 2025 Ignite Cup.
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A scalable business means that, as you sell more of your product or services (as you gain customers), your costs do not grow at nearly the same rate. A legal consulting business for example - where each client adds considerable time and cost - is not scalable.
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That is okay! Several companies have done quite well in the Ignite Cup before having sales or earning revenue. However, you should be able to demonstrate some metrics of initial success, like positive customer feedback on test products/services, or a compelling value proposition that has traction in your target market.
If this doesn’t sound like your business just yet, that’s okay! There are still plenty of resources available in our region to help you succeed, and we want to connect with you. To get connected with someone email our E1 Navigator., James Clinton at james@redwingignite.org
The Ignite Cup is a showcase of your work so far. If you are in an idea stage in early 2024, the Ignite Cup is not the best use of your time. But we would encourage you to enroll in our co.starters accelerator this spring. Whether you enroll in the co.starters program or not, the E1 would still love to connect with you and help you get ready for the 2025 Ignite Cup.
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Any business within the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) 20-county region in SE Minnesota with less than $1 million in annual revenue is eligible to apply. (See Map below)
We welcome back anyone who has previously entered, who did not advance to the MN Cup.
*Please note - certain prizes are only available to businesses based in the E1 eleven-county SE Minnesota region.
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If you were a previous winner or runner-up in the MN Cup, you are not eligible to compete in the Ignite Cup, due to our partnership with the MN Cup program.
I’m not in the 11-county southeastern Minnesota region. Why can’t I compete for a MN Cup seat?
Great question. Since the Ignite Cup is focused on southeastern Minnesota, we can only award a MN Cup slot from that region, unless you are a student.
20 county region
To be eligible, applicants or their business needed to be located within our 20-county region.
Where will the Ignite Cup be held?
Red Wing Ignite
419 Bush St. Red Wing, MN
2023 Ignite Cup Winners
Past IG Cup Winners!
"Thanks to the Ignite Cup, we had the opportunity to get in front of regional funders who were tough to reach before. But even more importantly, it accelerated connections with business leaders and advisors in the region that have shaped our current strategy."
2023 Ignite Cup Winner
- Richard Hinds
QoL Devices
“It was the Ignite Cup pitch competition that gave us the platform and the confidence to go full-time on the business.”
2022 Ignite Cup Winner
- Ramsey Shafer
Uptrends.ai
Become a Sponsor
Join us in igniting a passion for entrepreneurship. As a sponsor, your business will have the unique chance to showcase your brand to a diverse audience. Collaborate with us to make a lasting impact and be part of an unforgettable event.
Contact us today to discuss how we can tailor a sponsorship package that aligns with your business goals.
