(Minneapolis – St Paul, MN) — Forge North announced the launch of the MSP Startup Guide, a community-created database that helps entrepreneurs find the right support and services to grow their startups.
The MSP Startup Guide provides curated connections to the region’s leading investors, support organizations, mentors, accelerators, capital opportunities, spaces, regulatory agencies, community connections and more. The intent is to speed founders’ startup journeys from ideation to growth and maturation.
The breadth of resources highlighted by the MSP Startup Guide validates Minneapolis’s ranking in the top-10 emerging ecosystems in the world, according to Startup Genome’s 2023 Global Startup Ecosystem report. Built in partnership with EcoMap, this tool helps founders search among 450 resources, programs and services provided by 340 entrepreneur-support organizations. EcoMap was chosen after a competitive process based on its software’s strengths at connecting users.
This website is intended to enhance racial equity in the startup ecosystem and increase early-stage venture investments in Minneapolis–Saint Paul startups—two goals of the Forge North coalition.
“Entrepreneurs shouldn’t need to know 100 words of jargon and attend 20 happy hours to know the right place to start growing their business,” said Morris Goodwin, Jr., Forge North managing director. “What if everyone had equitable access to the same information about all the resources in the startup ecosystem? The MSP Startup Guide puts all the information in one place so they can find what they need, when they need it.”
From healthcare to enterprise SaaS to food/ag to fintech and beyond, the MSP Startup Guide is designed for startup founders who need to find the right accelerator, investor, consultant, space or community for their identity, sector and stage of growth.
- Entrepreneur support organizations: Organizations can create and manage their profiles so entrepreneurs have accurate information about their work. They can also create lists of resources and organizations in their sectors that founders should know about. Naturally Minnesota, for example, has added more than 100 resources and organizations related to the food and agriculture sector.
- Entrepreneurs: Founders can pay it forward by adding resources that have helped their startups grow. They can also create a shared list to help other founders access the right tool.
To learn more about the MSP Startup Guide, those interested can try out a live demo at these upcoming virtual and in-person events:
About the GREATER MSP Partnership
Forge North is part of the GREATER MSP Partnership. It is a coalition of 100+ partners advancing the Minneapolis-Saint Paul startup ecosystem. GREATER MSP is a partnership of more than 4,500 individuals from more than 300 leading businesses, universities, cities, counties and philanthropic organizations working together to accelerate the competitiveness and inclusive growth of the 15-county Minneapolis–Saint Paul regional economy.
