Starting Up North Instagram

Starting Up North’s Instagram features short stories about members of Minnesota’s startup and innovation ecosystem. Contact us to suggest a member of the community to include. Click on the images below to read more.

http://An%20inside%20look%20into%20life%20at%20Minneapolis-based%20University%20Enterprise%20Laboratories,%20not%20quite%20a%20co-working%20space,%20not%20quite%20an%20accelerator…%20but%20something%20in%20between.⁠

http://A%20cutting-edge%20fashion%20startup%20based%20in%20Duluth,%20MN?%20You%20betcha.⁠⠀

http://A%20lawyer%20building%20a%20video%20game%20studio%20in%20Minneapolis,%20MN?%20We%20had%20to%20learn%20more.%20Starting%20Up%20North%20sat%20down%20with%20Finn%20Fellow%20Jules%20Porter%20to%20hear%20all%20about%20her%20founder%20journey,%20her%20plans%20for%20her%20company%20Seraph%207%20Studios,%20and%20why%20she%20is%20so%20motivated%20to%20make%20sure%20that%20even%20while%20building%20mega%20games%20she's%20still%20using%20her%20legal%20skills%20to%20help%20her%20community.⁠⠀

http://“I've%20worked%20in%20the%20consumer%20packaged%20goods,%20dairy%20foods%20industry,%20for%20the%20last%20five%20years,%20and%20so%20I%20love%20dairy%20from%20the%20farm%20level%20to%20the%20grocery%20store.%20And%20I%20was%20looking%20for%20a%20way%20to%20bring%20some%20more%20health%20and%20wellness%20to%20things%20that%20people%20indulge%20in%20and%20enjoy,%20but%20still%20feel%20guilty%20about.⁠

http://“When%20we%20demo%20I%20start%20to%20tear%20up.%20We%20get%20people%20coming%20back%20and%20saying%20like%20if%20they%20have,%20we%20get%20people%20that%20have%20diabetes%20and%20celiac,%20they%20need%20low%20carb%20and%20they%20need%20gluten%20free.%20They%20tell%20us%20about%20how%20this%20has%20impacted%20their%20life%20and%20they%20can%20eat%20again,%20or%20they%20have%20a%20child%20with%20celiac%20and%20they%20can%20give%20their%20child%20a%20sandwich%20in%20a%20lunch%20box%20and%20they%20can%20feel%20like%20the%20other%20kids.”⠀

http://A%20drive%20to%20learn%20more%20about%20the%20solar%20energy%20business%20led%20to%20the%20creation%20of%20a%20company%20offering%20solutions%20to%20drone%20pilots.%20This%20founder%20story%20starts%20in%20Colombia,%20where%20Sergio%20Navas,%20a%20trained%20engineer,%20wanted%20to%20explore%20renewable%20energy.%20He%20decided%20to%20come%20to%20Minnesota%20to%20study%20in%20January%202019%20in%20order%20to%20learn%20enough%20about%20solar%20energy%20to%20open%20a%20business%20in%20his%20native%20country.%20⁠⠀

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http://My%20son%20said,%20'Well,%20it's%20kind%20of%20pedagogy%20for%20upward%20mobility,%20so%20why%20don't%20you%20call%20it%20GogyUp?'%20So%20that's%20what%20we%20registered%20for%20and%20we%20got%20lots%20of%20advice%20to%20change%20the%20name.%20Then%20we%20realized,%20'Oh,%20that's%20what%20we're%20trying%20to%20solve.%20If%20you%20look%20at%20a%20word%20that%20you%20don't%20recognize,%20how%20to%20decode%20it,'%20and%20that's%20what%20people%20who%20can't%20read%20experience%2010,000%20times%20a%20day.⁠⠀

http://We%20have%20new%20products%20in%20the%20works%20to%20help%20people%20live%20at%20home%20with%20dignity,%20beauty%20and%20safety.%20They%20come%20out%20this%20fall%20and%20at%20the%20first%20of%20the%20year,%20says%20Jackie%20Millea,%20the%20Founder%20and%20Designer%20behind%20Millea%20Living.⁠⠀

http://“We%20saw%20a%20lot%20of%20news%20articles%20on%20how%20Starbucks%20is%20banning%20straws%20and%20how%20a%20lot%20of%20states,%20like%20the%20West%20Coast,%20were%20putting%20a%20ban%20on%20straws.⁠⠀

http://“They%20were%20reading%20a%20text%20about%20the%20American%20Revolution,%20which%20is%20what%20they%20were%20supposed%20to%20be%20doing,%20and%20they'd%20annotated%20a%20paragraph%20with%20a%20ship,%20a%20crate,%20a%20greedy%20face,%20an%20angry%20face,%20an%20American%20flag,%20and%20a%20British%20flag.%20It%20took%20me%20a%20second%20to%20realize%20that%20they%20had%20just%20summarized%20the%20Boston%20Tea%20Party%20in%20emoji.%20%20I%20asked%20them%20to%20explain%20it%20to%20me,%20and%20this%20student,%20who%20had%20hardly%20spoken%20all%20year,%20%20gave%20me%20this%20super%20in-depth%20explanation%20of%20exactly%20why%20he%20had%20chosen%20the%20emoji%20he%20did.%20That%20was%20a%20lightning%20moment%20was,%20oh,%20these%20students%20are%20annotating%20the%20text,%20they're%20just%20doing%20it%20in%20a%20different%20way.⁠⠀

http://We%20are%20located%20on%20the%20Lake%20Vermilion%20Reservation,%20which%20is%20district%20two%20of%20the%20Bois%20Forte%20Band%20of%20Chippewa.%20We%20are%20a%20private%20company%20of%20tribal%20members,%20so%20we%20don't%20have%20a%20lot%20of%20growing%20land,%20because%20we're%20in%20a%20swamp.%20Because%20we're%20a%20reservation,%20all%20the%20good%20land%20is%20taken,%20and%20we%20got%20left%20with%20what%20was%20left.%20Making%20do%20with%20what%20we%20have,%20that's%20the%20whole%20concept%20of%20growing%20indoors.⁠⠀

http://“We%20developed%20and%20patented%20a%20device%20to%20reduce%20concussions%20in%20football%20beyond%20what%20the%20helmet%20can%20do.%20We%20receive%20the%20helmet%20and%20slow%20down%20the%20head,%20therefore,%20slowing%20down%20forces%20on%20the%20brain.⁠⠀

http://We've%20had%20over%2020%20million%20downloads%20to%20date.%20We've%20got%20about%201.6%20million%20mostly%20active%20users%20and%20more%20exciting%20than%20just%20the%20numbers%20is%20the%20music%20and%20the%20video's%20that%20people%20made%20with%20the%20app.%20Some%20of%20which%20were%20insanely%20creative,%20and%20they've%20racked%20up%20huge%20numbers%20on%20social%20media.⁠⠀

http://I%20think%20that's%20it's%20really%20important%20in%20today's%20day%20and%20age%20to%20know%20how%20to%20code,%20says%20@itstavolo%20CEO%20Taranvir%20Johal.%20Especially%20as%20a%20business%20person%20and%20especially%20if%20they%20work%20in%20tech.⁠⠀

http://Amber%20Christian%20from%20takes%20us%20through%20using%20a%20human-centered%20design%20approach%20to%20building%20her%20product%20@Bella_Scena.%20Check%20out%20her%20full%20guide%20via%20the%20link%20in%20our%20bio.⁠⠀

http://I%20look%20at%20other%20startups%20and%20founders,%20they%20seem%20like%20they%20know%20what%20they're%20doing,%20but%20really%20everyone's%20just%20learning%20on%20the%20fly,%20says%20Parkpoolr%20co-founder%20Jackson%20Lefebvre.⁠⠀

http://CEO%20Damola%20Ogundipe%20shares%20what%20tools%20and%20apps%20he%20and%20his%20team%20use%20to%20manage%20and%20grow%20@civic_eagle%20,%20a%20startup%20helping%20organizations%20discover,%20track,%20analyze,%20and%20collaborate%20on%20legislation%20and%20governmental%20policy.⁠⠀

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http://Three%20founders%20in%20MN%20are%20building%20companies%20in%20the%20growing%20#femtech%20space.%20Laura%20Beier%20talked%20with%20Elyse%20Ash%20(@fruitful_fertility),%20Kristen%20Womack%20(#minafamilies),%20and%20Margi%20Scott%20(@take12registry)%20about%20their%20experiences.⁠⠀

http://The%20way%20that%20drug%20companies%20develop%20a%20drug%20is,%20they%20need%20to%20have%20a%20model%20that%20they%20understand%20that%20can%20give%20them%20predictions%20about%20the%20efficacy%20of%20a%20drug,%20whether%20a%20drug's%20going%20to%20work%20or%20if%20it's%20going%20to%20be%20toxic%20to%20a%20patient.%20The%20closer%20you%20can%20get%20to%20an%20actual%20human%20patient%20with%20your%20model,%20the%20more%20predictive%20it'll%20be.%20That%20allows%20them%20to%20reduce%20their%20costs%20for%20producing%20a%20new%20therapeutic%20and%20making%20new%20therapeutics%20that%20are%20more%20efficient%20and%20efficacious.⁠⠀

http://I%20create%20clothing,%20compression%20clothing%20for%20teens%20and%20adults%20with%20autism,%20says%20Molly%20Fuller,%20the%20founder%20of%20Molly%20Fuller%20Design,%20a%20clothing%20line%20and%20online%20store.⁠⠀

http://Barb%20Stinnett%20is%20a%20longtime%20tech%20executive%20and%20angel%20investor%20who%20began%20her%20career%20in%20Silicon%20Valley%20and%20went%20on%20to%20serve%20in%20senior%20roles%20for%20many%20large%20tech%20firms%20based%20there.%20She’s%20Minnesota%20born%20and%20bred%20and%20calls%20the%20state%20home,%20but%20still%20spends%2040%%20of%20her%20time%20in%20the%20Bay%20Area,%20where%20she%20also%20has%20a%20home.%20She%20now%20runs%20her%20own%20consulting%20firm,%20Timmaron%20Group.%20Her%20experience%20in%20the%20tech%20industry%20and%20in%20investing%20covers%20such%20a%20broad%20gamut%20that%20it’s%20hard%20to%20fit%20into%20a%20brief%20profile,%20but%20Graeme%20Thickins%20wanted%20to%20try%20–%20specifically%20the%20part%20of%20it%20focused%20in%20private%20equity.%20⁠⠀

http://“We%20make%20genetically%20modified%20smart%20insects%20that%20are%20genetically%20sterile.%20We%20release%20them%20to%20the%20wild,%20and%20they%20will%20mate%20with%20the%20females%20and%20control%20the%20insect%20populous.”⁠⠀

http://@homi.io%20a%20Minneapolis%20startup%20led%20by%20Phil%20Xiao,%20is%20increasing%20the%20value%20of%20a%20college%20education%20by%20leveraging%20technology%20and%20alumni%20to%20create%20a%20new%20way%20to%20hire%20employees.⁠⠀

http://“What%20I'm%20surprised%20at%20is%20just%20how%20positive%20everyone%20is%20despite%20the%20fact%20that%20we're%20in%20that%20pre-revenue%20stage.%20Trying%20to%20fund%20the%20concept%20is%20where%20a%20lot%20of%20people%20are,%20so%20I%20don't%20feel%20like%20we're%20really%20alone.⁠⠀

http://I%20think%20my%20biggest%20takeaway%20from%20the%20@finnovationlab%20Fellowship%20in%20terms%20of%20advice%20for%20women%20entrepreneurs,%20minority%20entrepreneurs,%20especially%20in%20the%20tech%20space,%20is%20to%20be%20willing%20to%20be%20vulnerable.%20I%20think%20it's%20so%20important%20because%20vulnerability%20really%20is%20the%20birthplace%20of%20innovation%20and%20creativity%20and%20change,%20says%20Michelle%20Maryns,%20CEO%20and%20Co-Founder%20of%20We%20Sparkle.%20“We%20Sparkle%20is%20a%20SaaS%20(or%20a%20software%20as%20a%20service)%20social%20enterprise,%20explains%20Michelle%20(pictured%20left%20with%20co-founder%20Dr.%20Uchenna%20Chukwu).%20We're%20the%20first%20SaaS%20social%20enterprise%20focused%20on%20helping%20small%20businesses.⠀%20“We%20provide%20software%20for%20small%20businesses%20to%20help%20them%20with%20their%20administrative%20and%20marketing%20efforts,%20Michelle%20continues.%20“A%20lot%20of%20small%20businesses%20are%20spending%20about%2040%%20of%20their%20time%20every%20week,%20just%20on%20administrative%20tasks,%20like%20scheduling%20appointments%20or%20answering%20frequently%20asked%20questions.%20We%20have%20worked%20together%20to%20build%20out%20a%20conversational%20AI%20assistant%20or%20a%20chat%20bot%20that%20helps%20them%20with%20those%20tasks.%20We're%20really%20focused%20on%20helping%20small%20businesses%20and%20especially%20women%20entrepreneurs%20and%20entrepreneurs%20of%20color.⠀

http://Onboarding%20a%20new%20employee%20is%20one%20of%20the%20single%20best%20ways%20to%20build%20a%20strong%20culture%20within%20your%20organization.%20Employees%20who%20feel%20welcome,%20feel%20valued%20right%20from%20the%20start.%20Those%20with%20a%20strong%20and%20organized%20first%20week,%20become%20productive%20team%20members%20faster,%20which%20in%20turn%20provides%20your%20organization%20with%20a%20return%20on%20human%20investment%20faster.⁠⠀

http://Through%20networking,%20reaching%20out%20to%20others%20within%20the%20industry.%20What's%20been%20really%20gratifying%20is%20that%20there's%20been%20no%20shortage%20of%20people%20willing%20to%20volunteer%20their%20time%20to%20help.⁠⠀

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