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Forge North Goals
The Forge North Leadership Council engaged coalition members and others throughout the MSP startup community to set shared multi-year goals and strategies for the region.
Dive into our goals for MSP
1. Early Stage Capital
Startup ventures need fuel to get off the ground. Our goal is to double the number of startup ventures raising an early stage round of capital in MSP. We set this goal because a vibrant startup community needs more than a handful of unicorns. It needs a diverse range of companies that can access different forms of capital as they grow.
Three strategies we are prioritizing include:
Activating more Minnesotans to become early stage investors
Marketing the region’s deal opportunities to global investors
Amplifying education to demystify the process of raising capital
2. Enterprise Participation
MSP is home to the country’s highest concentration of large corporate headquarters. Our goal is to ensure 100% of billion-dollar enterprises based in MSP are meaningfully engaged with local startup ventures. We set this goal because these corporations can play a critical role as customer, investor, or strategic partner - especially in key industry sectors of strength.
Three strategies we are prioritizing include:
Creating a clear roadmap and menu of potential commitments
Better connecting local corporate venture and innovation teams
Increasing paid pilots with startups through greater visibility of enterprise needs
3. Racial Equity
MSP experiences some of the country’s worst economic disparities by race. Our goal is to see leaders with an equity stake in MSP-based ventures reflect the region’s populations of Black, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous and people of color. We set this goal because these business ownership can help transform our region’s economy, and our startup community cannot reach its potential without intentional action that translates to impact.
Three strategies we are prioritizing include:
Building the capacity of entrepreneurial support organizations serving BIPOC founders
Facilitating greater deal flow between BIPOC-led startups and investors
Open doors for BIPOC-led startups to win commercial contracts
Forge North's Project Fellows work every day to bring these goals to reality.
Learn more about their work here.
Want to help advance the goals?
