Marking the second wave of Launch Minnesota Innovation Grants, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has awarded $344,000 to 13 high-technology startups in the form of operational grants and childcare/housing grants (see the full lineup after the break). Combined with the first round, a total of 33 startups have received grants from DEED.
“These grants are a solid economic development investment for the state of Minnesota,” Kevin McKinnon, DEED Deputy Commissioner of Economic Development, said in a release. “Helping innovators succeed will have positive long-term benefits for our entire economy.”
Innovation grants require a one-to-one match with private funds, bringing the total potential of the combined first and second rounds to more than $3.2 million. The next round of grants will be reviewed and completed by the end of May with more applications being accepted on a rolling basis until the 2020’s $1.6 million total is reached.
The second-round grantees of 2020 are (with descriptions from DEED):
Better Time Company, St. Paul
Helping people make better health and wellness decisions with a digital coach.
Cylark Labs, St. Paul
Creating an AI-guided self-fitting system for over-the-counter hearing aids.
D’Avocado, Orono
Creating packaged food products made with avocados.
Extempore, St. Paul
Developing a speaking practice app for foreign language students.
Insight Sensing, St. Paul
Developing system to provide crop performance indicators for fertilizer management.
Metselex, Minneapolis
Developing therapies to treat neurodegenerative disorders associated with cell death, such as Alzheimer’s.
Novo Clade, St. Paul
Working to bring chemical free environmentally friendly insect control to market.
Phraze, Inc., Rochester
Creating a digital medical scribe to automate clinician’s medical documentation.
Poma 22, Mendota Heights
Creating a helmet with high-powered air duct system that provides ear-to-ear air curtain to shield workers from airborne contaminants.
Primal Health, Minneapolis
Creating consumable daily dental hygiene products for animals and humans.
Terrafore Technologies, Minneapolis
Developing thermal energy storage to provide dispatchable solar power generation to the grid.
Thrivors, St. Paul
Reducing cancer drug therapy abandonment through a health platform targeted at cancer patients/survivors.
Virtue Analytics, Woodbury
Providing student-specific financial aid offers via a SaaS platform for higher ed.
