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We have assembled a diverse group of business leaders, each who has extensive experience in working with leading, early stage growth companies and providing feedback, mentorship and resources that have led to success.
This esteemed group of business leaders will select the winner of the Minnesota Cup after reviewing the many plans we receive and listening to the five finalists present their ideas.
Minnesota Cup l Clean Technology & Renewable Energy
- Erik Malinowski – Renewable Energy Attorney and Advisor, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.
- Debra Sundin – Director, DSM & Renewable Strategy and Planning, Xcel Energy
- Jack Ryan – Co-founder and President, Ryan Kasner Bialke, LLC
- Doug Cameron – Founder and Managing Director, Alberti Advisors
- James Schmidt – Chair of Renewable Energy Committee and Partner, Eide Bailly LLP
- Dan Lieberman – Co-owner, Lieberman Companies Inc.
- Dr. Massoud Amin – Director of the Technological Leadership Institute (TLI) at the University of Minnesota
- Georgie Hilker – Special Assistant to the Director, Clean Energy Commercial Development, Minnesota Office of Energy Security
- Michelle Scarborough – Vice President of Investment and Commercialization, Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI)
Minnesota Cup l BioSciences
- Dan Mallin – Co-founder, Minnesota Cup & Managing Partner, Magnet 360
- Dale Wahlstrom – CEO, The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota
- Mike Moore – Director, William C. Norris Institute
- Shawn McIntee – Partner, Maslon
- Stephen Parente – Professor, Department of Finance, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
- Beth Leonard – Partner, Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP
- Bruce Stender – Vice Chairman, Labovitz Enterprises
- Serafin Samson – Venture Partner, Affinity Capital Management
- Jay Schrankler – Executive Director, Office for Technology Commercialization, University of Minnesota
- Tim Laske – Senior Product Development Director, Ph.D., Medtronic, Inc.
- Steve VanNurden – Chair, Office of Intellectual Property for Mayo Clinic Health Solutions
- Jack Jenuth – Principal, Lumira Capital
Minnesota Cup l Social Entrepreneur
- Judy Alnes – Executive Director. MAP for Nonprofits
- Kate Barr – Executive Director, Nonprofits Assistance Fund
- Terri Barrerio – Director, Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship, St. John’s University
- Jason Edens – Founder and Executive Director, Rural Renewable Energy Alliance
- Trista Harris – Executive Director, Headwaters Foundation for Social Justice
- Sean Kershaw – President, Citizens League
- Connie Rutledge – Associate Director of the Carlson Ventures Enterprise, University of Minnesota
- Melissa Middleton Stone – Director, Public and Nonprofit Leadership Center, Humphrey Institute
- Jeff Tollefson – Executive Director, Genesys Works
Minnesota Cup l High Tech
- Scott Litman – Co-founder, Minnesota Cup & Managing Partner, Magnet 360
- Marti Nyman – Managing Partner, Altavail Partners
- Doug Ramler – Principal Co-Chair Entrepreneurial Services Group, Gray Plant Mooty Law Firm
- Dave Richter – Managing Director, MedTrust Solutions, LLC
- Marc Usem – Principal/Portfolio Mgr., Usem Bergstrand Capital Management, LLC
- Joy Lindsay – President and Co-Founder StarTec Investments, LLC
- Sam Richter – Chief Executive of SBR Worldwide and SVP/Chief Marketing Officer at ActiFi
- Sima Griffith – Founder, Aethlon Capital
- Michael Gorman – Managing Director, Split Rock Partners
- Joel Lebewitz – Partner, Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP
Minnesota Cup l General
- Brad Lehrman – Managing General Partner, Portage Equity Investments II, LP and Partner, law firm of Lommen Abdo PA.
- Fred Haberman – President, Haberman & Associates
- Ed Zabinski – Senior Vice President, Grand Rapids State Bank
- Thom Sandberg – Founder The Kenyon Consortium
- Jay Novak – Editor / Publisher, Twin Cities Business
- Art Fry – 3M Corporate Scientist (Retired ), Inventor of Post-It Notes
- Brian Turner – Cities 97 Radio Personality
- Jeffrey Robbins – Partner, Entrepreneurial Services Practice Group, Messerli & Kramer
Minnesota Cup l Student
- Mary Alton – Director, University of Minnesota Multi-Profession Business Law Clinic
- Mary Mathews – President & CEO, Northeast Entrepreneur Fund
- Brian Clark – Global Marketing, St. Jude Medical
- Jeremy Lenz – Vice President of Operations, BioBusiness Alliance
- Lloyd Sigel – Founder, Lloyd's Barbeque Co.
- John Stavig – Director, Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship, Carlson School of Management
- Jordan Fineberg – Manager, Lean Six Sigma Operations, 3M Drug Delivery Systems
- Rob Raminski –
- Bruce Thomson – Chairman, Archiver's
- Steve Klick – Serial Entrepreneur
Minnesota Cup l Grand Prize Review Board
- Dave Cleveland – Co-founder, Riverside Bank
- Leslie Frecon – CEO, LFE Capital
- Art Fry – 3M Corporate Scientist (Retired ), Inventor of Post-It Notes
- Skip Gage – Chairman and CEO, Gage Marketing Group
- Morris Goodwin – Chief Administrative Director, Amherst H. Wilder Foundation
- Michael Gorman – Managing Director, Split Rock Partners
- Sima Griffith – Founder, Aethlon Capital
- Gary Holmes – President and Owner of CSM Corporation
- Joel Lebewitz – Partner, Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP
- Joy Lindsay – President and Co-Founder StarTec Investments, LLC
- Scott Litman – Co-founder, Minnesota Cup & Managing Director, Magnet 360
- Dan Mallin – Co-founder, Minnesota Cup & Managing Director, Magnet 360
- Dan McElroy – Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)
- Jim D'Aquila – Managing Director, Imperial Capital
- Todd Johnson – CEO, Reuben Johnson & Son, Inc. & Affiliated Companies
- Shawn McIntee – Partner, Maslon
- Mike Moore – Director, William C. Norris Institute.
- Jay Novak – Editor/Publisher of Twin Cities Business
- Jeff Kemink – Senior Vice President & Area Business Banking Manager, South Metro, Southern Minnesota, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
- Thom Sandberg – Founder The Kenyon Consortium
- Debra Sundin – Director, DSM & Renewable Strategy and Planning, Xcel Energy
- Erik Malinowski – Renewable Energy Attorney and Advisor, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.
- Doug Ramler – Principal Co-Chair Entrepreneurial Services Group, Gray Plant Mooty Law Firm
- Jeffrey Robbins – Partner, Entrepreneurial Services Practice Group, Messerli & Kramer
- Brad Lehrman – Managing General Partner, Portage Equity Investments II, LP and Partner, law firm of Lommen Abdo PA.
- John Stavig – Director, Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship, Carlson School of Management
- Kate Barr – Executive Director, Nonprofits Assistance Fund
- Jeff Tollefson – Executive Director, Genesys Works
- Dale Wahlstrom – CEO, The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota
