Defined by bitterly cold winters and a strong Scandinavian heritage, Minneapolis may not appear to have much in common with Silicon Valley. Yet, this Midwestern metropolis has become one of the country’s newest tech hotspots, making it a hub for startup activity. According to the Minnesota Technology Corridor, the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area has become one of the nation’s top places for entrepreneurs and startups, boasting a positive net migration in tech talent.
While Minneapolis’ newest class of startups offers innovation in a wide range of industries, there are a few sectors that seem to dominate the area’s tech scene. Many of the city’s most promising tech newcomers are focused on healthtech, insurtech, fintech and even edtech. While one is making it easier for employees to take charge of their finances, another is giving people greater access to mental health care. Given the potential of Minneapolis’ growing startup ecosystem, it’s safe to say the Twin Cities are steadily becoming one of the nation’s most pivotal tech capitals.
We’ve rounded up 16 Minneapolis startups to give you a glimpse of the city's burgeoning tech scene.
Minneapolis Startups You Should Know
- Inspectorio
- Branch
- Bright Health
- Sezzle
- Kaleidoscope
- Pluralytics
- ConnexPay
- Sanvello Health
- Grand Rounds Health
Founded: 2017
Focus: Fintech
What they do: Center provides businesses with a software solution for managing employee spending and booking employee travel. Using the CenterCard, a corporate card that’s connected to Center’s software, employees can make work-related purchases that are easily visible to ensure compliance with accounting and finance policy. Center’s travel management component covers unlimited itinerary changes and 24/7 access to support.
Founded: 2016
Focus: Supply Chain Management
What they do: Inspectorio’s supply chain software helps organizations optimize their quality, sustainability and compliance operations. Powered by AI, the company’s platform allows users to automate manual tasks, leverage data and real-time visibility, increase alignment between key stakeholders and implement targeted improvements. Inspectorio serves many large brands including Target, Stitch Fix and Kohl’s.
Founded: 2015
Focus: Workforce Financial Management
What they do: Branch offers a digital wallet designed to help employees meet their everyday financial needs. Their app enables employees to manage their cash flow, receive direct deposits, make free withdraws, transfer to other accounts and more. Branch aims to help businesses attract and retain hourly workers while reducing the cost of paper checks and paycards.
Founded: 2016
Focus: Health Insurance
What they do: Bright Health offers health insurance plans for individuals and families designed to be easy to use and understand. The company’s insurance benefits include free primary care visits, enhanced telehealth, free rides to doctors and pharmacies, prescription home delivery, and free post-operation meal delivery. Bright Health partners with numerous community health systems.
Founded: 2014
Focus: Machine Learning + Data Analytics Solutions
What they do: PhData’s end-to-end services allow organizations to architect, deploy and support machine learning and data analytics. Their capabilities include data engineering, managed data platforms, AWS machine learning and Snowflake managed pipelines. In the past, phData has worked with restaurant chains, agribusiness companies and manufacturers.
Founded: 2016
Focus: Alternative Payment Solutions
What they do: Sezzle is on a mission to “financially empower the next generation.” The company’s product allows shoppers to split their purchases into four, interest-free payments paid over the course of six weeks, thus increasing merchant partners’ sales without risk. Sezzle collaborates with a wide range of retailers including Crunchyroll, UNTUCKit and Touch of Modern.
Founded: 2017
Focus: Video Content Creation
What they do: Squigl’s software empowers people to create powerful online videos. Using AI, the company’s platform transforms speech and text into animated videos while giving users full control over editing projects. Squigl is ideal for educators, marketers, HR professionals, speakers and instructional designers.
Founded: 2011
Focus: Healthcare
What they do: In an industry that can become tedious and confusing, Grand Rounds provides a welcome change with its innovative approach to healthcare. The company unites top-notch doctors and healthcare professionals to provide patients with comprehensive care through a digital format. Customers can rest easy knowing a personal team is only a few clicks away, both night and day.
Founded: 2016
Focus: Scholarship + Grant Management
What they do: Kaleidoscope offers an end-to-end financial scholarship management tool. Their cloud-based platform makes it easier for individuals and organizations to design, administer and host branded scholarship and grant programs. Kaleidoscope aims to help its clients lower their financial costs, improve outcomes and increase the amount of money going directly to students.
Founded: 2017
Focus: Payments Processing
What they do: ConnexPay offers a gateway that connects payment acceptance and issuance for businesses. The company’s technology is designed to reduce merchant processing fees, simplify accounting, protect against fraud, secure customer data and more. ConnexPay primarily serves marketplace, agencies and brokers in travel, freight, insurance and e-commerce.
Founded: 2020
Focus: Real-Time Content Intelligence
What they do: Pluralytics’ technology helps businesses choose and apply language more effectively. Powered by machine learning and behavioral science, the company’s platform “reads” content to decipher who it appeals to and why, so organizations can choose language that deepens engagement. Pluralytics aims to help its clients connect with the underlying values of their customers and find common ground.
Founded: 2016
Focus: Health Insurance
What they do: Bind Benefits’s health insurance plans are designed to offer flexibility, choice and cost transparency. The company’s plans include prescription drugs coverage, preventive care, mental and behavioral health services, cancer care, treatment for chronic conditions and more. Bind Benefits caters to individuals and families, brokers and consultants, employers and providers.
Founded: 2012
Focus: Web Development + Lead Generation
What they do: Leadpages is dedicated to helping small businesses connect with audiences, collect leads and close sales. Through the company’s digital platform, businesses can build websites, landing pages, pop-ups, alert bars, opt-in texts and more. Leadpages integrates with a wide range of applications including Google Analytics, Salesforce and Facebook Ads.
Founded: 2017
Focus: Revenue Cycle Management
What they do: Verata Health offers a frictionless prior authorization platform for medical practices, hospitals and health systems. Powered by AI, the platform automatically initiates prior authorization requests, retrieves payer rules and tracks prior authorizations to completion. Verata Health ultimately aims to empower organizations to streamline their revenue cycles, reduce write-offs and accelerate patient access.
Founded: 2015
Focus: Recruitment + Job Search
What they do: Homi is on a mission to help communities empower their people to learn, give back and find their passions. Through their platform, people can connect with other individuals and discover job opportunities to find the right workplace for them. Homi has partnered with various companies including Sezzle and Jamf.
Founded: 2019
Focus: Mental Health Care
What they do: Sanvello Health is a digital mental health care provider that partners with major insurance payers, employers and educational institutions. Their app offers access to a variety of self-care, peer support, coaching and virtual therapy options for the treatment of anxiety, stress and depression. Sanvello enables users to easily find strategies and resources, manage symptoms and track their progress.
