An Introduction to the Twin Cities Tech Community

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Nestled comfortably in the northern Midwest, Minneapolis and St. Paul — or the Twin Cities — are known for their abundant lakes, expansive parks, and snowy winters. The metro area is home to more than a dozen established Fortune 500 companies, as well as a bustling startup community. From its iconic hospitality to diverse career prospects, the Twin Cities is more than flyover country. Twin Cities Startup Week — with its innovative fly-in program — is proof that it’s a great place to grow a startup and your professional network. According to CNBC, it’s also the best city for women entrepreneurs, having nearly 20% of businesses owned by women and a high early startup success rate of over 80%. 

Companies and Jobs

  • Top industries: healthcare, medical tech, finance, manufacturing, food and agriculture, and more.
  • Major employers: UnitedHealth Group, Target Corporation, Best Buy, 3M, US Bank, and General Mills. 
  • Between 2016 and 2017, there was a 40% increase in startup investments. There’s also an emergence of startup accelerators such as TechStars and gener8tor

The Twin Cities Tech Community

  • The tech community is thriving — organizations like Minnestar make it easy for founders, mentors, volunteers, and employees to connect. 
  • They also host dynamic tech and startup events such as Twin Cities Startup Week — an annual conference with over 200+ events and 15,000+ attendees — and MinneDemo, a showcase of Minnesota-made tech products.

Stay in the Know

Here are just a handful of resources to help you dive deeper into Twin Cities tech:


1 https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/09/top-10-us-cities-for-women-entrepreneurs-according-to-new-report.html
2 https://www.greatermsp.org/

Disclaimer: General Assembly referred to their Bootcamps and Short Courses as “Immersive” and “Part-time” courses respectfully and you may see that reference in posts prior to 2023.