Leaders at some of Minnesota’s top financial services companies are working together through the Minnesota Fintech Collective (MFC) to support local entrepreneurs.
Motivated by their mission to advance innovation and thought leadership, multiple Minnesota Fintech Collective members announced new support of Lunar Startups, a nonprofit accelerator dedicated to growth, connection and innovation for entrepreneurs who identify as Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC), women, and LGBTQ.
Leaders in the Minnesota financial technology, or FinTech, sector established the Minnesota Fintech Collective in 2018 to advance innovation and thought leadership to better position and grow the state’s growing FinTech ecosystem. Companies have worked together to participate in Twin Cities Startup Week, create the Future of Finance Forum, and bring together Minnesota’s FinTech community to connect virtually with national leaders at events like Future of Finance: Compliance and Regulation, featuring Beth Knickerbocker, Chief Innovation Officer of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).
Now, the Minnesota Fintech Collective is doubling down on inclusive innovation in Minneapolis-St. Paul’s startup community by supporting Lunar Startups with a combined $35,000 contribution to the Lunar Titan Campaign.
With this support, Lunar Startups will provide a series of workshops and trainings for entrepreneurs that focus on demystifying pathways to growth and developing financial leadership capacity. Key leaders collaborating in the Minnesota Fintech Collective, including Bremer Bank, will advise on the content and provide critical expertise in the series.
“Bremer is excited to partner with an organization doing great work to support BIPOC, women, and LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs in our communities,” said Jeanne Crain, Bremer Bank President and CEO. “Entrepreneurs are a critical part of building local economies – to keep communities strong today and make them even stronger in the future. Building this ecosystem relies on lifting up leaders and innovators from historically under supported and underrepresented backgrounds. Bremer’s purpose is to cultivate thriving communities. We know that this is only possible when every single person, regardless of background, is given an equal opportunity and the support needed to succeed.”
This series is the first of many innovations that will be catalyzed by Lunar Startups’ recently announced Titan Campaign, an ambitious three-year, $2 million capital campaign to invest in new programming, talented people, and innovative entrepreneurial offerings that will enable Lunar to serve more entrepreneurs across the region.
“We believe that inclusive entrepreneurship provides a pathway to build community wealth and mitigate race- and gender-based economic gaps,” said Danielle Steer, executive director of Lunar Startups. “The support of MFC will enhance our financial literacy programming, ensuring that a new generation of innovators have access to the networks and resources necessary to compete in this rapidly changing economy.”
More information on the series and the Titan Campaign is available at www.lunarstartups.org.