The Scott County Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE) is pleased to announce that three Scott County CFE Business Partners and past FAST-TRACK Challenge winners have been selected as SEMI-FINALISTS for the MN CUP!  Hundreds of applications were submitted for this state-wide business competition, a community-led, public-private partnership supporting Minnesota’s entrepreneurs. Click here to visit the Carlson School’s MN Cup website.

Baby Know
Education and Training Category, Baby Know was a 2021 Scott County FAST-TRACK Challenge 2^nd Place Winner. They provide new parents with a holistic approach to their child’s development, including information, tools, and strategies to create strong parent-child relationships, incorporate developmental milestones, and nurture emotional well-being for all family members.

IntelligentRx
Life Science/ Health IT, IntelligentRx was a 2020 Scott County FAST-TRACK Challenge Runner-up. The company is a healthcare savings innovation company with a mission to increase access to affordable healthcare for everyone. IntelligentRx has developed an online pricing tool to make prescriptions affordable.

Steelhead Outdoors
General Category, Steelhead Outdoors is the 2021 Scott County FAST-TRACK Challenge Winner. The company designs and builds customizable and configurable American-made modular gun safes.

The next steps for the companies in the MN Cup competition follow:

• Semi-finalists will be paired with MN Cup mentors on June 2^nd. Companies can access 15 free workshops and educational sessions, state-wide exposure and press coverage, and opportunities to meet with investors and strategic partners.
• Semi-finalists prepare a pitch deck, business plan, and one-minute video for their company, with round two materials due July 25^th.
• In August, the division judges will score and select finalists. Three companies from each category will be selected.
• Finalists’ pitches (12-minute pitch & 18-minute Q&A) will be held August 30^th, 31^st and September 1^st. The top 3 in each division receive coaching and up to $25,000 in seed capital.
• Division winners (the top one in each category) present pitches to a grand prize review board on September 16^th, with the final award ceremony on September 19^th. The grand prize winner takes home $50,000!

While these three FAST-TRACK Challenge winners prepare for the next rounds of the MN Cup, the CFE is preparing for the 6^th Annual Scott County FAST-TRACK Challenge. The event will be held Thursday, October 13, 2022, at Savage City Hall. Entrepreneurs and 1^st stage businesses (0-5 years old) are encouraged to apply online. The application deadline is August 31, 2022.

Contact Jo Foust for more information. And congratulations to these Scott County CFE companies!