Building Minnesota's Innovation Community, Together
In Minnesota, we solve problems. For ourselves. For our communities. And for the world.
And we build better when we build together.
We have incredible technologists, founders, investors, universities, corporations, government agencies, nonprofits, and everyday people working to build new things, make an impact, and help good ideas go further.
That’s why collaboration matters.
No one organization or person has all the connections, resources, or answers. But when we share what we have, open doors for each other, and bring the right people together, we create more opportunities to solve problems at scale.
And we see it happening across the state.
At Twin Cities Startup Week, our entrepreneurial community came together to connect, celebrate, and help startups succeed. Then the North Star Summit brought together leaders to exchange ideas, build relationships, and think about what’s next.
On October 1, we’re bringing that same community spirit to Saint Paul!
Minnestar and Full Stack Saint Paul, alongside the St. Paul Area Chamber and Saint Paul Parks & Recreation, are teaming up for Innovation @ the Park and Minnedemo42 — bringing technology, community, and a whole lot of curious people together in downtown Saint Paul.
First, Innovation @ the Park will fill Rice Park with entrepreneurs, public sector innovators, tech talent development resources, food trucks and interactive activities.
Explore the park, discover local resources, experience innovation firsthand, and make a new connection (or two!).
Then, cross the street and geek out at the Ordway.
At Minnedemo42, seven local techies will get seven minutes on stage to show off what they’ve built — live, no slides, and surrounded by one of the best audiences around!
Here’s who we’ll be cheering on:
- Sean Hobin with BeastBox, turning live beatboxing into drums using an on-device neural network.
- Lori Ryan with Gutchx, using technology to help people spot potential catfishing and dating scams.
- Scott Bromander with SnekLab, an AI-powered workspace for turning game ideas into playable prototypes.
- Sage Faraday with Rosenblatt, showing open-weight AI agents tackling a real software engineering task.
- Koy Payne with WhereHowSpace, using operational data to design and optimize warehouse space.
- Chris Minoko with Haflad, making it easier to manage tickets, vendors, payments, and communications for live events.
- Charlie Murray with Watt Window, helping manufacturers understand energy costs and equipment health in near real time.
And the night doesn’t end with demos. Head to the Wild AI Afterparty at Loon Cafe to keep the conversations (and good vibes) going.
Minnesota is full of people tackling big problems, building new things, and pushing ideas forward. Events like these give us a chance to bring all of that together — across communities, industries, and technologies — and see what happens.
Come for the demos, the people, the resources, or just because you’re curious.
Let’s celebrate what Minnesota is building — and what we can build together.
See you in Saint Paul on Thursday, October 1, 2026!
Meg Steuer
Executive Director, Minnestar
For over a decade, Meg has worked at the intersection of community, innovation, and economic development. As Executive Director of Minnestar, she leads one of Minnesota’s largest technology communities, bringing thousands of people together each year through events like Minnebar and Minnedemo. She believes big things happen when you get the right people in the right room — and has built her career around making connections, opening doors, and creating more opportunities for people to participate.