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IDEA Winners Announced!

The IDEA Competition announced its four winners on Tuesday, May 12 in Crookston at the NMF Summit: Igniting Innovation. The four winners are the Forte Keyboard Company, IceHogger Industries, Ultralight Soaring Aviation, and Xtreme DnA. Each winner will receive $10,000 in cash to advance their business idea, plus up to an additional $10,000 of specialized technical assistance.

Project Coordinator Michelle Landsverk was very pleased with the results of the competition. “To have four winners of this caliber is very rewarding to those of us who have taken this competition from concept to reality,” Landsverk said. Read more...

IDEA Hall of Fame

IDEA Competition partners inducted Edgar Hetteen into the IDEA Hall of Fame on Tuesday, May 12 in Crookston at the NMF Summit: Igniting Innovation.

“Edgar Hetteen was an easy choice for our first inductee in the IDEA Hall of Fame,” said Kari Howe, IDEA Partner and Economic Development Specialist for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. “Edgar Hetteen is more than an inventor. He is more than an entrepreneur. His is a special blend of genius, guts and luck that legends are made of.” Entrepreneurs start businesses, but Edgar Hetteen founded an industry, and created a market for something that people never knew they needed – the snowmobile. Read more...

More on the IDEA Competition

Entrepreneurs who missed the IDEA Competition registration deadline can enter next fall, beginning September 1, 2009.

There are lots of reasons to enter:

Participants have access to valuable tools and resources
Participants get the opportunity to refine their investor pitch
Winners will get attention in the media
Finalists get a chance to pitch their idea to qualified potential investors and leaders in the business community
Participants have the chance to receive substantial funding for their venture (This year, IDEA Competition winners have the chance to win cash awards of up to $10,000 each)

IDEA (which stands for Ingenuity Drives Entrepreneur Acceleration) is a project of Ingenuity Frontier, a collaboration of partners joined by a common purpose — to grow the economy of Northwest Minnesota by outfitting the next generation of homegrown innovators for success in the global marketplace.

IDEA is here to assist the most promising local entrepreneurs in the commercialization of innovative products, processes and deliveries by connecting them to the best resources available, along with access to the capital it takes to launch a successful venture.



Home Registration Judging Rounds Judging Criteria FAQs About IDEA Ingenuity Frontier Contact Us		IDEA Winners Announced! The IDEA Competition announced its four winners on Tuesday, May 12 in Crookston at the NMF Summit: Igniting Innovation. The four winners are the Forte Keyboard Company, IceHogger Industries, Ultralight Soaring Aviation, and Xtreme DnA. Each winner will receive $10,000 in cash to advance their business idea, plus up to an additional $10,000 of specialized technical assistance. Project Coordinator Michelle Landsverk was very pleased with the results of the competition. “To have four winners of this caliber is very rewarding to those of us who have taken this competition from concept to reality,” Landsverk said. Read more... IDEA Hall of Fame IDEA Competition partners inducted Edgar Hetteen into the IDEA Hall of Fame on Tuesday, May 12 in Crookston at the NMF Summit: Igniting Innovation. “Edgar Hetteen was an easy choice for our first inductee in the IDEA Hall of Fame,” said Kari Howe, IDEA Partner and Economic Development Specialist for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. “Edgar Hetteen is more than an inventor. He is more than an entrepreneur. His is a special blend of genius, guts and luck that legends are made of.” Entrepreneurs start businesses, but Edgar Hetteen founded an industry, and created a market for something that people never knew they needed – the snowmobile. Read more... More on the IDEA Competition Entrepreneurs who missed the IDEA Competition registration deadline can enter next fall, beginning September 1, 2009. There are lots of reasons to enter: Participants have access to valuable tools and resources Participants get the opportunity to refine their investor pitch Winners will get attention in the media Finalists get a chance to pitch their idea to qualified potential investors and leaders in the business community Participants have the chance to receive substantial funding for their venture (This year, IDEA Competition winners have the chance to win cash awards of up to $10,000 each) *IDEA* (which stands for Ingenuity Drives Entrepreneur Acceleration) is a project of Ingenuity Frontier, a collaboration of partners joined by a common purpose — to grow the economy of Northwest Minnesota by outfitting the next generation of homegrown innovators for success in the global marketplace. *IDEA* is here to assist the most promising local entrepreneurs in the commercialization of innovative products, processes and deliveries by connecting them to the best resources available, along with access to the capital it takes to launch a successful venture.	The type of innovative thinking that drives business creation often comes down to the vision of a single individual. This strategy (IDEA) focuses on uncovering some of the most promising ideas, and providing them with the support needed to be successful in the marketplace. Wade Fauth, Grants Director, Blandin Foundation The whole purpose of IDEA is to keep Northwest Minnesota supplied with innovative entrepreneurs...the kind of entrepreneurs that earned our reputation as one of the country's premier manufacturing centers. Marty Sieve, Northwest Minnesota Foundation, Vice President for Programs




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