ConnectUP! Programs

Initiatives just for yoU

We have virtual and in-person programs designed for entrepreneurs, investors and industry experts to connect, learn and grow-check them out below!

LUNAR STARTUPS ACCELERATOR

An Orbit of Local Startup Support!

Scale Your Startup!

A 12-week program specializing in growth, connection & innovation for diverse founders!
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CAPITAL READINESS ACCELERATOR

Helping Founders Secure the Bag!

Secure the Bag!

A 12-week program to help you get ready (and stay ready) to access capital for your business!
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INTEGRATED CAPITAL FUND

Capital, Capacity and Community for Founders!

Level Up Your Biz

Supporting 2nd-stage Black, Brown, Women, LGBTQ+ and Rural Founders across Minnesota with capital, capacity and community.
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BossUP! CIRCLES

Connect and Learn with Other Founders!

Small Group Growth

Small group sessions with a business expert about branding, operations, budgetting and more!
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CONNECTUP! MINI-SUMMIT

Local & Industry Specific Events for Founders!

Grow Your Community

A day of industry specific and culturally grounded gathering of diverse entrepreneurs, experts and investors.
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CONNECTUP! SUMMIT

Your Entrepreneur Ecosystem All in One Place!

The Room Where It Happens

2 day, bi-annual gathering connecting the entrepreneur community!
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Business Coaching

Get the benefit of their experience to improve your business today!

Entrepreneur Support

Our coaches can meet you where you're at and help you get to the next level.
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ECOSYSTEM EVENTS CALENDAR

Get Out There

Calendar of ConnectUP!, partner and local events for the entrepreneur ecosystem.
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Tired of hustling? Build the community and toolbox you need to take your budding business to the next level with our 12-week Lunar Startups Accelerator!

This program specializes in growth, connection, and innovation for Black, Indigenous, people of color, LGBTQ+, women, and non-binary entrepreneurs. Why? Because we envision a future where all flourishing founders have the resources, connections and support to scale companies that are solving the world’s most critical problems.

Lunar is not an idea stage incubator; all of our startups have traction in the form of an in-market product or service with existing customers, clients, and/or users. Our program is intended for founders thinking really big about scale.

Program FAQs  | Stay Connected with Our Newsletter

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but new cohorts begin in late August and late Late February, so apply now or request a free consultation!

Get ready (and stay ready) to access funding for your small business with our Capital Readiness Accelerator! The number one need of entrepreneurs is capital – to start, scale, and sustain their businesses but if you aren’t ready with the right documentation and mindset, those dollars can only go so far! 

This 12-week accelerator will help dig into your dollars and understand the financial story of your business. Why? So you can build your confidence while preparing your mind and business for financial management. Plus, you’ll have the toolbelt to access funding from an array of funding institutions, like our Integrated Capital Fund! This program will help you get the data you need to make business decisions and show that you are capital ready. You’ll work with an executive business coach to build and understand:

      • Profit & Loss Statements
      • Cash Flow Statements
      • Projections
      • Capital Planning
      • And Organizational Budgeting!

The Capital Readiness Accelerator aims to provide action-oriented content for second stage stage founders that are looking for capital to grow their businesses.

 Program FAQs  | Stay Connected with Our Newsletter

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but new cohorts begin in late August and late Late February, so apply now or request a free consultation!

At ConnectUP! Institute, we want to close the capital and resource gap that keeps 2nd-stage Black, Brown, Women, LGBTQ+ and Rural business founders in Minnesota from thriving at the same scale as their privileged peers. That’s why our Integrated Capital Fund powers access, opportunity and success for those founders by providing the 3 C’s: Capital, Capacity and Community!

Capital: We provide a blended capital stack that includes: grants, debt, and equity as well as alternative financing to support business growth. We also engage founders in positioning them for larger, traditional capital investments.

Capacity: With us, businesses get more than advice. They get the fractional executive support they need to get things done to increase revenue.

Community: Founders are given access to curated groups of tactical networks that provide relevant and on-going support systems to continue growing their business. That includes our Expert Network, our community of founders in our accelerator programs and our broader entrepreneur ecosystem!

We are not currently taking applications for our Integrated Capital Fund. 

Join our mailing list to get first details about our next round of ICF applications!

BossUp! Circles are intentionally curated, small-group workshops created to help entrepreneurs learn in community, share knowledge, and sharpen their strategy. Each session dives deep into topics that matter most right now. This year, we’re covering lead growth, financials, personal goals and MORE!

6/19 Grow Your Leads & Sales with Dianne Shelton

8/15 Business Tax Preparation with Nior Arise Accounting

10/16 On-Camera 101 with Maggie Winter

The ConnectUP! Mini-Summit is a one-day culturally grounded gathering of curated underestimated Creative entrepreneurs and Freelancers and small business investors that: learn and share with each other, engage in relationship-building, provide best and next practices from the field, as well as engage in active problem solving to build thriving, diverse, and sustainable enterprises and co-design an ecosystem that prioritizes equitable access to resources, capital and networks.

Stay tuned for details about our Sparking Success with Cannabis Mini Summit happening in September! 

The ConnectUP! Summit is a bi-annual convening that brings together entrepreneurs, investors and entrepreneur support organization leaders from Minnesota and across the country.  For two days, the community gathers for culturally responsive talks, action-driven workshops, deep-relationship building and diverse networking opportunities. With an emphasis on entrepreneur needs and realities, the ConnectUP! Summit provides founders with tools, resources and connections to #LevelUp themselves and their businesses!

Subscribe for updates about the 2026 Summit!

💡No matter where you are in your entrepreneurship journey, an expert coach can be magic for getting you to the next level. Everyone gets a free 30-minute info and coaching session, and many folks will qualify for free or subsidized coaching with our vetted experts.

Our business coaches aren’t a 23 year old tech bro with an MBA and a retired been-at-this-since-you-were-in-diapers CEO. They’re like you, they’ve built and grown businesses from the ground up and they’ve learned along the way, so they know what it takes to make sure your business has what it needs to thrive. Come to them with your hard questions about financing, hiring and training staff, marketing and growth, product development, operations and supply chain, and more.

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