Big ideas thrive in strong communities and you are invited to join SE Minnesota’s innovators Thursday evening as the next wave of groundbreaking ventures get launched.

The free event takes place from 6 - 9 pm in the IgniteMN building, 419 Bush Street, in Red Wing.

Started by IgniteMN, formerly Red Wing Ignite, the Ignite Cup has experienced remarkable growth, largely attributed to the invaluable support of the Entrepreneur’s First (E1) Collaborative and a partnership with Southern Minnesota Iniative Foundation (SMIF).

The Ignite Cup is a chance for startup founders, entrepreneurs and small business owners in SMIF’s 20-county region to present their business ideas to a panel of experts.

The Top 5 Finalists for the 2026 Ignite Cup are Deck Air Pro, FanSpark, ForkIt by DietMetrix, Taproot-Productions and TRACK’D LLC. 

Winning comes with a cash prize and valuable resources, but even participating in the competition helps emerging businesses attract investors and customers.

Winners of the Ignite Cup overall and student divisions will advance as semi-finalists to the 2026 MN Cup competition.

For more information, go to https://ignitemn.org/.