Kabara Institute

SMUMN offers education and events to support, nurture, and develop the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. The university has a deep regional presence with multiple campuses, a pool of educators, strong partnerships, and a commitment to entrepreneurship through the endowed Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies. This commitment is evidenced in both the academic major and minor programs in Entrepreneurship in the School of Business, as well as the Kabara Institute co-curricular programming that includes pitch competitions, speaker events, and community collaboration.

What SMUMN Offers the Ecosystem:

• Education: SMUMN offers multiple workshops on Funding a Start-up, Business Model Canvas, and Design Thinking to the entrepreneurial ecosystems in Rochester and Winona.

• Events: SMUMN offers monthly events on their Winona campus that include speaker events, networking events, and pitch competitions

• Space: SMUMN has multiple venues on both their Winona and Rochester campuses that have been offered for free over the last several years to support training and networking events for the local entrepreneurial ecosystem.

SMUMN’s contributions to the Launch Grant:

• Opportunity to offer educational classes, and in some cases university credit for Lean StartUp coursework

• A well-established Women Entrepreneur’s forum that can be a catalyst for identifying and supporting women tech entrepreneurs

• Deep long-standing partnerships and connections that are regional

• Campus locations that currently offer educational and networking events in both Winona and Rochester

• Capacity to host regional conferences, events, and expos on our campuses multiple across the region