Featured Stories

Rain as a Resource: St. Paul Innovates Shared, Sustainable Stormwater Management

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, December 06, 2016

The City of St. Paul and its partners are utilizing an innovative method of managing stormwater to restore natural water systems, incorporate green infrastructure into sustainable communities and improve the urban ecosystem.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technology, Regionalism, Sustainability, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Union Park, University, Macalester - Groveland, Midway, Saint Anthony Park, West Seventh, Highland Park, Downtown/Lowertown, Summit Hill and Crocus Hill, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Summit - University

May Arts and Culture: MSP Makers

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Makers—the artists, entrepreneurs, innovators (aren’t they all the same?) who brighten lives with their joy of creativity and aesthetic panache—highlight May’s selections. Art-A-Whirl, of course. But the MSP Maker Faire is big news, too.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Shopping

Como Park, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Nokomis, Northeast

Why St. Paul's Historic Heart is Home Base to These Four Businesses

Brian Martucci Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Lowertown boasts a growing roster of relocated and expanded businesses—some from the suburbs, others spun out of Lowertown’s COCO, and some born and bred in the district’s office lofts and storefronts.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Downtown/Lowertown

The Line and Creative Exchange Present "Creating Community" on September 16

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, August 25, 2015

The Line and Creative Exchange Present “Creating Community,” a dynamic, participatory event featuring community builders and creative producers from fine art, technology, design and nonprofits.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Talent Dividend

Northeast

Why MSP is the Once, Current and Future Internet of Things (IoT) Alley

Brian Martucci Tuesday, April 14, 2015

There’s a movement afoot to rebrand MSP as “IoT Alley” in recognition of its historical and current innovations in the field of Internet to cloud devices. MSP startups, in fact, are leading current growth in the field.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Strong Local Economy

University, Downtown, Downtown/Lowertown, Warehouse/North Loop, Northeast

The Centennial Chromagraph, fabricated in the DigiFab Lab to celebrate the U of M School of Architecture's history

Why MSP is Leading the New DigiFab (Third Industrial) Revolution

Brian Martucci Tuesday, February 24, 2015

We're experiencing the third industrial revolution in which MSP’s digital fabricators are innovatively building the future, one pixel at a time.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Higher Education, Strong Local Economy

University, Midway, Saint Anthony Park, Southwest, Powderhorn, Northeast

Light Blox at work, courtesy Laser Classroom

An (Almost) One-Woman STEM Revolution Brings Photonics to Light

Brian Martucci Tuesday, January 06, 2015

Colette DeHarpporte is on a mission. The CEO of Laser Classroom designs, builds and markets educational light, laser and optics tools for schoolchildren.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Life Sciences, Strong Local Economy

Northeast

TC Solar Entrepreneurship Powers Economic Development

Lee Egerstrom Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Minnesota's rapid spread and development of solar energy generation is sparking Twin Cities entrepreneurship.

Creative Leadership, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Energy, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs

Longfellow, Summit - University

Cycling in the Cities: Seven New Local Inventions for Bike Enthusiasts Here and Around the Globe

Brian Martucci Wednesday, October 22, 2014

The Twin Cities is a leader in bicycle use and a major innovator in bicycle design and technology. The seven inventions profiled here have, or will have, an impact on the local and global cycling industry. And the pace of innovation shows no sign of slowing down.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Transportation

Gluten-Free Beer, Women-Only Ridesharing, Wellness Apps: 10 New Startups That Will Change Your Life

Brian Martucci Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Driven by the seemingly boundless energy of local creatives, community leaders and entrepreneurs, Minneapolis-St. Paul’s burgeoning startup culture shows no signs of slowing down. Here are 10 compelling, life-changing startups to know about now.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Healthcare, High Technology, Higher Education, Life Sciences, Strong Local Economy

University, Downtown, Southwest, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Calhoun - Isles

The Power of Co-Working: Why MSP's Tech Startups Are Pooling Resources and Talents

Brian Martucci Wednesday, August 06, 2014

MSP isn't usually mentioned in the same breath as Silicon Valley and Austin. But our local tech startup scene is leaping forward due to homegrown co-working companies, which lower barriers to success, growth and profitability through collaboration.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Strong Local Economy, Talent Dividend

University, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Downtown/Lowertown

10 Local Apps for Mobilizing Summer in the Cities

Dan Heilman Wednesday, July 09, 2014

Summer in Minneapolis-St. Paul is all about getting out and about. Here are 10 homegrown apps to help you make the most of your summer in the cities.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Transportation

Riverfront/Mill District, Central Avenue, Downtown, Lake Street, Uptown/Lyn Lake, West Seventh, Longfellow, Downtown/Lowertown, Warehouse/North Loop, Northeast

One of Seeyond's innovative enclosures, courtesy Seeyond

Design Tech: Why MSP is a Hotbed of Manufacturing and Fabrication Innovation

John Comazzi Wednesday, June 18, 2014

The Twin Cities metro is a hotbed of manufacturers and fabricators innovating and growing their businesses to provide easier, faster, less expensive solutions for design and construction challenges.

Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship

Downtown, Southwest, Northeast

Installing the Boyces' array, courtesy EcoMetro Tour

Solar Twin Cities: Where Urban Farming, Social Justice, Green Tech and Sustainable Living Meet

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, May 21, 2014

A sneak peek at the solar initiatives of a Twin Cities homeowner, nonprofit and entrepreneurial restaurant/farm featured during the EcoMetro Sustainable Living Tour on May 31 sponsored by the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society.