The 2025 Ole Cup at St. Olaf College wrapped up on Saturday, April 26th with a full house of cheering supporters, bold student pitches, and an incredible display of creativity, courage, and hard work.
This event isn’t just a competition, it’s the culmination of months of effort. Thanks to our partnership with the St. Olaf Piper Center for Vocation and Career, IgniteMN had the honor of recruiting mentors from across the region to help guide the student teams. It all started in March with a Business Plan Development Workshop, followed by weeks of one-on-one mentorship, brainstorming, refining, and a Pitch Development Workshop leading up to the final event.
And the results?
Simply amazing.
Here’s who took home top honors:
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🏆 First Place: LeafyGoods – turning fallen leaves into compostable paper products and tableware
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🥈 Second Place: Socrates – a dynamic educational app
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🥉 Third Place: Roseville Tennis Camps – growing access to quality tennis coaching
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💡 Social Impact Award: Biso – building educational programs with real-world impact
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🎉 People’s Choice Award: BloomMates – an app connecting people through the joy of plants
Certainly, the Ole Cup isn’t just about winning prizes, it’s about building confidence, community, and entrepreneurial skills that students will carry with them long after graduation. And it’s about mentors giving back, finding inspiration, and helping launch the next generation of innovators.
Keynote Address
This year’s keynote speech, given by Alum, Greta Wodarcyk, was incredibly inspiring. She began by reminding all of us that entrepreneurship is inherent, but must be supported by our environments and circumstances in order to truly flourish. Above all, Greta made a great case for why leaning into entrepreneurial mindset is helpful, even if you’re not starting your own business. She reminded us that it helps, even just to be a good contributor in society.
Overall, this year’s Ole Cup was a beautifully celebratory day. Congratulations to every student who stood on that stage and every mentor who stood behind them.
We’re so proud to be part of this journey!
