This last Thursday evening in Red Wing, the entrepreneurial spirit was alive and well as the 2025 Ignite Cup Pitch Competition brought together community, innovation, and five incredible startup teams for a night of inspiration and impact.
If you missed the action, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Read this recap and then, if you’d like to watch the recording, you can find that on our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/PG4wAUY55Eg
The Atmosphere
Held at the beautifully renewed IgniteMN coworking space, the room buzzed with energy from the get-go. Guests enjoyed food from Picnicks in Red Wing and drinks served up by two expert bartenders (one of whom doubled as the emcee’s husband… shoutout for the bonus pours!)
Emcee Emily Watkins and IgniteMN’s Communications Director Valerie Lockhart kicked off the night with heartfelt welcomes, community shoutouts, and gratitude to the evening’s sponsors, including SMIF, DMC, Launch MN, and DEED. Val also introduced IgniteMN’s new Interim Executive Director, Pam Bishop, to a warm round of applause from the audience.
The Judges and Process
Judges Beth Benike (Busy Baby), Kailin Oliver (MN Cup), and Ayodeji Oyebola (Emmright Consulting) had the tough job of selecting the evening’s winners. Finalists had five minutes to pitch and five minutes for Q&A with the judges. While they deliberated, attendees got to vote for the People’s Choice Award via Menti and network with founders.
The Finalists
Here’s a look at the five phenomenal teams who took the stage:
Cytotheryx (John Swart)
A Mayo Clinic spinout revolutionizing liver disease treatment with lab-grown liver cells that could eliminate the need for transplants. They’re tackling a global problem with massive therapeutic potential and a strong technical team already in discussions with industry giants.
Grow with Flora (Payton Maas & Justina Palmer)
An educational app for girls ages 8–14 navigating puberty. With gamified content, a supportive AI chatbot named Diana, and a strong mental health focus, Flora is filling a major gap in youth-focused femtech. The duo won over the audience with their energy and deep understanding of both the market and the mission.
Genograms (Kristine & Mike Stensland)
A modern, interactive platform for therapists to map family systems visually and collaboratively. Think “family tree meets therapy tool,” upgraded for today’s digital age. With 200+ professionals already on the waitlist and a product launch set for April, Genograms is ready to scale across clinics and social service agencies.
Hope Technologies (Christina Chen)
A heartfelt and high-tech solution for improving the quality of life for dementia patients. Their immersive, customizable “Wonderwall” room environments use light, music, and memory cues to reduce agitation and restore joy. Already piloting in Rochester, their approach blends medical insight with meaningful human connection.
Wren Writing (Alira Coffman & Hannah Hohnadel)
The only student-led team of the night, Wren Writing impressed everyone with their all-in-one platform for indie authors. Combining writing, goal-setting, plotting, formatting, and marketing tools, they’ve already reached profitability and aim to build a supportive writing community, one fairy-wren at a time.
The Winners
After tough deliberations, the results were finally in:
- 🥇 First Place & MN Cup Semifinalist: Hope Technologies
- 🥈 Second Place: Genograms
- 🥉 Third Place: Grow with Flora
- 🏅 People’s Choice: Hope Technologies
- 🏅 Busy Baby First Steps & MN Cup Student Semifinalist: Wren Writing
The evening closed with giant checks, hugs, photos, and an invitation from Kailin Oliver for everyone to apply to MN Cup, where the Ignite Cup winner gets a guaranteed semifinalist seat.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re a founder, mentor, or curious community member, the Ignite Cup is a showcase of what’s possible when vision, support, and heart collide. Thank you to everyone who made this year’s event unforgettable! We can’t wait to see what this next year brings for these incredible businesses.
