Frequently Used Resources

We are here to give you the resources and tools you need.

Resources

Assistance

There are many organizations and programs designed to provide guidance, learning, and connections, often sitting across from an entrepreneur and staying in touch with them.

Small Business Development Centers & More

Our local SBDCs are often one of the first referrals we make for things like business planning, financial forecasting, market research and more. Regionally we have both a  North Dakota Office in Fargo and a Minnesota Office in Moorhead. In addition to the SBDCs, our local SCORE Office has volunteer mentors to help entrepreneurs talk through their ideas and plans, and the ND Women’s Business Center has a local office to help provide programs to support entrepreneurs from business start-up to expansion through a variety of services and resources. The above guidance is often taken and utilized to visit with local SBA partners for early financing needs –Dakota Business Lending and Lake Agassiz Development Group.

Learning, Validating And Refining

You’ll find access to various programs, trainings and webinars in our region. For one-off events and webinars, we suggest looking at the Techstars Startup Digest Fargo, as each issue will feature upcoming opportunities.

The ILT Academy continues to expand their programming into our region, as well as offer online access. Their main startup program is a 10-week interactive, immersive series of virtual classes where participants learn to leverage world-class tools, innovation techniques, and practice key concepts in the Lean Startup methodology.

gBETA is a free 7-week program for early-stage companies, providing coaching, mentoring, meetups, pitch opportunities and more. The gener8tor accelerator is part of the same organization, with the accelerator providing a $100k investment and concierge-approach, 12-week program for 5-6 high growth startups per cohort.

The Great Plains I-Corps Hub launched in 2023, as a network to provide training to university-based inventors to help them bring their ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace. Over the course of several weeks, the teams receive entrepreneurial education, mentoring, and potential funding to accelerate their fundamental research into emerging products and services.

Funding

A wide variety of financing, equity and grant programs are available to help startups grow. 

State Entrepreneur Grants

Innovate ND is a state funded voucher reimbursement program to help North Dakota entrepreneurs further their business by supporting customer and market research. Each participant is eligible for up to $22,500 in reimbursable expenses to be paid through the Entrepreneur Center. There are two phases offering $7,500 and $15,000, respectively in reimbursable expenses. The participant has up to three months per phase, for a total of six months to complete all requirements of the program.

In Minnesota, innovative and scalable technology businesses may apply for Launch Minnesota grants for business operation expenses (up to $35,000) and for SBIR-STTR first-time Phase 1 and Phase 2 awardees (up to $50,000).

North Dakota’s Bioscience Innovation Grant (BIG) program is designed to foster the growth of the bioscience industry in the state.

Otherwise, for the most part, “small business grants” can be somewhat of a myth. Occasionally, you may come across something, but most often they will be very niche for eligibility and very competitive. Hello Alice is one example of an online resource that may share grants every so often, as well as locally online by ND Women’s Business Center.

Funding Programs

ND primary sector entrepreneurs have the advantage of the funding possibilities provided by ND Development Fund and the nation’s only state-owned financial institution, Bank of North Dakota. ND Development Fund provides gap financing through loans and equity investments not available from most conventional lenders; including their new Angel Match ProgramBank of North Dakota has been an agile partner with lenders. They reduce exposure on financing early-stage companies as well as established businesses.  LIFT is an innovation loan fund to support technology advancement by providing financing for commercialization of intellectual property within the state of North Dakota. A LIFT loan is unsecured financing that includes 0% interest for 3 years, 2% for the next two years, and then a rate equal to the standard Bank of North Dakota rate after that.

The State of MN has added new funding programs recently as well, in addition to their existing lineup of capital options. Such as the Growth Loan Fund that supports entrepreneurial growth throughout Minnesota by offering low-interest loans to early-stage businesses that are seeking to raise equity investments, and their SSBCI Venture Programs to make equity investments into seed and early stage Minnesota startups.

Other state programs (financing, private capital; job; tax) sometimes accessed by our entrepreneurs can be found on our Business Incentives Page. To explore additional funding sources, use the search function of Vault North Dakota

Space

There are a variety of formal and informal spaces to work throughout the metro area to fit your needs and upcoming plans.

A Space To Work

Many entrepreneurs start in the proverbial garage or basement or coffee shop or , but they may eventually need more space or even to be around others. If you are ready for traditional office space, there are a wide variety of local realtors to assist you. However, if you’re more in the stage for short-term space, we can connect you with places like Railyard OfficesEntrepreneur DistrictRegusNDSU RTP IncubatorRegional Small Business Center or other great spaces; such as sometimes we are aware of companies willing to temporarily sublease extra space to startups. The NDSU RTP Incubator building is also home to the NDSU Innovation Studio makerspace.

Engagement

Many area startups look to personal connections as a great way to improve their business while also being an active participant in the ecosystem. The access and ability for genuine engagement has been part of our region’s special magic and is something we hear repeatedly by newcomers.

Making Connections

With the genuinely helpful nature of our community, it’s no surprise that many area startups look to personal connections as a great way to improve their business while also actively engaging in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. As a newcomer described, people here are willing to assist you because they want you to succeed, instead of it being some kind of quid pro quo what’s in it for me mentality. Here are several resources and helpful hints on how to better engage.

Funding

Innovate ND is a state funded voucher reimbursement program to help North Dakota entrepreneurs further their business by supporting customer and market research. Each participant is eligible for up to $22,500 in reimbursable expenses to be paid through the Entrepreneur Center. There are two phases offering $7,500 and $15,000, respectively in reimbursable expenses. The participant has up to three months per phase, for a total of six months to complete all requirements of the program.

In Minnesota, innovative and scalable technology businesses may apply for Launch Minnesota grants for business operation expenses (up to $35,000) and for SBIR-STTR first-time Phase 1 and Phase 2 awardees (up to $50,000).

North Dakota's Bioscience Innovation Grant (BIG) program is designed to foster the growth of the bioscience industry in the state.

Otherwise, for the most part, “small business grants” can be somewhat of a myth. Occasionally, you may come across something, but most often they will be very niche for eligibility and very competitive. Hello Alice is one example of an online resource that may share grants every so often, as well as locally online by ND Women's Business Center.

ND primary sector entrepreneurs have the advantage of the funding possibilities provided by ND Development Fund and the nation’s only state-owned financial institution, Bank of North Dakota. ND Development Fund provides gap financing through loans and equity investments not available from most conventional lenders; including their new Angel Match Program. Bank of North Dakota has been an agile partner with lenders. They reduce exposure on financing early-stage companies as well as established businesses.The LIFT program has been very popular since being created in late 2019. This is an innovation loan fund to support technology advancement by providing financing for commercialization of intellectual property within the state of North Dakota. A LIFT loan is unsecured financing that includes 0% interest for 3 years, 2% for the next two years, and then a rate equal to the standard Bank of North Dakota rate after that.The State of MN has added new funding programs recently as well, in addition to their existing lineup of capital options.Other state programs (funding; job; tax) sometimes accessed by our entrepreneurs can be found on our Business Incentives Page.To explore additional funding sources, use the search function of Vault North Dakota. The ND Women's Business Center also routinely curates various grants and funding opportunities on their website.

Space

Many entrepreneurs start in the proverbial garage or basement or coffee shop, but they may eventually need more space or even to be around others. If you are ready for traditional office space, there are a wide variety of local realtors to assist you. However, if you’re more in the stage for short-term space, we can connect you with places like Railyard Offices, Entrepreneur District, Regus, NDSU RTP Incubator, Regional Small Business Center or other great spaces. The NDSU RTP Incubator building is also home to the NDSU Innovation Studio makerspace.

Engagement

Many area startups look to personal connections as a great way to improve their business while also being an active participant in the ecosystem. The access and ability for genuine engagement has been part of our region’s special magic and is something we hear repeatedly by newcomers. Here are some ways to Engage. Learn more today

Assistance

Our local SBDCs are often one of the first referrals we make for things like business planning, financial forecasting, market research and more. Regionally we have both a  North Dakota Office in Fargo and a Minnesota Office in Moorhead. In addition to the SBDCs, our local SCORE Office has volunteer mentors to help entrepreneurs talk through their ideas and plans, and the ND Women’s Business Center has a local office to help provide programs to support entrepreneurs from business start-up to expansion through a variety of services and resources. The above guidance is often taken and utilized to visit with local SBA partners for early financing needs –Dakota Business Lending and Lake Agassiz Development Group.

You’ll find access to various programs, trainings and webinars in our region. For one-off events and webinars, we suggest looking at theTechstars Startup Digest Fargo, as each issue will feature upcoming opportunities.

The ILT Academy continues to expand their programming into our region, as well as offer online access. Their main startup program is a 10-week interactive, immersive series of virtual classes where participants (of any age) learn to leverage world-class tools, innovation techniques, and practice key concepts in the Lean Startup methodology.

gBETA is a free 7-week program for early-stage companies, providing coaching, mentoring, meetups, pitch opportunities and more. The gener8tor accelerator is part of the same organization, with the accelerator providing a $100k investment and concierge-approach, 12-week program for 5-6 high growth startups per cohort. gener8tor 1889 is a venture capital fund that makes seed investments into early stage North Dakota startups. Named for the year North Dakota obtained statehood, gener8tor 1889 is industry agnostic with target check sizes ranging from $250K- $750K.

The Great Plains I-Corps Hub launched in 2023, as a network to provide training to university-based inventors to help them bring their ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace. Over the course of several weeks, the teams receive entrepreneurial education, mentoring, and potential funding to accelerate their fundamental research into emerging products and services.

While formal resource programs can help startups progress faster, everyone here agrees that the personal connections you will make through the ecosystem providers and peer-to-peer discussions are invaluable. We’ll assist with that, but you may also look to many Local Opportunities to Engage.

Get Connected

John Machacek

Chief Innovation Officer