A look at the people behind the numbers in area business:
Melissa Kjolsing Minnesota Cup
Title: Director
Age: 29
As director of the Minnesota Cup business competition, Melissa Kjolsing is looking to help entrepreneurs — especially women — vie for prize money and make connections.
One goal is to encourage women to think bigger in launching or expanding a business, said Kjolsing, who is in her second year as director of the Minnesota Cup, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Women own 30 percent of firms nationally, but those firms account for less than 7 percent of total employment, Kjolsing said, meaning that many are one- or two-person operations. Similarly, about a quarter of the entries in the Minnesota Cup have been from women.
"We have fantastic women judges and mentors involved in the program who want to see a boost in female entries because they see the value in it," said Kjolsing. In March, she organized an event to make past and prospective female participants aware of the support, resources and networking opportunities the competition affords. Since 2009, Kjolsing noted, finalists have raised nearly $75 million from investors.
The competition also has increased prize money to $300,000 and added a category — food/agriculture/beverage — intended to appeal to entrepreneurs in Greater Minnesota.
