The Twins will help technology startups through a new business accelerator that will give the companies experience and a funding boost.
The Minnesota Twins Accelerator by Techstars will be the first accelerator of its kind in Minnesota sports, according to the organization, and just the second to be operated and funded by a Major League Baseball team.
Joe Pohlad, the Twins executive vice president of brand strategy and growth, whose family owns the Twins, said the accelerator will enable the organization to embed itself at the intersection of technology, sports and entertainment.
It also will help increase and diversify its fan base, he said.
"We have been looking at ways to grow our brand," Pohlad said. "It's really an organization-wide effort to grow the overall Twins experience beyond baseball."
Techstars is a nationally ranked startup accelerator and venture fund that has worked with other companies in the Twin Cities on other similar programs.
Techstars previously partnered with Target Corp. on a retailer accelerator, and also launched the Techstars Farm to Fork Accelerator in partnership with Cargill and Ecolab and the UnitedHealthcare Accelerator.
The Twins have signed on for three years for the accelerator program. The accelerator would bring entrepreneurs from across the globe to the Twin Cities for 13 weeks at a time.