Keep Minnesota Entrepreneurs in Minnesota!
Except for the fact that 11 year-old Riley and her family leave, Minnesota comes off looking pretty good in Pixar’s new blockbuster, “Inside Out.”
Minnesota is where Riley learned to play hockey, enjoyed going to the lakes with her family in the Summer, and loves her teammates, friends, and school (yes, school).
So, why’d the family move to San Francisco?
Because it was a better place for her Dad to start a high-tech company.
Not an Oxymoron: “Minnesota Entrepreneur”
Unfortunately, there’s more than a little (painful) truth to that.
While Minnesota entrepreneurs famously launched such giants as Cargill, Medtronic, Target, and Best Buy, this area does lose high tech talent and capital to places like Silicon Valley.
Which is why the state is lucky to have successful entrepreneurs like David and Sara Russick, founders of local investing group Gopher Angels.
The organization identifies and screens promising Minnesota start-ups, and helps make sure that they find their employees, capital, and investors here, not elsewhere (full disclosure: I’m a member).
Maybe in the inevitable sequel to “Inside Out,” Riley’s family will move back to Minnesota after the Dad’s start-up is bought out . . . and he starts his next company here.
