How many companies will you admit?

We anticipate selecting 12-15 companies for each new Cohort.

Is the program in person? 

Our program will be in person for fall 2024. Founder weekly workshops will be in-person at the ConnectUP! Institute Office in Saint Paul, MN. The founder can choose to have their 1:1 executive coaching session in-person or virtually.

Is there a cost to the program? 

Yes. The program costs $499, two payments of $250. First payment due at approval/ acceptance, second payment due on week 7. We have found that founders get the maximum value out of the program when they are paying for the experience. They opt into more opportunities and take advantage of the Lunar Expert network at high rates. We offer more than $95,000 in services to participants, so it’s worth the investment in your company!

What type of startups is the accelerator looking for? 

We invest in people, not just ideas. We are technology and consumer packaged goods (CPG) focused.  We are looking for resourceful and resilient founders solving meaningful problems in society. When evaluating applications we look for strong teams and self aware founders who know their strengths and weaknesses and are not afraid to ask for help.  We value commitment and determination, so we are after founders that can execute and are all in.

What if I have a day job? Can I still participate?

Most likely! Can you be available every Tuesday for 3 hours a week between August and November?

Do I have to have paying customers to apply to the program? 

Nope. Lots of our startups are pre-revenue before joining the program. In the application process, we need you to help us understand the revenue potential related to the customer base. 

How many users or customers do I need to apply? 

Lunar requires that participating startups already have a product or service in the marketplace and can demonstrate traction of some sort. Because of the wide variety of solutions that apply, we don’t have a minimum number of users or customers. Be sure to demonstrate in the application process the pain point you solve, why customers want your solution, and any traction metrics you can point to for your market potential.

I have a successful service-based company. Can I still apply? 

We accept all companies aside from tech-based service providers. If you are a tech-based service provider we are happy to make a recommendation for the best-suited program within the Minnesota support system.

How much do you invest? 

We don’t invest directly into participating startups. We invest in you! Our goal is to provide you with the tools and resources you need to scale your business.

We’ve been working on our startup for a while, does it make sense for us to apply?

Yes! We’re more interested in where you want to take the company and how you plan to meet that ambition. We focus on companies that want to scale and founders that have the potential to get there, not the age of the company.

Do I have to write a business plan? 

Nope. We do ask that you submit a deck (aka slides in .pdf form that describe your company, the problem you solve, what makes you unique in the marketplace, and a bit about the team).

Will you sign an NDA? 

No. The reality is that most early-stage support organizations, service providers, and investors will not sign an NDA at this early stage. We do take confidentiality seriously, however.

If I’m admitted, how do I know there won’t be other companies that will compete with me in the same cohort? 

First, we don’t share information you disclose to us without permission. Our goal is to curate a cohort of companies where you can learn and grow, meaning we do our best to select a group that is not in competition with each other within each cohort. We do this based on information submitted during the application process, so be sure to include any potential industries or offerings you are actively pursuing. There may be companies across the community with whom you compete.

If I go through the program, am I guaranteed to receive funding? 

No. We work hard to ensure you and your business are capital ready upon graduation, but we don’t guarantee you will get any type of funding.

Can a non-profit organization apply? 

No. We focus on for-profit companies at this time. We recommend reaching out to Propel for Nonprofits, FINNOVATION LAB, and Impact Hub MSP if you have a non-profit and are in need of support.

A Transformational Experience - Before the program formally begins, our team will work with you to get to know your company as quickly and deeply as possible so we can create a tailored growth plan for your success during the program. Then, in mid-Marchl, we formally kick off the program with a one-day orientation to help you start to bond with your fellow founders and the Lunar team. You’ll be provided with multiple layers of support so you can best leverage the Lunar resources for your unique path; we like to say that everything at  Lunar is “just a conversation away.” During the 14-week program, founders meet as a group in person or virtually every week. You’ll also have a schedule of private coaching sessions and opportunities to schedule your own meetings with Lunar Experts. Our  Lunar Cohort Connect graduation event will help you get to know our Lunar champions. We celebrate with a graduation event in June. We treasure and support our alumni after the program as well - Lunar founders get a hype squad for life!

Lunar Startup Library - A digital asset library and learning hub on our Lunar Everywhere platform where you can access trusted, relevant resources to accelerate your business.

Access to  Legal Services -  Our expert network of legal professionals is here to help you grow your company.

Executive Coaching - Turning Founders into CEOs, your personal coach will keep you accountable to your goals and milestones via monthly executive coaching sessions.

Skill Building - Workshops and presentations with quality experts focused on relevant operational skills and capacity building. This includes sales strategy, revenue planning, product development, digital marketing, pitch prep, and more.

Monthly Founder Meetings - A facilitated conversation to discuss challenges, workshop ideas, gather feedback, and feel less alone in your journey. Our founders love these meetings!

Lunar Expert Network - Meet the experts ready and willing to contribute to your success. Participants have access to 25+ hours of free personal coaching, advising, and counseling from some of our community’s greatest experts.

Global Accelerator Network (GAN) - We are a member of GAN, an invite-only community of the world’s most respected organizations that provide startups with the best resources to create and grow their businesses, wherever they are. Startups accepted into a GAN accelerator have access to a variety of exclusive perks including over $1M worth of free services, introductions to a network of investors and access to soft landing spaces worldwide. This includes Hubspot for Startups, Drift for Startups, Freshbooks for Startups, and so much more.

Company Milestones

Our team conducts deep-dive analyses of each Lunar cohort company and helps founders make tailored plans for success during their time at Lunar. We analyze the results and execute intensive 1-on-1 sessions with each founder throughout the program that result in a custom experience, tailored content, and individual milestones for each company. Examples of these milestones could include:

• You understand the basic avenues for raising money (bootstrapping, loans, equity investors, grants, etc.), you have a basic plan for your revenue goals and how to achieve them.

• You have applied for federal trademark protection and understand how to protect your company’s intellectual property.

• You have a documented sales process and a CRM system.

• You have a set of evidence-based financial projections for your business, and/or you know who to contact to help you do projections if you need to create them.

• You have written agreements with all interns, independent contractors, and/or employees. Each written agreement protects company intellectual property.

• You have a bookkeeping system that works for your business and ensures that you are not mixing personal and business funds.

• You have an updated terms of use agreement and an updated privacy policy for your website/app/product.

• You are ready to confidently scale your startup as its founder and CEO.

To be eligible to apply to Lunar Startups, a startup must already have a product or service in the marketplace with a founding team that meets the following criteria:

• Once all founders have paid the program fee they can attend all sessions including workshops and 1:1 executive coaching. as long as they have completed their financially commitment

• You ( and your co-founders) have clear majority ownership in your company.

• Your company and/or founders do not have any ongoing legal action (such as bankruptcy, court disputes, etc.) among past or present co-founders, investors, partners, or customers.

• You commit to participate in all evaluation activities including surveys and interviews before, during, and after the program.

• You commit to paying the $125 per founder monthly programming fee. This is required to access the benefits and opportunities associated with the programming including access to an accelerator network platform, customized business assessments, legal resources, and 1:1 expert coaching.

• Your company is based in Minnesota, or doing significant business within Minnesota. If you aren’t in Minnesota, sign up for Lunar Everywhere to learn about other Lunar Resources.

The Lunar experience is priceless. Not only do Lunar participants receive unparalleled support and access to resources, the most valuable component of this program is the other participants. Lunar brings together founders from various backgrounds, industries, and stages of growth to ensure we can all learn something from one another. Anything we need is only a conversation away. This is Lunar's superpower and it creates a recipe for real magic.

-Renee Powers, #Cohort3 CEO of Feminist Book Club

Applications for #cohort8 are Closed. Join the ConnectUP! Institute mailing list for the latest accelerator updates!

If you have questions about anything related to the application, please email becky@connectupmn.org.

We’re proud to use the Typeform to host our application!

Review Process

The application and review process will proceed in two phases. In July, the Lunar selection committee will make a first cut to the application pool. If you are invited into the next phase of the application process:

• Semi-finalists will be notified and will be invited to answer additional questions about their company within 1 week of being notified.

• Staff will send invitations for a final Zoom interview before cohort selections are announced in July.

• Cohort programming starts in August.