Lunar Startups Selected as Backstage Capital Tour Host in Minneapolis-St. Paul

Lunar Startups is thrilled to announce our selection as the Minneapolis-St. Paul City Partner for the 2020 Backstage Capital Tour! On June 9, we’re partnering with Backstage Capital to bring two events to the Twin Cities — a private afternoon event for startup founders and investors and a public evening event and book signing, where six local startups will compete for a minimum $25,000 investment from Backstage.

The MSP tour stop, which kicks off the midwest portion of the international tour, will help equip local entrepreneurs to build and grow their companies, clarify pathways to capital, and connect with peers, mentors, and funders. Like Lunar Startups, Backstage Capital focuses on investing in high-growth startup companies owned by women, people of color, and LGBTQ founders. As founder Arlan Hamilton states on the Backstage website, “Other VCs see this as a pipeline problem. We see it as the biggest opportunity in investment.” Backstage Capital has invested over $7 million in more than 120 companies to date, including Minneapolis/St. Paul-based Civic Eagle, Hidrate, and HabitAware. You might recognize Arlan Hamilton from the cover of Fast Company, or may have heard of her new book, It’s About Damn Time. Hamilton is the nation’s first black, queer woman to lead a venture capital firm, and famously went from sleeping on the floor of the San Francisco airport to venture capitalist in three years. Talk about inspiration!

Lunar Startups’ role in the MSP tour stop is to inject local talent and community into the Backstage tour framework. This event will help showcase local founders, investors and experts who bring different lived experiences to the table. Local companies and investors can also add dollars to the $25,000 investment on offer during the tour stop. Sponsors and investors can contact Lunar Startups for more information.

Purchase tickets right here. For more information about how Lunar won the opportunity to be part of Backstage’s international tour, check out our press release.