Meet the Cohorts
These founders are leaders of high-growth, early-stage startups who are committed to solving meaningful problems as the next generation of business titans in Minnesota.
We treasure and support our alumni after the program as well - Lunar founders get a hype squad for life!
Interested in applying to participate in a future cohort?
Cohort 6 - 2023
Featured
Cohort 5 - 2022
Featured
Cohort 4 - 2021
Cohort 4 CEOs include a mix of tech-enabled companies and Lunar Startups’ largest group of retail products to date.
Featured
Cohort 3 - 2020
The third round of high-growth, early-stage startups to join Lunar Startups is the largest cohort yet. Companies were selected from an applicant pool of 90 applicants. More than 67 percent of Cohort 3 startups are led by a woman, 60 percent are led by a person of color, 33 percent are led by a woman of color and 7 percent are led by a person who identifies as LGBTQ+. Founders join a community dedicated to their success, including a year’s worth of coaching, resources, cash grants, and customized programming.
Founder and CEO: Zoë Levin
Curbing climate change and empowering health with the first bamboo toilet paper designed for women.
Founder and CEO: Kate Downing Khaled
A consulting firm for the new majority, building better strategies that center users as the most important designer.
Rocky Robinson, a brand for girls
Founder and CEO: Audra Robinson
Encouraging Black girls to be their very best with Rocky Robinson, a character featured in online content, games, and more.
Founder and CEO: Leslie Vaillancourt
Streamlining the giving process for non-profit organizations by fully utilizing mobile wallet technology.
Operations Strategist: Theon Masters
A consulting firm for the new majority, building better strategies that center users as the most important designer.
Founder and CEO: Timi Ogundipe
Increasing integrity and reducing crime on a cashless, user-driven marketplace.
Founder and CEO: Bella Lam
A proudly vegan baking mix company giving back with every single sale.
Founder and CEO: Hayley Matthews-Jones
Elevating designers and makers of the North and spurring local economic activity with pop-up craft markets.
Creative Director: Myc Daz
A suite of alternative tools helping teachers serve all students with relevant content and curriculum.
Founder and CEO: Sabina Saksena
A smart campus solution for higher education that integrates non-academic factors of student success to increase retention.
Founder and CEO: D’Angelos Svenkeson
Helping cities, local non-profits, and small businesses do the right thing, the first time in commercial real estate and urban planning.
Founder and CEO: Mondo Davison
A suite of alternative tools helping teachers serve all students with relevant content and curriculum.
Founder and CEO: Ryan Kroening
Creating mission-centered events where every attendee feels welcomed, celebrated, and included.
Denetrick Powers, Director of Real Estate Development
Helping cities, local non-profits, and small businesses do the right thing, the first time in commercial real estate and urban planning.
Co-founder: Adam Choe
Preparing kids for their first visit to the dentist using entertaining and educational content.
Founder and CEO: Renee Powers
Building feminist communities and promoting women-owned businesses with a monthly subscription box.
Founder and CEO: Quyen Balter
Harnessing AI technology to create the world's first intelligent meditation guru.
Founder and CEO: Michelle Maryns
An AI-powered social enterprise dedicated to helping small businesses care for their customers + communities.
Cohort 2 - 2019
Lunar Startups Cohort 2 is based in the Glen Nelson Center at Osborn370 in St. Paul’s downtown core. Benefits of the 12-month cohort include ongoing visibility, education, stewardship, team development and dedicated space. Lunar Startups will measure success of the cohort based on the companies’ growth, including customers and milestones achieved. The following seven early-stage companies were selected from an applicant pool of 45 startups led by a diverse group of entrepreneurs:
Founder and CEO: Elizabeth Orme
Empowering educators with innovative and intentional strategies and skills to do the meaningful and critical work of improving outcomes for students.
Co-founder and CEO: Trina C. Olson
Co-founder and President: Alfonso Tomás Wenker (not pictured)
Helping organizations excel through strategy development, skill building, and coaching.
Founder and CEO: Dario Otero
Providing superior visual communication and product marketing and branding services through the lens of youth ages 14-24.
Founder and CEO: Elyse Ash
Connecting those struggling with fertility issues who are in need of emotional support with individuals and mentors who have had similar experiences.
Founder and CEO: Marcus Sims
Providing carefree home services – lawn maintenance, snow removal, leaf cleanup – through an easy-to-use app.
Co-Founders: Sheilla and Yasmeen Sajady
Transforming the regional and global food space with an Afghani-inspired, small-batch, gourmet condiment.
Founder and CEO: Vik Mehrota
Offering educational and other institutions a platform for grant optimization, tuition discounting and enrollment yield improvement.
Cohort 1 - 2018
Lunar Startups Cohort 1 is based in the Glen Nelson Center at Osborn370 in St. Paul’s downtown core. Benefits of the 12-month cohort include ongoing visibility, education, stewardship, team development and dedicated space. Lunar Startups will measure success of the cohort based on the companies’ growth, including customers and milestones achieved. The following six early-stage companies were selected from an applicant pool of 45 startups led by a diverse group of entrepreneurs:
Founder and CEO: Caroline Karanja
A data insights and analytics startup that informs solutions to help institutions recruit, retain, and grow top talent in today's workforce.
Co-Founders: Fatimah Hussein and Jamie Glover
A social enterprise created with the mission of increasing sports participation rates among Muslim girls by developing activewear that enables physical activity and sports participation while upholding religious and cultural beliefs.
Founder and CEO: Muhammad Abdurrahman
A safety tech startup providing VIP Assurance, that's Virtual witnesses, Intervention by those witnesses, and Proof of your situation in the session via audio recording.
Founder and CEO: Conor O’Phelan
A calendar system, providing an easy-to-use platform for organizations to post and share their events on websites, social medias, and elsewhere across the web.
Co-Founder and CEO: Jasmine Russell
A strategic agency providing data management and technology solutions for the creative economy.
Take 12
Founder and CEO: Margi Scott
A crowdfunding service allowing friends and family to relieve the financial stress of unpaid maternity leave for working mothers by giving financial gifts in lieu of a traditional baby registry.