TCB Talks: Minnesota Capital Forum
A featured event of Twin Cities Startup Week 2026, September 14–18.
Thursday, September 17 | 2:30–6:30 PM Macalester — Mairs Concert Hall, 130 S Macalester St, St. Paul
Minnesota has the raw ingredients for a startup boom: Fortune 500 headquarters, world-class research institutions, and no shortage of ambitious founders. So why do we keep losing ground on job growth and available capital to smaller markets we should be beating? That's the question at the center of TCB Talks: Minnesota Capital Forum.
Twin Cities Business brings venture capital leaders, corporate executives, and the founders building tomorrow's companies into one room to discuss how to unlock $1 billion in new startup capital and build the economic engine for Minnesota's next generation.
You'll hear where local venture capital really stands, what thriving markets are doing right, and how we level up here at home. Plus, hear from founders building Minnesota's future, and the investors betting on them, in a showcase of the emerging companies that could define our next generation of growth.
Agenda
2:30–3:00 PM | Registration
3:00–3:10 PM | Welcome Charlie Rybeck, vice president of editorial innovation, Twin Cities Business, sets the stage.
3:10–4:00 PM | The State of Local Venture Capital Matt Lewis, VP of Partnership Strategy at Greater MSP, examines where Minnesota stands and what other markets are getting right.
4:05–4:55 PM | How to Level Up the Startup Scene in Minnesota Moderated by Lucas Giambelluca, President for Bank of America Twin Cities, this panel gathers leading local investors to share the ideas that could reshape our ecosystem.
Panelists include:
Rob Weber, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Great North Ventures
Mary Grove, Managing Partner at Bread and Butter Ventures
Ryan Broshar, Founder & Partner at Matchstick Ventures
5:00–5:45 PM | Founder Showcase A curated group of investors will introduce founders from the companies they're backing, giving the audience an up-close look at the people, ideas, and emerging startups that could shape Minnesota's next generation of growth.
Hear from:
Reed Robinson, Groove Capital
Scott Burns, Mairs & Power
Ryan Broshar, Matchstick Ventures (pending)
5:45–6:30 PM | Networking Connect with the leaders, investors, and founders shaping what comes next.
Getting here on Thursday. Parking, Basecamp, lunch, and the rest of the day: tcstartupweek.com/thursday