Upcoming events.
April Community Day
Join us for an enlightening Community Day event featuring Emily Lafferty, Director of Operations at Seven Sundays, as she unravels the fascinating story of Upcycling Food!
Discover why upcycled food is not just a trend but the future of sustainable nutrition. With over a decade of experience in driving CPG innovation and promoting food systems that benefit both people and the planet, Emily is a true leader in this space. Don't miss her insightful presentation on April 24th at 10:30 AM followed by an engaging panel discussion where experts will delve deeper into this vital business opportunity. Have burning questions? This is your chance to get them answered! See you there!
Sing up below!
Move It or Lose It: From Strategy to Shelf
Naturally Minnesota is proud to present our Velocity Workshop! This hands-on full-day of retail education is sure to set your brand apart and prepare you for the next step. Join us on April 19th at FINNOVATION Lab if the following applies to you:
Who should attend? Any founder and/or leadership team – with clarity that grocery retail is a channel you already have a focus on – or you know you want to pursue. A desire to truly understand this complex channel and have the baseline resources to successfully execute.
Tools you’ll leave with:
Retailer Roadmap - excel grid of all grocery accounts across the US, including channel segmentation, location, number of stores, and primary distributor partner
Templates:
Account Tracker
Master presentation deck
Sell & Spec sheets
Retail incentives
Annual promo plan
Blue Water Farms Business Plan Presentation
Support a local agriculture start-up and FINNOVATION Lab member as they prepare and refine their pitch!
A light lunch and networking time will be provided at noon, followed by their presentation at 1:00. After the question-and-answer period, they will have time for you to provide them with your notes on the overall presentation.
Office Hours and Brand Photography
As you look back on Q1, are you stuck on something and could use a new perspective? Whether you're looking to launch a new product, revamp operations, or need help with your business plan, consumer research, or packaging and engineering, our experts can help! Office hours are powered by BankCherokee.
Sign up to speak to one of our fractional professionals here: https://loom.ly/aiCEx-A
Stick around or come early to chat with Angela Divine Knox from The Divine Group MN about tips and tricks to improve your product photography at the FINN Lab Photo Studio!
RISE Session #2: Understanding Needs to Connect with Consumers Better
Need to understand what your target audience really thinks, and how to use it to tighten your brand story without spending a fortune on research? We’ve got just what you need to RISE. In this interactive workshop you will walk away with an understanding of consumer needs and tips and tricks in how to look at competitors. Optional pre-work is available and will be sent via email to participate. Register here!
CPG Resource Round Up
Naturally Minnesota, The Good Acre, and FINNOVATION Lab are excited to bring together top local resource providers for a one-of-a-kind networking event at FINNOVATION Lab on April 5th, 1 – 4:00 pm.
We will be connecting early-stage food entrepreneurs with expert resource providers across a variety of disciplines (think packaging, licensing, marketing, etc.). Gain valuable connections and insights crucial for building a successful business.
This event is especially beneficial for early-stage CPG founders who have an idea, are pre-revenue, are selling in the farmers’ markets, or are in minimal retailers. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity! Register here!
March Community Day
Women’s History Month Coffee Celebration 9:00 am - 9:30 am
Enjoy coffee and breakfast treats, sponsored by Nosh Posh!
FOUNDERS FORUM 9:30am-11:00am:
Diverse thought leadership and peer mentorship are key tenants of the mission of Naturally MN.
This round table discussion will be casual and fun, so join us at the FINNOVATION Lab (4th floor) at FINNEGANS Brewery and Taproom on March 27th 2024 at 9:30am. We are excited to have seasoned founders share their experience around a specific topic, answer questions, and then the session will open up for general questions. The March session will feature Lee Wallace and Alec Davis, of Peace Coffee, and Molly Clark of Taking Stock Food. They will be talking about how they navigated distribution, with a focus on retail strategy so come prepared to discuss and ask questions related to understanding different distributors, when and how to add them, and what to consider before expanding your business's footprint. If you are a Founder don't miss out on this opportunity to connect and learn from your peers!
Naturally Minnesota & FINNOVATION Lab Community Day: 11am-5pm
Join Naturally MN and FINNOVATION Lab for a day full of education and connection. This month's community day will feature a session on Consumer Insights with Richard Gentner. All attendees are welcome to stick around for a full day of co-working and networking.
11 - 12am Consumer Research for Startups by Richard Gentner in Training Lab
12-1pm Lunch
1-5pm Open Networking and Co-Working
Feria Bilingüe de Servicios Profesionales Fraccionales para Emprendedores y Negocios Latinos (Bilingual Fractional Professionals Services Fair for Latin@ Entrepreneurs and Businesses)
¿Tienes preguntas sobre tu negocio? Trade Center for the Americas y FINNOVATION Lab te invitan a la primera feria bilingüe de servicios profesionales fraccionales para emprendedores y negocios latinos! Tráeles tus problemas a nuestros profesionales y recibe consejo personalizado. Los servicios están disponibles en inglés o español. ¡Más información aquí!
Serviremos bocaditos y bebidas gratis, y todas las mujeres que participen recibirán un regalo especial para celebrar el Día Internacional de la Mujer. ¡Regístrate aquí!
Do you have questions about your business? Trade Center for the Americas and FINNOVATION Lab invite you to the first bilingual fractional professionals services fair for Latin@ entrepreneurs and businesses. Bring your problems to our professionals and receive personalized advice. Services are available in English and Spanish. Learn more here!
We will serve free food and drinks, and all participating women will receive a special gift to celebrate International Women's Day! Register here.
Creating an Innovation Strategy (February Community Day)
How do you determine your innovation strategy as a startup? Join Allison Hohn (Naturally MN) and Jennifer Barta (FINN Lab) as they take you through assessing an appropriate innovation strategy for your brand. Together, Allison and Jennifer have nearly 40 years of Product Development and Innovation experience and are excited to share their knowledge with founders like you. Register here!
You will learn:
The pros and cons of tackling either core innovation or platform innovation
How you can decide which strategy is best for you and your goals
A few of the best ideation strategies for startup brand
Lunch will be served at 12pm and the session starts at 12:30pm! See you there!
Catalyst Session Applications Due
Work with a team of professionals from JT Mega to do a deeper dive into elements of your brand and marketing strategy. This program will run twice in 2024, and these first sessions are for brands that are selling in retailers or have significant DTC revenue. Apply here!
Cracking the Retail Code with Naturally MN
Join us on February 23rd from 8 AM-4 PM for our Cracking the Retail Code: Winning Tools, Tactics & Strategies for CPG Brands event! This workshop is for businesses with sales between $75,000 to $500,000 that want to take their performance to the next level with retail. This event features a FREE one-on-one session with Kate LaBrosse Consulting, a fresh pricing strategy, tools and templates, a promo playbook, retail incentives, a spec sheet, order form, sell sheet, master presentation deck, outreach information, and much more.
Spots are limited!
Working Wednesday: Office Hours
Connect with industry experts to get personalized answers to your burning questions. Sign up to talk with an expert and bring your unique needs to the conversation. Our experts can help you problem-solve and get unstuck. See the experts and sign up here: https://loom.ly/0gCIIas
Whether you're looking to scale up, refine your marketing strategy, tackle operational challenges, or talk about product development and packaging, talk through it with people who have the tools to help.
2024: Founders, Fractionals & FINN Lab
Monthly community days are back! In January, we will be going over the new programming offerings for 2024 and we will have separate breakouts for founders and volunteers/fractional professionals.
If you can't make it, mark your calendars for the last Wednesday of each month! We've got a whole year's worth of great topics lined up!
Naturally MN Capital Access Fair
Are you an entrepreneur looking to explore more options for funding your business? Dive into this capital access education workshop that will cover the wide array of funding options that are appropriate for each stage of a company, from pre-revenue to over $1 Million. You'll have the chance to learn from industry experts, connect with local financing leaders, and take the next step to growing your natural product, tech, or agriculture-based business.
Join us on January 26th at FINNOVATION Lab and learn what it takes to raise capital and prepare yourself for success in 2024 and beyond.
Brand Building
FINNOVATION Lab and JT Mega are combining our industry expertise, strategic powers, and endless optimism to support founders.
Your potential is out there. All you have to do to meet it is... RISE.
Marketing and Branding Workshops. Quarterly sessions are hosted from 10 am - 12 pm at FINNOVATION Lab.
Exclusive to FINNOVATION Lab Members. Become a member here!