Lunar Startups Welcomes Largest Cohort with 15 Companies

St.Paul, Minn., March 5, 2020 – Lunar Startups is proud to announce the companiesselected to participate in Cohort 3, the largest group of high-growth,early-stage startups to join Lunar's accelerator program. Beginning March 9, 15companies will join a community dedicated to their success, including a year'sworth of coaching, resources, cash grants, and customized programming.

"Cohort3 is the next step in our movement to make more Minnesota millionaires. Icouldn't be more excited to work with such an impressive group of founders anddive into the big problems they're working to solve," said Danielle Steer,managing director of Lunar Startups.

A program of AmericanPublic Media’s Glen Nelson Center, Lunar Startups welcomes thefollowing companies to Cohort 3:

• Bim Bam Boo - Curbing climate change andempowering health with the first bamboo toilet paper designed for women.
• CheqrPay - Streamlining the givingprocess for non-profit organizations by fully utilizing mobile wallet technology.
• Coconut Whisk - A proudly vegan baking mixcompany giving back with every sale.
• Cytilife - A smart campus solution forhigher education that integrates non-academic factors of student success toincrease retention.
• Events by Lady K - Partnering with mission-drivenclients to create mission-centered events where every attendee feels welcomed,celebrated, and included.
• Feminist Book Club - Building feminist communities andpromoting women-owned businesses with a monthly subscription box.
• Imagine Deliver - A consulting firm for the new majority, buildingbetter strategies that center users as the most important designer.
• Minneapolis Craft Market - Elevating designers and makers ofthe North and spurring local economic activity with pop-up craft markets. 
• NEOO Partners, Inc. - Helping cities, local non-profits,and small businesses do the right thing, the first time in commercial realestate and urban planning.
• Peach Mindfulness - Harnessing AI technology to createthe world's first intelligent meditation guru.
• Rocky Robinson, a brandfor girls- Encouraging black girls to be their very best with Rocky Robinson, acharacter featured in online content, games, and more.
• Safe Resell - Increasing integrity andreducing crime on a cashless, user-driven marketplace.
• Schoolz - a suite of alternativetools helping teachers serve all students with relevant content and curriculum.
• We Sparkle - An AI-powered social enterprise dedicated to helpingsmall businesses care for their customers + communities.
• Yonder- Preparing kids for their first visit to the dentist using entertaining andeducational content.

Cohort3 companies were selected from an applicant pool of 90 startups led by adiverse group of entrepreneurs. More than 67 percent of Cohort 3 startups areled by a woman, 60 percent are led by a person of color, 33 percent are led bya woman of color and seven percent are led by a person who identifies asLGBTQ+.

“Foundersin Cohort 1 and 2 created 34 new jobs, 80% of whom receive full benefits. Withtwice as many startups, we can’t wait to see how this next cohort ofentrepreneurs will contribute to the economic vitality of our community,”Danielle added.

Fundedby the John S. and James L.Knight Foundation,Lunar Startups will provide an expanded range of resources to Cohort 3,including partnerships with the Global Accelerator Network (GAN), Techstars,and Hubspot. Highlights include:

• Lunar Everywhere- A digital asset library and learning hub filled with trusted resources forbusiness growth.
• Cash Stipend - Each company receives a$5,000 grant to spend on marketing, technology, and travel.
• Lunar Experts in Residence- Founders Dionne Gumbs (GenEQTY), Julie Kucinski (Pitchwell), and Angela Gustafson(Gustola Granola) will provide coaching and thought partnership to cohortmembers in addition to workshop leadership and training in their respectivefields.
• Lunar Expert Network- Participants have access to 25+ hours of free personal coaching, advising,and counseling from some of our community’s greatest leaders.

“This diversegroup of participating companies in cohort 3 continues to demonstrate thepalpable energy that is growing in downtown St. Paul’s entrepreneurialecosystem. Entrepreneurs who never thought of downtown as a place to start andgrow a viable business, are starting to reconsider, with an increase ofresources to support entrepreneurship,” said Jai Winston, Knight’s St. Pauldirector. “With the changing demographics of our landscape in Minnesota, St.Paul residents are seeing themselves reflected more in the opportunities todrive economic growth in this region.”  

Winston addedthat Minnesota has always been at the forefront of innovation, represented bythe many Fortune 500 companies that have grown organically in the state. 

“St. Paul has theopportunity to continue that trend,” Winston said, “with an intentional focuson ensuring that our changing community demographics are represented within ourentrepreneurial ecosystem and community as well.”

LunarStartups Cohort 3 programming runs from March 2020 through February 2021 and islocated in the Osborn370 building in downtown St. Paul.

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About Lunar Startups
Lunar Startups is a new model for incubating high growth companies led by founders who identify as women, people of color, and LGBTQ+. Launched at the Glen Nelson Center of American Public Media, Lunar Startups is breaking down barriers for innovators, disruptors, and change-makers to scale the next generation of industry pioneers. For more, visit lunarstartups.org.

About American Public Media
American Public Media® (APM) is the national programming and distribution division of American Public Media Group and reaches 19 million listeners via approximately 1,000 radio stations nationwide each week. APM is one of the largest producers and distributors of public radio programming in the world, with a portfolio that includes BBC World Service, Marketplace®, and the leading classical music programs in the nation. APM offers a diverse array of podcasts featuring the best in food, culture, entertainment, business and investigative journalism. For more information on APM, visit americanpublicmedia.org.
Source: Data are copyright Nielsen Audio, Nationwide DMA data, Persons 12+, Spring ‘19.

Aboutthe John S. and James L. Knight FoundationKnight Foundation is anational foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in thearts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knightonce published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engagedcommunities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy. For more,visit knightfoundation.org.