Elevate Your Business
We connect Hennepin County business owners to advisors, training, and resources.
We stand with our business community.
Connect with a Navigator
Identify the best resources for your needs with one-on-one advising.
See all resources
Get connected to professional resources, tools, and guidance from business experts.
Schedule a consultation
Meet with a Business Navigator to assess your best next step.
Jill Cain offers empathy, marketing expertise
For Jill Cain, Elevate Hennepin advisor and founder of Arch Empathy, helping small business owners with marketing isn’t just about social media strategies or brand colors, it’s about finding the spark that customers are looking for.
Latest announcements
New grants available to support industrial innovation in Minnesota's food systems
The MPCA’s industrial innovation in food systems program provides funding to food and beverage manufacturing facilities and food waste processing sites to cut climate pollution, improve efficiency, and reduce waste.
Reminder: Elevate Hennepin small business loan funds available
As part of the Elevate Hennepin small business capital strategy, financing opportunities are available for small businesses.
Hatch Bloomington 2026
In 2026, the City of Bloomington reimagined the program as Hatch Bloomington Loves Local, shifting its focus to supporting existing Bloomington businesses, a strategic move that reflects the city’s commitment to strengthening the businesses that already serve as anchors in the community.
CEO Start group learning
This group-learning opportunity from Elevate Hennepin was designed to guide entrepreneurs with a business idea through the process of validating and launching that idea. Apply today to test your business idea and build a plan to launch.
Events
Get Started with Elevate Hennepin
This 90-minute no-cost, virtual workshop is designed for anyone looking to jumpstart their idea for a business.
Lead generation that works - build a predictable pipeline
In this session, we’ll break down the lead gen strategies that consistently work for small businesses—and what you shouldn’t invest in.
Lead generation that works: build a predictable pipeline
Lead generation shouldn’t feel like gambling. In this session, we’ll break down the lead gen strategies that consistently work for small businesses—and what you shouldn’t invest in (because not everything “works,” even if someone on the internet swears it does).
2026 America’s Seed Fund Week
This free online event connects entrepreneurs, innovators, researchers, and support organizations from across the country to America’s Seed Fund — the nation’s largest source of early-stage, non-dilutive funding for technology startups.