Moving Greater Minnesota Forward Phase 1: Early Idea Development

Shared mobility in Greater Minnesota | Moving Greater Minnesota Forward

We invite municipalities, public transit agencies, nonprofits, small businesses, and entrepreneurs with ideas to improve mobility in Greater Minnesota to apply to participate in our fall 2024 cohort of Phase 1 of Moving Greater Minnesota Forward.

How it works

Our Moving Greater Minnesota Forward program is designed to help you develop your idea, test it, and, if it’s successful, support further scaling. Phase 1 of the program will help you refine your idea to the point where it is ready for pursuing real-world pilot funding.

We open applications twice a year for up to 12 projects per cohort to enroll as a Phase 1 Moving Greater Minnesota Forward cohort with our partner, ILT Academy, to develop innovative shared mobility ideas into fundable projects.

You'll begin with a 10-week program with ILT Academy to develop your idea using innovative Lean Startup principles. You'll participate in a four-hour class online with ILT once per week, and you can expect 10-15 hours of work per week outside of class for homework, prep, office hours, and coaching. Our fall 2024 Phase 1 classes will be held on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting Oct. 9, 2024. At the end of the course, each project team will pitch its developed idea to a review panel.

After you complete the initial course, you'll have six months of additional consulting office hours with ITL to further develop your idea. If your project is ready for real-world testing, we'll invite you to apply for pilot funding as part of an annual Phase 2 project call. We may also work with project teams to connect with private equity, philanthropic, and/or federal grant funding sources. This will be the last Phase 1 cohort in this round before our next Phase 2 project call.

All program costs with ILT Academy are covered and a limited number of stipends are available for project teams during each cohort. A project stipend of $4,000 is available for up to six project teams in each Phase 1 cohort. Recipients of Phase 1 stipends must complete the entire 10-week Lean Startup Course with ILT Academy to receive the full stipend.

ILT Academy will hold a two-hour virtual workshop on Friday, Aug. 30, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., to give you a taste of what its full 10-week program entails. Attendance is open and free to anyone interested but registration is required.

Testimonials

Tammi Hagen, Mobility Manager, Headwaters, Regional Development Commission

Winter 2024 Phase 1 Cohort

"I was fortunate enough to be part of the ILT Academy through MnDOT grant. This was an eye opening, fun and interactive process that allowed me to take and idea and create all that I would need to apply for grants and other funding. Outstanding ILT coaching and encourage everyone to go through the program."

Ryan Johnston, CEO, Waypoint Transit Solutions

Winter 2024 Phase 1 Cohort

"Moving Greater Minnesota Forward Phase 1 has helped me take what was just a simple idea a few months ago and turn it into a real business ready to apply for grant funding with government partners. The program guided me through the process of understanding the problem we are trying to solve and the customers we are trying to serve. It has also given me the support and connections I have needed to develop my prototype and make partnerships in the industry."

Annie Butler Ricks, Resource Development, Bemidji United Way

Fall 2023 Phase 1 Cohort

"Being part of the Phase 1 Moving Greater Minnesota Forward cohort allowed me and my organization the opportunity to not only take full advantage of ILT Academy and their 10-week entrepreneurship course, but to also connect with other people working on transportation-related issues in Greater Minnesota. ILT Academy was designed in a way where each week I refined our transportation program, making it better and more thought out. The synchronous online course, the assigned homework, and all the wonderful questions asked by the ILT Academy team refined and polished my organization’s transportation program."

Eligibility

Eligible project teams

Project teams can be made up of any combination of the following:

Municipalities
Public transit agencies
Nonprofit organizations
Community organizations
Small businesses
Startups
Individual entrepreneurs

Project teams should be based in Minnesota based or have at least one active member or partner organization from Minnesota.

Eligible projects

Project ideas eligible for selection must involve the development of a new shared mobility service or improvement to an existing shared mobility service. Shared mobility is defined as a form of transportation in which transportation services are shared among users. Examples include the following:

Public transit
Van and carpooling
Rideshare
Carsharing
Bike and scooter share
Microtransit
Delivery service

View a list of selected projects.

Eligible locations

While projects don't have to initially be based in Greater Minnesota, they should have some possible applicability to one or more Greater Minnesota communities. Greater Minnesota is defined as the area of the state outside of the seven counties of the Twin Cities Metro area.

Ineligible locations include the following:

Anoka County
Carver County
Dakota County
Hennepin County
Ramsey County
Scott County
Washington County

Timeline

Aug. 12, 2024: Fall 2024 Phase 1 cohort applications open
10 a.m., Aug. 19, 2024: Informational webinar on Moving Greater Minnesota Forward
- View the webinar recording (YouTube).
11 a.m. Aug. 30, 2024: ILT Academy Workshop
- Register for the virtual workshop.
11:59 p.m., Sept. 9, 2024: Fall 2024 Phase 1 cohort application closes
Sept. 24, 2024: Announcement of project selection for fall 2024 Phase 1 cohort
Oct. 9, 2024: Fall 2024 Phase 1 cohort begins

Application process

What you'll need

A narrative of the idea you would like to develop in Phase 1.
A description of the transportation problem you are trying to solve and your idea for a solution to this problem.
A specific Greater Minnesota community you are interested in testing your idea with and any partner organizations you are already working with.
A description of the work you've done so far, and any financial or in-kind resources already committed to your project.
Please include any documentation, sketches, or schematics to help explain your idea by attaching them to your application. Please do not share any proprietary or protected intellectual property in your application.

Application resources

When you're ready to apply

Fill out and submit the Phase 1 cohort application

After you apply

How we select participants

We'll select up to 12 projects per application period to participate in Phase 1 programming. We'll consider and prioritize projects by the following criteria:

Quality of submission
Level of work and resources already committed
Geographic balance
Alignment with our priorities

Our priorities

We're especially interested in projects that address the following needs and will prioritize projects that offer solutions to these challenges:

Services that complement existing public transit by providing first mile/last mile connections to transit services or by meeting a travel need public transit is currently unable to meet
New services to meet the needs of historically underserved communities not currently served by public transit
Improved efficiencies or business models for existing shared mobility services that result in lower operational costs, increased revenue, lower greenhouse gas emissions, or improved service delivery
Winterization models for existing shared mobility services
Electrification of shared mobility services

Notification

We will notify applicants by email on whether they have been accepted into the Phase 1 cohort on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024.
Accepted project teams should confirm with MnDOT that they intend to enroll in the Phase 1 cohort within 24 hours of acceptance notice or their slot may be offered to another project team.
If you are not selected for this initial Phase 1 cohort, we encourage you to apply again in the future.