Founders Circle

Founders Circle 2021

Founders Circle is an effort led by the Minnesota founder community to pay-it-forward and raise $25,000 for the Silicon North Stars program in 2021. Silicon North Stars board member Damola Ogundipe (CEO & Co-founder of Civic Eagle) is leading the challenge to get startups of all stages and sizes to contribute to the future of the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Creating a Fund for Tomorrow's Future

Our mission is to educate and inspire young Minnesotans towards futures in tech. We focus exclusively on youth from economically underserved communities in St. Paul and Minneapolis and our programs are 100% cost free for the students. Each year, we select a cohort of rising 9th graders with a passion and interest in tech and guide them through a week-long tech summer camp. We then support their entry into high school and offer four years of hands-on programming, mentorship, and connections with the Twin Cities tech ecosystem as they prepare for college and ultimately for futures in technology. Our students are also eligible to apply for a college scholarship after they have completed junior year of high school.

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Participating Companies

Deepinder Singh

Tyrre Burks

Michelle Tran Maryns

Jeff Lin

Andrew Felbinger

Stephanie Rich & Brett Brohl

Andrew Murphy

Reed Robinson

Casey Helbling

Leslie Vaillancourt

Damola Ogundipe

Clarence Bethea

Leena Pradhan-Nabzdyk

Conor O'Phelan

Lee & Blaine Jones

Danielle Steer

Whitney Larson & Parag Shah

Ryan & Rob Weber

Kevin McArdle

Participating Donors

Daren Cotter
Entrepreneur & Angel Investor

Scott Burns
Structural

Lynn Langit
Lynn Langit Consulting LLC

Anne & Kyle Johnson

David & Sarah Winkler

Carson Kipfer

Casey Schultz

Jonathan & Nicki Weinhagen

Aneela & Sameer Kumar

Christian & Leslie Vaillancourt

Kathryn Green