Greater MSP

Bold. Forward. Together.

INNOVATIONS

OF THE WORLD

GREATER MSP is a public-private partnership of more than 4,500 individuals from over from 300+ leading businesses, universities, cities, counties, and philanthropic organizations in the Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul region (Greater MSP).

Leading executives in the region came together to create GREATER MSP so they could work in partnership to accelerate the competitiveness and inclusive growth of the 15-county economy. And grow it has. In 2017 alone, nearly 100,000 newcomers arrived in Greater MSP—about 3% of the metro area’s population of 3.6 million.

ABOUT THE REGION

The Greater MSP region has a decades-long history of innovation. From medicine and manufacturing to food and ﬁtness, Minnesota inventions have solved some of the world’s biggest challenges and changed how people work and live. This culture of innovation is clearly evident in our region’s strong and diverse economy. Fifty companies began their rise to the Fortune 500 list as startups in Minnesota.

And today, 16 Fortune 500 companies are based in Greater MSP—the highest per capita rate in the nation. This headquarters economy is supported by a thriving business community of companies of all sizes in more industries than other comparable regions in the US. Our growing, globally-connected region is very productive, with $260 billion in output generated by one of the nation’s highest workforce participation rates. This makes our economy the 46th largest in the world.

WHAT WE DO

GREATER MSP is a nonproﬁt, cross-sector partnership with a professional staff and hundreds of investors. It acts as a platform for regional leaders and organizations to come together to do the globally impactful work they can’t do alone. This is achieved through:

Tracking the region’s economic performance. Using 56 economic indicators informed by 6,000 data points, we track how our economy is performing compared to a set of competitive regions.
Creating the regional economic development strategy. This data informs a shared strategy with multiple areas of action like job growth, innovation, racial inclusion, and affordability.
Growing jobs and capital investment. Over the past eight years, GREATER MSP has attracted 170 business projects to the region, creating more than 40,000 jobs and $4 billion of investment.
Generating national and global awareness. By telling the stories of the people and places in Greater MSP, we reach millions of individuals, entrepreneurs and site selectors around the US and world, increasing awareness and positive perceptions of the region.
Powering cross-sector coalition. GMSP leads strategic initiatives on issues like talent, air service and entrepreneurship by convening hundreds of organizations to make change on a regional scale.

Learn more about our spotlight strategic initiative, Forge North, below and view our list of other GREATER MSP strategic initiatives.

SPOTLIGHT STRATEGIC INITIATIVE: FORGE NORTH

Forge North is another strategic initiative of the GREATER MSP Partnership that aims to make MSP the best place for people from every background to start and scale ventures that create wealth by solving global challenges.

Partners in Forge North are building off the region’s legacy as a destination for problem-solvers. Local problem-solvers have started and scaled some of the world’s leading companies, including 50 Fortune 500 headquarters leading industries like food, health, retail, and more. Today, local innovators continue to transform these industries.

The coalition of partners leading Forge North includes a council of local entrepreneurs, venture capital leaders, corporate innovation executives, and directors of entrepreneurial support organizations. These partners work together to proudly celebrate the MSP startup community around the globe as well as dream bigger by rallying that community around a bolder set of startup goals for the near future.

Forge North partners also work to inclusively connect people to the local innovation community through resources like the Forge North compass, a tool that helps current and prospective entrepreneurs navigate nearly 500 local startup support resources like accelerators, funds, competitions, peer groups, and more. Visit forgenorth.com to learn more.