MESA Announces New Elite Partner – O8

Minneapolis, MN – October 10, 2023  Minnesota Emerging Software Advisory (MESA), a non-profit, pro bono mentoring organization inspired to make Minnesota’s software economy rank among the most vibrant and respected in the nation, is announcing its seventh foundation partner – O8. This is the third new foundation partner to date [...]

2023-10-10T13:24:23-05:00October 10, 2023|

John Moroney, MESA Mentor since 2017

Tell us a bit about your background, John. I often say that I’ve had two careers. I have an electrical engineering degree and worked as a process engineer for Texas Instruments when I first got out of college. I did spend quite a bit of time in manufacturing and was [...]

2023-05-30T15:02:24-05:00May 30, 2023|

Jason Tober, MESA Mentor Since 2015

Tell us a bit about your background, Jason. Early in my career I wrote software, and while software is in my blood, I found that coding was not. I started my first business when I was 24 – a consulting firm doing software development, and then another software business focused [...]

2023-06-14T14:50:46-05:00February 22, 2023|

MESA Graduate Dispatch Lands a $50M Series C Investment, Grows to 75 Major Markets.

With a growing need for rapid last-mile delivery, Dispatch is solving a critical business need through a combination of delivery management software and its on-demand last-mile delivery marketplace. Dispatch founders Andrew Leone and Ryan Hanson’s nascent idea in 2016 is now transforming the traditional courier space for B2B industrial and [...]

2023-01-25T15:30:49-06:00January 25, 2023|

Partner Spotlight: RSM U.S. LLP

There’s an old saying that great minds think alike, and at MESA, we’re fortunate to have such a like-minded advocate in RSM US LLP. RSM has a long tradition of supporting the communities in which they live and work. One of the ways they do this is by staying close [...]

2023-01-10T16:22:35-06:00January 10, 2023|

George Hadjiyanis, MESA Mentor Since 2018

Tell us a bit about your background George. I’ve been in software and the cloud for about 25 years, back when it was all starting, working with small emerging companies as the head of sales and marketing. One of my most interesting experiences was with Enstratius where I was one [...]

2023-01-03T20:04:23-06:00January 3, 2023|

MESA Graduate When I Work Sets Its Sights on Category Dominance

A smart idea from the early 2000s takes flight in 2010. Today, When I Work serves over 200,000 workplaces in 80 countries, and is focusing its plans for continued growth. Chad Halvorson’s very first job was bagging groceries and stocking shelves in a grocery store. As an hourly employee, he [...]

2023-06-14T14:59:40-05:00December 5, 2022|

Mentoring Helped Pivot Interactives Evaluate Options to Scale and Forge a Path to Success

Founded in 2012 with support from the National Science Foundation, Pivot Interactives develops cloud-based science activities and lab experiments that allow students to explore scientific phenomena without costly lab equipment. In late August 2022, the company was acquired by Discovery Education and its parent Clearlake Capital Group. The acquisition brings [...]

2023-06-14T14:59:49-05:00October 27, 2022|

HelloIgnite Acquired by Forsta for Their Game-Changing Innovation Platform

HelloIgnite, an idea generation and implementation software platform, empowers companies to collect, share and manage innovation ideas from employees to improve experiences for customers. Working with global organizations and Fortune 100 clients, HelloIgnite helps foster innovation and help identify opportunities for company growth, organized through a centralized technology platform that [...]

2023-06-14T14:59:55-05:00October 24, 2022|

MESA Panel on Mentoring at Twin Cities Startup Week 2022

Carving out an entrepreneurial path is not for the faint of heart. Founders and CEOs need to demonstrate conviction to their teams and investors. But no founder or CEO has all the answers, and that’s where mentoring comes in.   On September 21, MESA mentors and mentees came together to share [...]

2022-10-06T16:54:48-05:00October 6, 2022|

Star Tribune column highlights MESA pro bono mentoring that helps build Minnesota’s next-generation software companies.

Achieving Real Impact In his column in the Star Tribune Business section, Isaac Cheifetz captured MESA’s contributions and its continuing goal of helping CEOs of emerging Minnesota software companies get to the next stage of growth and success. More than 70 emerging software companies in Minnesota have been mentored.Thirty-five companies [...]

2022-09-08T17:32:19-05:00September 8, 2022|