Innovative medical device, animal health, biotech and health technology ideas.

Innovative ideas, technologies and products that strive to create solutions to society’s environmental issues.

Innovative products, services and solutions in manufacturing, recreation, education and all other ideas.

Innovative web 2.0, mobile, software and hardware ideas.

Innovative solutions to society’s most pressing social problems.

For full and part-time undergraduate and graduate students attending a college or university in Minnesota and who are between the ages of 19 and 30 and have less than 5 years of work experience.

They will be picking 10 finalists out of the 50 applications in our division.  We think Paddle Taxi stands a very great chance to making a lasting impact in the division and among the people, however, it is becoming more clear that the MN Cup will have an even bigger impact on the working staff behind Paddle Taxi.  This is going to be an exciting summer…

While we never want to leave a ‘trace’, sometimes we still want to leave our mark…

Dream Job 101 – Adventure Guiding on the Mississippi: The Good, the Bad and the Wavy

Austin Aho has spent more summer days paddling the Mississippi River than anyone in Minnesota.  In 2011, Austin started a paddleboard tour guide company with the mission of sharing his passion for the Mississippi with others in the Twin Cities, and over the past two summers, Stand Up MN (standupmn.org) has enabled people, mostly beginners, to learn and explore the Mighty Mississippi in new and exciting ways.In this presentation, Austin will share 4 stories from his experiences paddleboarding the Mississippi River and 4 lessons on starting an outdoor adventure company.  You can expect entertaining stories and photos of finding dead bodies and naked ones, hard lessons of legal disputes and cut-throat Groupon negotiations, and souvenirs you should NEVER give a politician.He will also be introducing his latest project: Paddle Taxi, a not-for-profit shuttle service on the Mississippi to provide transportation for your next kayak and canoe adventure!

Now who’s scared?  Let’s get this project started…  We mean kick-started!

We are going to be launching a fundraising campaign which coincides with the Midwest Mountaineering Spring Expo: April 26-28!

So we make a plan.  Identify needs.  Create a plan to acquire resources.  Yet without first-hand experience with resource development, young entrepreneurs, like us, need to take advantage of the tools already available.

Thank GOD for the good people at Springboard for the Arts, who created workshops for exactly this purpose.  We will be attending to get a better grip on crowdsourcing:

  February 25: Crowdfunding Panel

This panel discussion will cover the many facets of crowdfunding through sites such as Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, USAProjects and more. Details below. Questions? Call Carl at 651-292-4381 or email carl@springboardforthearts.org.

Resources of the world are becoming more accessible to people of all colors in the most remote regions of the world.  For proof, just check out Kiva, an amazing micro-lender where I am currently sponsoring $25 towards a Cambodian’s small business.

For a big dream from a small dreamer to actualize, one needs to go outside the box, ask for help, and learn from others who know the path.  We hope to utilize some of these resource development tools, alongside dedicated and stable partners, to build a platform for Paddle Taxi to thrive as an asset to Twin Cities paddlers.

Whether it be Kayak, Canoe, Paddleboard, or row boat, we hope to make the Mississippi more accessible to the common paddler!

Stay tuned for updates on our resource development.  And if you know of a group or individual who would like to join or mission, please contact us!