Can the Upper Midwest drive digital innovation in manufacturing and logistics?
Legacy Manufacturing Hubs
Manufacturing and farming ecosystems in the US and around the world have developed around a combination of the following ingredients: raw materials (minerals, crops), energy (electric, hydro, wind, solar), logistics (bays/ports, rivers, roads), talent/labor pools, and viable operating economics. A combination of investment capital, balance sheet leverage, and public policy has provided the needed financial backing to scale up.
In the US, several manufacturing ecosystems have come to exist in different regions over the decades, focusing on aerospace/avionics, automotive, food and farming, healthcare, metals and mining, oil and gas, and semiconductors/electronic components/systems. Upper Midwestern states are prominent in this list. These ecosystems have been using current-generation industrial/process controls systems, heavy equipment, and ERP systems.
Industry | Region | Anchor Companies |
Aerospace/Avionics | California | McDonnell Douglas, Hughes Aircraft. |
Kansas | Beechcraft, Cessna. | |
Washington | Boeing. | |
Automotive | Michigan, Indiana, Ohio | Chrysler, Ford, GM, Visteon. |
North Carolina | Borg Warner, Bridgestone, Caterpillar, Continental, Cooper, Daimler, Denso, Freightliner, Goodyear. | |
South Carolina | BMW, Mercedes, Bridgestone, Volvo, Magna. | |
Food and farming | Central Valley, California | Del Monte, Dole. |
Wine Country, California | Gallo, Mondavi, Jackson, J Lohr, Korbel, Rutherford, Sebastiani, Sutter, Wente. | |
Minnesota | Cargill, General Mills, Land O’Lakes, Hormel Foods. | |
Missouri | Monsanto. | |
Wisconsin | Schreiber Foods. | |
Iowa | Rembrandt, Burke, West Liberty. | |
Idaho | Simplot. | |
Healthcare | Minnesota | Boston Scientific, Mayo, Medtronic. |
Illinois | Abbott Labs. | |
Industrial Equipment | Illinois | Caterpillar. |
Iowa | John Deere, Vermeer. | |
Minnesota | Honeywell. | |
Wisconsin | Rockwell Automation. | |
Metals | Pennsylvania, Ohio | Bethlehem Steel, U S Steel, USX. |
Mining and materials | Minnesota | 3M. |
Oil and gas | New Jersey | Arco. |
Texas | Exxon-Mobil, Schlumberger, Valero. | |
Paper | Idaho | Boise-Cascade. |
Semi-conductors | Silicon Valley | ICs – Broadcom, Intel, nVidia, Marvell, SanDisk/Western Digital. IC manufacturing equipment – Applied Materials, LAM Research. |
San Diego | ICs – Qualcomm. | |
Idaho | ICs – Micron. |
Table 1: US regions, manufacturing ecosystems, and key anchor companies.
Digital Manufacturing – Requirements
In the age of ‘traditional’ manufacturing, the resources needed included:
- Skilled labor.
- Power (electricity, coal, hydro/wind/solar).
- Raw materials, natural resources (e.g., farm products, ore, water).
- Railroad, shipping, air transport.
In the age of digital manufacturing, from design to shipping, the following capabilities are important:
- Internet infrastructure.
- Rapid prototyping.
- Automation – robotics, self-navigating vehicles.
- End-to-end integration with supply chain and logistic partners for real-time visibility.
- Advanced STEM professionals in computer science, materials science, and life sciences (clinical medicine, plant biology, molecular biology, and biochemistry).
- Digitally-literate labor with skills (e.g., workers who can operate analytic software or fix a clean room air shower to maintain low ppm particle levels).
- Predictive analytics for preventive maintenance, resource management, etc.
Advanced technologies useful for these capabilities include:
- IoT (e.g., for discrete automation, process controls, asset tracking, robotics, infrastructure management).
- Machine learning (e.g., for instrumentation & control).
- New materials, including nanomaterials.
- 3D printing for prototyping, small-batch quick-turn manufacturing, and on-demand inventory.
- Secure technologies such as block-chain (e.g., for transactions, contracts, logistics).
- AI/predictive analytics (e.g., for monitoring and control, preventive maintenance, ERP).
Next-generation digital manufacturing initiatives have taken root in regions where current manufacturing ecosystems have existed. For example, Tesla’s California factory is housed in the earlier NUUMI (General Motors and Toyota) plant in Fremont in Silicon Valley, where the plant was originally set up in 1960 by General Motors due to cheap land, the port of Oakland nearby, and a freight railroad along the Bay. Similarly, SpaceX (Hawthorne, CA) has leveraged design and manufacturing resources originally set up by McDonnell Douglas and Hughes Aircraft in the Los Angeles area near the port of Long Beach.
The Upper Midwest
Considering the extraordinary value creation of companies such as Tesla and SpaceX, there is a significant investment thesis in enabling next-generation manufacturing organizations to arise in the Upper Midwest, where many similar current-generation manufacturing ecosystems already exist.
Given the democratization (i.e., global availability) of some of the new technologies, the presence of global companies such as Google, Amazon, and IBM in most of the major cities in the Upper Midwest, and the significant academic centers across the region; highly-trained resources are available throughout the region to enable advanced digital manufacturing centers of excellence.
The Upper Midwest also has strong attributes to attract and retain relevant labor pools. Table 2 shows the relative desirability of different regions in the US as destinations for STEM workers. The statistics for the Upper Midwest, broadly including the greater Cincinnati, Columbus, Chicago, Denver, Madison, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Pittsburgh areas, speak for themselves.
Rank (1=Best) | Metro Area | Total Score | Prof Opptys | STEM Friendliness | Quality of Life |
1 | Seattle, WA | 73.60 | 2 | 4 | 15 |
2 | Boston, MA | 71.94 | 7 | 1 | 43 |
3 | Pittsburgh, PA | 65.90 | 12 | 11 | 9 |
4 | Austin, TX | 65.15 | 6 | 8 | 27 |
5 | Minneapolis/ St. Paul, MN | 64.95 | 19 | 6 | 17 |
6 | Madison, WI | 64.00 | 13 | 16 | 13 |
7 | Salt Lake City, UT | 62.96 | 9 | 14 | 18 |
8 | Springfield, MA | 62.80 | 36 | 2 | 7 |
9 | Chicago, IL | 60.71 | 49 | 13 | 8 |
10 | Atlanta, GA | 60.69 | 5 | 27 | 31 |
11 | Cincinnati, OH | 60.51 | 16 | 33 | 14 |
12 | San Francisco Bay Area, CA | 60.50 | 3 | 7 | 67 |
13 | Columbus, OH | 59.71 | 33 | 21 | 21 |
14 | Denver, CO | 57.73 | 10 | 24 | 37 |
15 | San Diego, CA | 57.39 | 59 | 23 | 16 |
16 | Sacramento, CA | 57.20 | 44 | 20 | 25 |
17 | Colorado Springs, CO | 57.00 | 17 | 54 | 20 |
18 | Worcester, MA | 56.88 | 43 | 3 | 65 |
19 | Richmond, VA | 56.58 | 8 | 32 | 44 |
20 | San Jose, CA | 55.79 | 18 | 18 | 53 |
Table 2: Desirability of cities in the US for STEM professionals. (Data Source: Richie Bernardo/ WalletHub, “2018’s Best & Worst Metro Areas for STEM Professionals”).
Superimposed with Table 1, Table 2 shows the opportunity for these regions to become magnets for next-generation manufacturing.
What Do the Next-Generation Manufacturing Innovations Look Like?
As a result, disruptive new companies are emerging in these regions, creating the investment opportunity to fund them from early-stage growth to scale-up. These companies are working with the incumbents shown in Table 1 to accelerate their evolution towards advanced digital manufacturing.
Examples of innovative companies focused on manufacturing and transportation in the upper Midwest include:
Proto Labs[i]– Rapid prototyping: allowing quick turnaround manufacturing.
FactoryFix[ii]– Contingent labor for equipment: predictive diagnosis for timely repair with skilled labor and relevant spare parts for better customer experience at lower cost.
Basin Commerce– River transportation: harnessing of shipping capacity on lake and river waterways using barge booking software.
Rambl[iii]- AI: sales call CRM logging and intelligence that analyzes calls for specific criteria and actions to surface insight.
Stemonix– Drug discovery: tissue manufacturing for testing potential side-effects of new drugs for neurological and cardiac diseases.
Aker– Crop management: Use of drones for crop management based on weather databases and image-based diseases detection.
The Four Legs of the Innovation Stool
Infrastructure, technology, labor, and capital are the four legs of the innovation stool. The Upper Midwest has all of these.
Through new digital manufacturing technologies focused on topline and bottomline benefits, today’s manufacturing ecosystems are ripe for significant new value creation.
At Great North Labs, we are focused on providing early-stage capital to innovators in the Upper Midwest, with an emphasis on next-generation manufacturing. We leverage partners and advisors with market and operating experience in manufacturing. We invest in, and provide guidance and advisory resources to technology startups like FactoryFix that are poised to disrupt the traditional manufacturing and logistics industries in the Midwest.
[i] Donald Krantz, Director at Proto Labs, is an advisor to Great North Labs
[ii] FactoryFix is a Great North Labs portfolio company
[iii] Rambl’s co-founders, Mitch Coopet and Brian Bispala, are advisors to Great North Labs
![](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Artboard-1@3x-e1714492694352.png)
April Newsletter
![](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/December-Newsletter-1.png)
June Newsletter
![Learn about HR in startups.](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/startup-hr.jpg)
Demystifying Startup HR
![We're Hiring](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/News-Template-replae-Background-Image-3.png)
Head of Finance & Fund Administration- Venture Capital Firm (Remote)
![Learn about HR in startups.](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/startup-hr.jpg)
Demystifying Startup HR
![August Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/August_22_Newsletter.png)
3 Portfolio Companies Make Inc. 5000 + Quicklly & Instacart Expand
![July Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/july_newsletter.png)
iraLogix closes $22M + Branch expands with Uber
![iraLogix Closes Series C](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/iraLogix_series_c.jpg)
iraLogix closes $22M Series C
![June Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/June-Newsletter.png)
Flywheel lands Gates Foundation grant
![We're Hiring](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/News-Template-replae-Background-Image-3.png)
Venture Capital Analyst
![execution is king with orazio buzza](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Execution-is-King-cover-art-and-logo-.png)
Orazio Buzza, Founder and CEO of Fooda – on Episode 13, “Execution is King”
![May newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/December-Newsletter-4.png)
$40M Fund II Raised!
![Eric Martell Interview](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screen-Shot-2022-05-19-at-6.50.59-PM-1200x673.png)
Eric Martell, Founder of Pear Commerce: Episode 13, Execution is King
![Great North Ventures Raises $40M Fund II](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/News-Template-replae-Background-Image-2.png)
Great North Ventures Raises $40 Million Fund II
![Investment Thesis: Fund II Strategy](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Fund-II-Thesis.png)
Investment Thesis: Fund II Strategy
![Investment Thesis: Community-Driven Applications](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Fund-II-Theses-5.png)
Investment Theme: Community-Driven Applications
![Investment Themes: Digital Transformation Through AI](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Fund-II-Theses-3.png)
Investment Theme: Digital Transformation Through AI
![Fund II Theses: Solving Labor Problems](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Fund-II-Theses-4.png)
Investment Theme: Solving Labor Problems
![April Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/December-Newsletter-3.png)
Trends in the Gig Economy + Work in the Metaverse
![March Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/December-Newsletter-2.png)
Portfolio raises $125M + talking fundraising with Branch CEO
![Omnia Fishing announcement](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/News-Template-replae-Background-Image-1.png)
Omnia Fishing closes $4M round, joins Great North portfolio!
![Interview with Atif Siddiqi](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Execution-is-King-cover-art-and-logo-9.png)
Atif Siddiqi, Founder/CEO of Branch: Episode 11, Execution is King
![Execution is King Episode 10](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Execution-is-King-cover-art-and-logo-9.png)
Michael Martocci, CEO and Founder of SwagUp: Episode 10, Execution is King
![Yardstik Series A](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/News-Template-replae-Background-Image.png)
Yardstik new to portfolio, closes $8M Series A
![NextGem News](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/NextGem-News.png)
First venture studio startup comes out of stealth!
![January Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/January-Newsletter.png)
Insights for founders from a data guru, + FactoryFix raises a Series A!
![Execution is King - Interview with Una Fox](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Execution-is-King-cover-art-and-logo-8.png)
Una Fox: Episode 9, Execution is King
![](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Blog-Post-Image-2.png)
Start With a Mobile App, Not a Website
![December Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/December-Newsletter.png)
2ndKitchen acquired by SoftBank-backed REEF + advice from an early Googler
![Interview with Joe Sriver](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Execution-is-King-cover-art-and-logo-14.png)
Joe Sriver, 4giving: Episode 8, Execution is King
![2ndKitchen founders](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2ndKitchen-Founder-Photo-2-scaled-1-1200x837.jpeg)
2ndKitchen Acquired by REEF
![November Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/November-Newsletter-Copy.png)
Venture studio startup jobs + advice for founders from founders
![](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Execution-is-King-cover-art-and-logo-7.png)
Best Advice from the Great North Annual Event: Episode 7, Execution is King
![October Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/October-Newsletter.png)
Newsletter: Do you fit our investing themes?
![Interview with Jonathan Treble](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Execution-is-King-cover-art-and-logo-5.png)
Jonathan Treble, PrintWithMe: Episode 6, Execution is King
![](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Anna-Mason-Episode-Cover-Art-1200x675.png)
Anna Mason, Revolution: Episode 5, Execution is King
![Mynul Khan Episode Cover Art](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Mynul-Khan-Episode-Cover-Art-1200x675.png)
Mynul Khan, FieldNation: Episode 4, Execution is King
![Nick Moran Episode Cover Art](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Nick-Moran-Episode-Cover-Art-1200x675.png)
Nick Moran, New Stack Ventures: Episode 3, Execution is King
![Molly Pyle Episode Cover Art](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Molly-Pyle-Episode-Cover-Art-1200x675.png)
Molly Pyle, Center on Rural Innovation (CORI): Episode 2, Execution is King
![](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Kaufenberg-Episode-Cover-Art-1200x675.png)
Justin Kaufenberg, Rally Ventures: Execution is King Episode 1
![September Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Newsletter-Blog-Post-Template-Copy.png)
Newsletter: “Podcast Launched: Execution is King!”
![Execution is King logo](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Screen-Shot-2021-08-04-at-11.03.10-PM-1200x679.png)
“Execution is King” – the Great North Ventures Podcast
![June Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Newsletter-Blog-Post-Template.png)
Newsletter: Fund II is open for business!
![Portfolio Spotlight Blog post](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Blog-Featured-Image-3.png)
Unlocking the Potential of Anonymized Commercial Real Estate (CRE) Data
![Twitter posting for seed and pre-seed startups looking for funding](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Blog-Featured-Image-2.png)
Fund II is open for Business!
![Logo_primary](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Logo_primary.png)
Mike Schulte Promoted to Venture Partner
![April-Newsletter-1](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/April-Newsletter-1.png)
New Name + New Venture Studio
![Great North Venture Labs](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Blog-Featured-Image-1.png)
Great North Launches Startup Studio
![UST on The Wall](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/UST-on-The-Wall.png)
We Don’t Need No [full-time MBA] Education
![Moonshots at the Carlson School](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/20190604_181149-copy-scaled-1-1200x682.jpg)
How the University of Minnesota is Embracing Startup Culture
![Top Stories of 2020, iraLogix, and LaunchMN Calls for Mentors](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/December-Newsletter.png)
Top Stories of 2020, iraLogix, and LaunchMN Calls for Mentors
![Building Capacity](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Screen-Shot-2020-10-29-at-12.55.57-PM.png)
Building Capacity for Innovation
![August Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/August-Newsletter.png)
Seizing Opportunity in a Recession, Allergy Amulet, and Twin Cities Startup Week
![July Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/July-Newsletter.png)
Recessionary times, a record-setting IPO, and Minnesota’s Resilient Startups
![Compass Resilience](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Compass-Resilience-1200x617.png)
Minnesota's Resilient Startups
![June Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/June-Newsletter.png)
July 4th, Equitable American Dream-ing, and Robots Diagnosing COVID
![May Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/May-Newsletter.png)
Jumpstart, the Startup School, and Branch Wins a Webby!
![April 2020 Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/April-Newsletter.png)
COVID-19 Trends, the Great North response, and our Founders Survey
![Giving in the Time of Coronavirus](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Giving-in-the-Time-of-Coronavirus.png)
Giving in the Time of Coronavirus
![capitol building](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/low-angle-photography-of-building-1000738-scaled-1-1200x800.jpg)
COVID-19 Resources for Startups, State-by-State
![March Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/March-Newsletter.png)
COVID-19, the CARES Act, and startups stepping up
![New Business Preservation Act](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/New-Business-Preservation-Act.png)
New Business Preservation Act
![February newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/February-Newsletter.png)
Digital Future Boardroom, PartySlate, and The Lean Startup School
![Startup Summit 2020](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Startup-Summit-2020-1200x600.png)
Great North Labs’s Startup Summit 2020
![Startup Summit 2020](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Startup-Summit-2020-1200x600.png)
Great North Labs's Startup Summit 2020
![Great North Labs January Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/January-Newsletter.png)
World Economic Forum, NoiseAware, and the Startup School reboot
![WEF dates](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Screen-Shot-2020-01-21-at-7.33.48-PM.png)
Great North Labs at the World Economic Forum 2020 in Davos
![Top 5 Stories of 2019](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/December-Newsletter-Featured-Image.png)
Top 5 Stories of 2019
![November Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/November-Newsletter.jpg)
Taking the Founders Pledge, Inhabitr, and gBETA Pitch Night
![buildings with graph columns overlaid](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Screen-Shot-2019-11-27-at-10.27.33-AM.png)
Founders Pledge: Support the Organizations that Support You
![Great North Labs's October Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/October-Newsletter-.png)
BETA Showcase, Greater MN, and Launch MN comes to St. Cloud
![Twin Cities Startup Week 2019](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Screen-Shot-2019-10-09-at-7.01.37-PM.png)
7 Places to Spot Us at Startup Week
![September Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/September-Newsletter.png)
The Greater MN Meetup, Parallax, and Exponential Medicine
![August Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/August-Newsletter-Copy.png)
Greater MN at the big show, Neela Mollgaard heads Launch MN, and Misty’s roadtrip.
![July Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/July-Newsletter.png)
Talking VC, tech kids, and Forge North’s Horizon
![May Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/May-Copy.png)
June: Great North Labs’s first fund raised!
![May Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/May.png)
May: Innovation Ecosystems, SingularityU Kickoff, and PrintWithMe
![April Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/April.png)
April: Minnebar Recap, ZenLord Pro, and Supporting Entrepreneurs
![Minnebar14](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Minnebar14-1200x400.png)
MinneBar 14 Recap
![Tech Madness 2019](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Tech-Madness-1200x457.jpg)
Dispatch and 2ndKitchen claim Tech Madness titles
![Minnesota Innovation Collaborative](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Shot-2019-04-04-at-6.12.37-PM-1200x402.png)
Minnesota Innovation Collaborative
![March Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/March.jpg)
March: Minnebar, Hockey + Hustlers, and Innovation Workshops
![Great North Labs at CES](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/My-Post.jpg)
Great North Labs at CES
![Dec._Jan. Newsletter Copy 2](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Dec._Jan.-Newsletter-Copy-2.jpg)
Dec.-Jan.: Top Posts from 2018, pepr, Glowe, and Misty Robotics
![Top Posts 2018](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Top-Posts-2018.jpg)
Carried Interest: Top Posts from 2018
![Oct.-Nov. Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Oct._Nov.-Newsletter-Copy.jpg)
Oct.-Nov.: Singularity University, Exponential Tech, and the State of Innovation
![The Digital Transformation Summit will take place on July 25th in Minneapolis.](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Digital-Transformation-Summit-2018-e1605573289717-1200x392.png)
Digital Transformation Summit, July 25th in Minneapolis
![June Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/June-Newsletter.jpg)
June: Silicon Lakes, FactoryFix, and the Digital Transformation Summit
![road sign silicon valley highway](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Screen-Shot-2018-06-15-at-12.20.39-PM.png)
Putting the “Silicon” in Silicon Lakes
![Smart factory equipped with AGV, robot carrier, 3D printers and robotic picking system](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/iStock-901810310.jpg)
Digital Manufacturing and Logistics
![May Newsletter Copy](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/May-Newsletter-Copy.jpg)
May: Team Genius, IoT, and the Future of Everything
![engineer and various business information. Internet of things industry.](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/iStock-858527370.jpg)
IoT 3.0
![Healthcare innovation image](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Healthcare-article-picture.png)
Healthcare Innovation
![March Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/March-Newsletter.jpg)
March: Exponential Tech, the “Goldilocks Zone”, and Minnebar 13
![February Newsletter](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/February-Newsletter.jpg)
February: Team Expansion, Dispatch, and Startup School Events
![Great North Labs Newsletter December 2017](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Headerlogo.png)
Great North Labs Newsletter – December 2017
![Rob-Back-To-The-Future-wide](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Rob-Back-To-The-Future-wide.png)
A Letter To My Younger Self
![mixed icons with brown color and tech theme](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Techy-Image-1568x1602.jpg)
Great North Labs Newsletter
![Original Great North Labs banner and logo](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/GNL-Banner.png)
Great North Labs Featured on Tech.mn
![St. Paul city skyline](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/st-cloud-skyline.jpg)
Great North Labs Featured in St Cloud Times
![Ryan Weber teaching incubator class](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/RyanWeber-SummerIncubator-GreatNorthLabs.jpg)
Great North Labs – Featured on BizJournals.com
![computer on a desk](https://greatnorthventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/computer.jpg)