Some news we've been sitting on and are finally allowed to say out loud: Cubles is a semi-finalist in the MN Cup, in the General Division.
We found out the way you find out most big things these days, by refreshing an inbox more times than we'd like to admit. There may have been some yelling in the workshop. The good kind.
// milestone
What the MN Cup Is
If you haven't heard of it, the MN Cup is Minnesota's statewide startup competition, run out of the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. Every year, entrepreneurs from every corner of the state throw their ideas into the ring: software, medical devices, food brands, and at least one family making poseable paperboard characters.
Making the semi-finals means a panel of judges read our plan, looked at our numbers, and decided the paperboard people deserve a closer look. We'll take it.
What We Told Them
Our pitch is the same story we tell everyone, because it's true. Cubles started with one question: could a cardboard box become the thing itself? Years later, that question is a patented, family-run company. Kids everywhere build their favorite characters with their own hands, no scissors, no glue, and every kit starts as a flat sheet that folds and clicks into something they're proud of.
The judges call it a business plan. We call it what happens when you take creative play seriously.
What Happens Next
Semi-finalists get reviewed over the summer, and a handful from each division move on to the finals in the fall. Between now and then we'll be doing what we always do: folding, clicking, packing orders, and occasionally practicing our pitch on anyone who stands still long enough.
Win or lose, being counted among Minnesota's most promising startups is a milestone we don't take lightly. This company is built here, and it means something to be recognized here.
To everyone who has built a Cuble, gifted one, or cheered us on: this semi-finalist spot is yours too. Thank you for believing in the paperboard people.
