Minnesota's annual gathering for the people building the innovation economy. A full evening of honest conversation about what it actually takes to build forward in 2026.
BETA State of the State is Minnesota's annual gathering for the people building the innovation economy. This year's program brings founders, investors, media, and ecosystem leaders together for an evening of honest conversation about what it actually takes to build forward in 2026 — when capital is cautious, AI is rewriting business models, and the narratives shaping our ecosystem have never mattered more.
Expect complimentary hors d'oeuvres, a cash bar, and a program built around real talk from people with skin in the game.
Event Details
DateTuesday, March 31, 2026
VenueMairs Concert Hall, Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center Macalester College 1600 Grand Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55105
Social5:30 – 6:30 PM Hors d'oeuvres + cash bar
Program6:30 – 8:45 PM
Connect8:45 – 9:00 PM Post-program networking
Cost$25 per person. Space is limited.
Program
What's on the Program
Five panels and featured segments anchored in data, founder experience, and honest ecosystem analysis.
Opening Remarks
Angela Eifert, BETA • Dr. Suzanne Rivera, Macalester College
State of the Ecosystem Pulse
Angela Eifert, Presenter
Live insights from BETA's Q1 Executive Survey
What enterprise leaders are grappling with right now
Where capital and confidence are moving
Media, Narrative and Trust (Panel)
Melissa Jun Rowley • Evan Ramstad • Daniel Bergin • Dawn Stevens
How storytelling shapes public trust and economic confidence
Media trust cycles and what they mean for founders and leaders
Building visibility through local press in uncertain times
Founders Navigating Uncertainty (Panel)
Moderated by Michael Kerski • Nancy Lyons • Anthony Dann
The founder's advantage in a hard market
Crisis as a catalyst for innovation
Resilience across cycles and what bright spots actually look like
Special Performance
Macalester College African Music Ensemble
Innovation Impact — AI Is Changing the Game (Panel)
Moderated by Jacob Brindley • Seiji Cataldo • Madeline McCloughan • Dan Wick • Michael Arulfo
How AI is shifting business models at every level
Where corporate adoption and startup speed are colliding
What operators and founders should actually be doing right now
Investment Reality Check
Reid Robinson • Stephanie Rich
Where Minnesota capital is moving and where investors are still leaning in
What founders should do right now to position for funding
An honest read on the cycle — data-led, landing on possibility
The Great MN Give Back Hack
Linda Finley • Kate Keuhl
A monthly initiative bringing founders, technologists, and civic leaders together to solve real problems
How to get involved and help build Minnesota forward
Post-Program Connect
Art Commons • Event concludes at 9:00 PM
2026 Speakers
The People on Stage
Founders, investors, journalists, and civic leaders who are building, funding, or shaping what Minnesota's innovation economy looks like next.
Angela Eifert
Executive Director, BETA
Angela Eifert leads BETA as Executive Director, overseeing programs, partnerships, and strategic direction. She has built BETA into one of Minnesota's most active nonprofit startup support organizations, connecting founders with the resources and relationships needed to scale.
Dr. Suzanne M. Rivera is Macalester College's 17th president — the first woman and first Latina to hold the role. A bioethicist and public policy scholar, she is a nationally recognized advocate for equitable access to higher education and the public purpose of liberal arts institutions.
Director of Communications, REVERB • Columnist, Rolling Stone
Melissa Jun Rowley is a journalist, entrepreneur, and international speaker whose work spans media, culture, and social change. A former CNN and Associated Press producer, she writes a culture and climate column for Rolling Stone and serves as Director of Communications at REVERB.
Evan Ramstad is the Star Tribune's business columnist, covering Minnesota's economy, entrepreneurs, and business leaders. Earlier in his career he reported on technology companies in the Midwest and Asia for the Wall Street Journal, with postings in Hong Kong and Seoul.
Daniel Bergin has spent more than three decades at Twin Cities PBS telling Minnesota stories that fill gaps in the public record. A member of the Upper Midwest Emmy Silver Circle with 20 regional Emmy wins, he leads TPT's local content strategy and produced landmark documentaries including Jim Crow of the North.
Dawn Stevens is the founder of Minnesota Podcast and Content Studio and a former Fox 9 morning news anchor with more than a decade of on-air experience in the Twin Cities. She launched the Champlin-based studio to help entrepreneurs, small business owners, and community storytellers produce professional content and find their voice beyond traditional media.
Director of Planning and Development, City of Shakopee
Michael Kerski leads planning and economic development for Shakopee, one of the Twin Cities' fastest-growing communities. He has driven downtown revitalization, entrepreneurship infrastructure, and public-private collaboration — and is credited with some of the city's most significant development outcomes over the past several years.
Nancy Lyons is the Founder and CEO of Everdare Advisors, a future-of-work practice helping leaders adapt at the intersection of technology, culture, and strategy. She co-founded and led Clockwork for more than two decades, is an Emmy-winning speaker, and is the author of Work Like a Boss.
Anthony Dann is Founder and CEO of Biometrica Health, a Minneapolis remote patient monitoring startup expanding care access in underserved and rural communities. His path to healthcare entrepreneurship was shaped by his own experience as a patient at Mayo Clinic, alongside prior leadership roles at Optum and Cardinal Health.
Jacob Brindley is the Co-Founder of Attentio and the organizer of Wild AI, a community-driven series bringing Minnesota's AI practitioners together to build, share, and collaborate. He works at the intersection of applied AI and ecosystem development in the Twin Cities.
Seiji Cataldo is the founder of PraxisGTM and a growth and go-to-market operator with deep experience in B2B SaaS. He previously served as Director of Growth at Trainual, where he led demand generation, conversion optimization, and sales enablement. His work sits at the intersection of AI adoption and practical revenue strategy for growing companies.
Madeline McCloughan is Chief of Staff at Augeo, a Saint Paul-based loyalty and engagement platform serving global enterprise clients. She brings an operator's perspective to questions of AI adoption, organizational strategy, and how large companies navigate rapid technology change.
Dan Wick is Co-Founder and CTO of Omnia Fishing, a Minneapolis platform that uses lake data and AI to personalize the fishing gear buying experience. A serial technical founder, he previously co-founded and sold Red Stamp to Taylor Corporation and has been building data-driven retail technology since 2018.
Principal AI Enterprise Architect, Boston Scientific • Executive Chairman, BETA
Michael Arulfo leads GenAI and AI architecture strategy at Boston Scientific, where he works with senior leadership to align technical direction with business outcomes. He is also Executive Chairman of BETA's Board of Directors and a founding member of the AI Circle. His prior roles include senior enterprise architect positions at UnitedHealth Group and Optum.
Reed Robinson is Founder and Partner of Groove Capital, Minnesota's first check investor backing pre-seed startups. He also co-founded BETA and Twin Cities Startup Week, two organizations that have shaped the state's startup infrastructure for over a decade. Groove has deployed capital into more than 40 companies across two funds.
Stephanie Rich is Partner, Platform at Bread and Butter Ventures, Minnesota's early-stage VC firm focused on food tech, healthcare, and enterprise SaaS. Before joining B&B, she was employee number one at Particle (IoT), founded the startup publication Starting Up North, and built Goby Partners.
Linda Finley is an executive strategy consultant and Founder of Leadership Advantage. She is the founding President of the Twin Cities Business Architecture Forum (TCBAF) and one of the architects of the Great MN Give Back Hack, a monthly initiative connecting founders, technologists, and civic leaders around real problems.
Kate Keuhl is the Founder of Silicon Savannah Solutions, a recruitment agency connecting U.S. companies with software engineering talent from Kenya's tech ecosystem. She has mentored at hackathons across the U.S. and Africa and is a builder of cross-border tech communities in Minnesota.
Founders, operators, investors, and ecosystem partners who want substance over a highlight reel. If you're building, funding, or shaping what Minnesota's innovation economy looks like next — this evening is for you.
Venue
Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center
Mairs Concert Hall Macalester College 1600 Grand Ave Saint Paul, MN 55105
There are many ways to support BETA’s programming! With every partnership, we’re looking to share your expertise and resources in addition to a financial commitment.
