From Honeycrisp to high-tech: How University of Minnesota innovations shape everyday life
See how the University of Minnesota has transformed labs, orchards, and classrooms into launchpads for life-changing inventions.
When you imagine the beginning of a groundbreaking business idea, you might picture executives huddled around a conference table.
But, oftentimes, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Innovation can start in unexpected ways. Research in University of Minnesota labs, in the field, and even in apple orchards have produced some of the most consequential entrepreneurial breakthroughs of our time.
For more than a century, the University of Minnesota has given the world a variety of inventions from lifesaving medical devices to sweet-tart apples and everything in between. It’s a track record of innovation rooted in bold thinking and problem solving that has led to innovations and discoveries that have improved people’s lives and contributed to significant economic development.
Here's a look at some of the biggest products to come out of the University of Minnesota in the 20th century, followed by some recent innovations that have been fueled by the University of Minnesota's Technology Commercialization office.
One beat at a time
In the 1950s, a University of Minnesota team tackled how to save lives during cardiac arrest.
At the request of University of Minnesota physician C. Walton Lillehei, alumnus Earl Bakken invented the world’s first portable pacemaker in 1957. Lillehei was the first to use it in a patient the following year.
The pacemaker transformed cardiac care, extending and improving millions of lives worldwide. It also seeded Minnesota’s now-thriving medical technology sector, which remains one of the largest in the country.
Bakken later founded Medtronic, now a global medical device giant.
Improving safety in automobiles and airplanes
Safety devices developed by University of Minnesota researcher James J. Ryan are found in nearly every mode of transportation. Ryan developed the “black box” flight recorder and the retractable seat belt.
Concerned about automobile safety, in 1949 Ryan began crashing cars into walls while his students observed to complete his own testing in auto safety experiments. As a result, he invented the automatic retractable lap safety belt, which he patented in 1963.
Although nicknamed "Crash" Ryan, he was never injured in the experiments, and federal government researchers frequently consulted him on research.
He also invented the flight data recorder, or "black box," patented in 1960, and now required on all commercial aircraft.
A better way to walk your dog
In the early 1980s, veterinary medicine and public health professor Robert “RK” Anderson co-invented what he thought was a more humane way to walk man’s best friend.
Anderson invented the Gentle Leader collar for dogs, in collaboration with Ruth Foster, then-president of the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors. The collar was designed to replace choke chains.
Anderson’s previous work with cattle and horses, as well as his work in animal behavior, led him to believe motivation, rather than punishment or intimidation, was a more effective behavioral tool, and the Gentle Leader grew out of that philosophy. The Smithsonian named the collar one of the world’s 100 best inventions.
He also co-invented the Easy Walk harness, a no-pull dog harness that helps stop pulling and teaches dogs better leash manners.
Surfing the internet before the World Wide Web
In 1991, a group of University of Minnesota programmers created the first popular means of using the Internet.
Named “Gopher,” the software’s client-server protocol allowed users to explore and view online content before the World Wide Web was developed. It is credited with introducing the idea of saving internet resources as “bookmarks” and helped define what a “link” was and how it functioned.
Gopher was the most popular means of accessing the Internet until 1994.
An apple a day
The University of Minnesota has created dozens of apple varieties, including the Honeycrisp. Honeycrisp are widely grown around the world and are one of the most popular varieties.
Millions have been sold to people who love the well-balanced sweet-tart taste, and explosively crisp, juicy texture.
Since the apple breeding program began at the University of Minnesota in 1878, over 30 apple varieties have been released.
Honeycrisp was named the Minnesota State Fruit in 2006 and was selected as one of the top 25 innovations in over a decade in the 2006 Better World Report.
Continuing to innovate
Fast forward to present day and the University of Minnesota is continuing this tradition and leading the way in startup development.
In 2006, the University added a Venture Center as part of its rebuilt Technology Commercialization office to bring together resources from inside and outside the University to incubate and successfully launch new startup companies based around University research and inventions.
The Venture Center identifies University technology and ideas that are best suited to reach the market through a dedicated startup company, rather than licensing them to an existing company, and provides tailored advice and resources to help them launch. Known as technology transfer, this process helps inventors and entrepreneurs turn breakthroughs into startups.
Since its founding, the center has helped to build Minnesota’s startup ecosystem, launching more than 285 startup companies based on University technology. These companies have collectively created more than 1,500 deep tech jobs and raised over $3.4 billion. Nearly 70 percent of those businesses are still active today and three-quarters are located in Minnesota.
In 2024, the University of Minnesota helped create 25 new companies, and it is one of only four universities nationally to have created 20 or more startups in each of the last four years.
This makes the University of Minnesota the state’s largest single creator of startups.
"We didn’t just wake up one day and find ourselves to be the largest creator of startup companies in Minnesota," says Rick Huebsch, associate vice president, Technology Commercialization. "We’ve spent years fine tuning the process and building the ecosystem, and we’re fortunate to have access to researchers who are embracing entrepreneurship and partners at the University and beyond that can help us build innovation. It takes a village to turn research innovation into a commercial success and it feels like we have many of the right pieces in place."
The University’s startup ecosystem continues to distinguish itself, ranking second in U.S. university startup creation in 2024, with portfolio companies consistently attracting significant venture capital, grants, and public investment.
Here are three recent startups from the University that are thriving:
Disease detection in just a minute
Vocxi Health stands out as a prime example of how university research, when paired with industry collaboration, can create transformative new technologies with global potential. Born from a challenge at Boston Scientific and developed through a close partnership with University of Minnesota researchers, Vocxi Health’s MyBreathPrint® system is a noninvasive breath analysis platform capable of delivering accurate early disease detection results in just one minute.
Vocxi Health’s founding was sparked by a real-world clinical challenge—improving the accessibility and accuracy of lung cancer screening. By bringing together Boston Scientific’s engineering expertise and the University’s research capabilities, Vocxi Health was able to advance MyBreathPrint® from concept to commercial-ready product.
Sustainable agriculture solutions
Jord BioScience, a Minneapolis-based company spun out of the University of Minnesota, is advancing the field of sustainable agriculture with customizable microbial solutions. Founded on more than 30 years of research led by Department of Plant Pathology professor Linda Kinkel, Jord leverages a proprietary bank of more than 6,500 microbial isolates to develop next-generation crop inputs that enhance yield, consistency, and sustainability.
Jord’s microbial products are already demonstrating significant yield improvements in soybeans, addressing one of the industry’s greatest challenges: ensuring that biological products perform reliably for farmers. The company’s ability to rapidly identify and deploy effective microbial combinations—sometimes reducing product development timelines from years to just ten months—positions it as a leader in both innovation and economic value creation for Minnesota.
Renewable replacements for common chemicals
Lakril Technologies, founded in 2021 from discoveries at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Sustainable Polymers, is pioneering sustainable, corn-based alternatives to petroleum-derived acrylics—a $10 billion global market.
Lakril’s patented process converts renewable feedstocks like corn into high-yield, price-competitive, bio-based acrylic acid and acrylates, offering a drop-in replacement for traditional chemicals used in paints, coatings, adhesives, and diapers. The company has raised $3.7 million in capital, and has received substantial grant funding from agencies such as the USDA, National Science Foundation, and Department of Energy.
Giving Link
Support University of Minnesota startups with a gift to the University's Discover, Advance, Impact Initiative Fund, providing early stage investment funding to support innovative research in successfully entering the market, ensuring groundbreaking ideas become impactful businesses.
