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February 6, 2020
CitySide Ventures’ David Weaver: When Your Plan Doesn’t Work, Be Ready To Pivot To Something New
By Mark Scott
Longtime dealmaker put more than three decades of diversified management experience to use to help early-stage companies connect with the resources they need to grow their businesses.
January 9, 2020
DHL Supply Chain gets proactive with the digital disruption
About three years ago, DHL Supply Chain changed how it considered digitalization, moving from defense to offense and working directly with startups. Sally Miller, CIO North America, shared how the company set up and runs this innovation funnel.
December 19, 2019
Ovid’s Matt Geiger: Focus On Finding Ways To Get The Deal Done
Matt Geiger has experience as both an entrepreneur and an investor. When he’s an entrepreneur, he’s learned the value of letting the investor be the smartest one in the room.
December 17, 2019
Jessica Gibson on raising capital from inside a health-tech startup
Pittsburgh’s efforts to grow its regional health-tech and life science startup sector haven’t paid off as much or as quickly as city and business leaders would like. But Ariel Precision Medicine CEO and co-founder Jessica Gibson believes there’s still a path forward with more collaboration.
December 12, 2019
Pre Brands’ Jason Pinter: Build An Investment Thesis That Works For You
Feedback is important as you’re building a business. But you’ve got to do what you think is best, says Pre Brands’ Jason Pinter.
December 9, 2019
Innovation Fund NEO Awards $275K To Five Startup Companies
Founded by the Lorain County Community College Foundation, Innovation Fund awards technology-based startups up to $100,000 so they can validate their technologies and business concepts.
November 21, 2019
Pitt Ohio spinoff Idelic iterates quickly, including during fundraising
Hayden Cardiff approaches raising capital the same way he approaches building a product — with a lean startup methodology of build, measure and learn. The Idelic CEO discusses the company's growth and how he's applying what he's learned.
November 7, 2019
MedPilot Co-Founders Bring A Methodical Approach To Scaling Their Business
Matt Buder Shapiro and Nathan Spoden have taken a humble yet confident approach to building MedPilot.
October 24, 2019
Denise Devine’s tips and traps for capital-raising entrepreneurs
RTM Vital Signs' co-founder Denise Devine explores the stages of capital raising and what entrepreneurs should look for, and look out for, at each.
October 22, 2019
Fifth Season expands its vertical farming, stays focused on capital efficiency
Vertical farming is capital intensive, which is why Fifth Season co-founder and CEO Austin Webb relies on his financial analyst and investment banking background to help manage the funding for the startup, which has raised over $35 million to date.
October 10, 2019
These sisters roll up their sleeves for the nitty gritty hard work of growing The W Nail Bar
Manda Mason and Lauren Hunter share the story behind their rapidly growing nail salon business, which includes a unique store-within-a-store partnership deal with DSW.
October 2, 2019
Angel Investing: The Power Of Group Intelligence
Former American Eagle President Don Morrison, who now mentors entrepreneurs as chairman of deal flow for BlueTree Allied Angels, talks about angel investing, scaling startups and what entrepreneurs should be looking for when it comes to investors.
September 27, 2019
Studio B’s Bonnie Smith: Think Before You Bootstrap
Brand agency founder Bonnie Smith talks about the key questions you need to ask before you try to bootstrap your business and her role as a pioneer for other African-American female entrepreneurs.
September 19, 2019
As Gus Gear grows, Sarah Palya eyes taking on investors
Sarah Palya had limited business experience when she started Gus Gear. She’s had to learn as she goes, and now she feels her medical device startup is ready to jump to the next level, including possibly taking on investors.
September 13, 2019
Ikove Takes High Risks For Big Returns In Tech Commercialization
Ikove Capital Partners keeps a low profile, investing at the founder level in companies that commercialize technologies in partnership with Midwest research institutions like Ohio State. By the end of next year, it expects to have 20-plus companies in a portfolio that already includes Nikola Labs, ParaGen Technologies and Cognovi Labs.
September 12, 2019
TPA Stream's Jacob Sheridan: Find A Problem, Then Start A Business
Don’t try to start a business, advises TPA Stream CEO Jacob Sheridan. Try to find a big problem and come up with a creative way to solve it. That's your business.
August 21, 2019
Pitt's Big Idea Center guides first-time entrepreneurs
Babs Carryer, director of Pitt's Big Idea Center talks about Pittsburgh’s startup ecosystem, raising capital and the Big Idea Center.
August 16, 2019
VentureOhio’s Tabs Top 50 Startups To Watch
Columbus’ startup culture is bustling, with 24 Central Ohio companies called out by VentureOhio in its 2019 list of Ohio’s top 50 most promising startups. Northeast Ohio has 10 startups on the list.
August 16, 2019
Investors Seek Startup CEOs Who Are Willing To Take Risks
Early-stage entrepreneurs who are willing to put it all on the line to build a business are held in high regard by investors — even if they ultimately fail, says StartInCLE founder Ed Buchholz.
August 15, 2019
GhostWave's Dean Zody pinpoints route to commercialization
GhostWave founder Dean Zody discusses his company, which grew out of research at The Ohio State University, and its progress toward scale and commercialization.
August 7, 2019
Mobility Startups Ride Wave Of Momentum
Ann Arbor SPARK’s Komal Doshi is working to create more mobility deal opportunities for companies like May Mobility, which has raised more than $33 million for its autonomous shuttles.
August 1, 2019
COHatch's Matt Davis Seeks To Connect Startups To Investors
The founder of COhatch discusses how it fits — or doesn’t — into the coworking space, and how he hopes to leverage the business to strengthen startup communities.
July 26, 2019
Collaboration Drives Momentum In Cleveland’s Startup Community
JumpStart CEO Ray Leach has been focused on urgency of late in his assessment of Northeast Ohio’s startup community.
July 23, 2019
Mark DeSantis steers RoadBotics through rapid growth
RoadBotics CEO Mark DeSantis shares his experience building RoadBotics from the ground up, including rapid two-year growth since it got its first customers.
July 10, 2019
Rachel Angel Preps Peerro For Growth
Founder Rachel Angel discusses how she wants to grow Peerro by helping create stronger employment connections between companies and young adults.
July 8, 2019
Find Investors Who Fit Your Startup's Business Model
It often takes some time for early-stage entrepreneurs to learn the value of authenticity in their pitches to investors. That has certainly been the case for Laura Adiletta and Cullen Naumoff, co-founders of Farm Fare.
June 20, 2019
UPMC Enterprises invests in its own disruption
Officially created five years ago to create health care innovations that improve the lives of patients in meaningful ways, UPMC Enterprises encompasses the $130 million a year that UPMC lays out for corporate venture investments and R&D.
June 13, 2019
Woodward Angels Ready To Spark Entrepreneurial Growth
Lauren Hoffman of Woodward Angels and Tim Parker of Grand Angels talk about their effort to make connections and spark more early-stage entrepreneurial growth in Southeast Michigan.
June 7, 2019
Drips Ponders Best Path To Continued Growth, Liquidity
Co-founder and CEO A.C. Evans talks about lessons learned building a business without outside investors, and why it may be time to change that approach.
June 6, 2019
Braxton Miller learns the Xs and Os of investing
Braxton Miller isn’t just putting time in on a football field these days. He’s turned to business — investing in and endorsing several brands.
May 29, 2019
Ryan and Hoa McManus go full throttle with microtransit startup SHARE
After quietly raising $5 million, the microtransit business is expanding into Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis and Dallas, with more cities on the way.
May 21, 2019
Diamond Kinetics swings for the fences with sensor technology
CEO C.J. Handron talks about how he brought Diamond Kinetics from the lab to the ball diamond with the help of Pittsburgh’s early-stage community.
May 14, 2019
Pipeline Angels: Driving change in Detroit’s angel investor community
Kerry Ann Rockquemore and Pipeline Angels bring needed guidance to help young entrepreneurs shape their vision and target markets that offer a better chance for success.
May 10, 2019
Wisr's Kate Volzer: Networking Makes Anything Possible For Your Startup
Kate Volzer, co-founder and CEO at Wisr, talks about her entrepreneurial journey that began as a student at the University of Chicago.
May 3, 2019
Steven Santamaria: Getting To 'No' And Other Startup Secrets
The serial entrepreneur and CEO of Folio Photonics shares lessons learned from the business deals he’s made and explains why starting a business is a lot like going on vacation.
May 1, 2019
Joe DeLoss nearly got burned before making Hot Chicken Takeover a success
From nearly missing payroll to expanding too quick, the founder survived missteps on the way to building one of the area's hottest fast-casual restaurant chains.
April 25, 2019
JumpStart's Cathy Belk: Plan Your Exit Before You Start Your Business
You can’t start a business these days without planning your way out.For early-stage entrepreneurs, thinking about a potential exit from the business starts before the company is even launched.“Many of
April 23, 2019
Honeycomb Credit expands crowd financing model beyond Pittsburgh
How CEO George Cook is blending crowd funding and community banking to change the way small businesses get loans.
April 19, 2019
Chris Rizik: Honesty Is The Best Policy When Pitching VCs
Chris Rizik shares his insight on how to make a better pitch to investors, as well as the growth opportunities that exist in Detroit’s VC community.
April 9, 2019
Corporates join VCs to fill pipeline for Pittsburgh tech investment
Pittsburgh’s tech startups attract the lion’s share of funding and attention, says Innovation Works’ Gary Glausser. We spoke with him about trends in tech investing, including highlights from Investment in Pittsburgh’s technology sector report, and the upcoming the AI & Robotics Venture Fair.
March 15, 2019
Venture for America taps Cleveland for accelerator
Venture for America has selected Cleveland to host its national business accelerator targeting entrepreneurs that are recent college graduates, netting out competing proposals from Columbus and
March 8, 2019
UH Ventures seeks every opportunity for innovation
Through UH Ventures, University Hospitals Health System hopes it can become a powerful force to enable the next generation of health care.
March 6, 2019
Gilbert part of Detroit's first angel investor group
Membership in Woodward Angels requires a minimum investment of $25,000 per calendar year in Detroit-area startups.
February 6, 2019
The rise of corporate venture funding
Pittsburgh’s old industrial companies are paying attention to startups and Idea Foundry CEO Mike Matesic thinks the surge in corporate venture funding bodes well for local M&A activity. We spoke with Matesic about how corporations and startups are working together to grow Pittsburgh’s economy.
February 5, 2019
You can’t fake passion
Passion is an authentic emotion. That’s why it’s the first trait Pete Martin looks for in Votem Corp. employees. Martin talks about building on market opportunities, the role of resilience and going all in on your vision.
January 17, 2019
JumpStart’s Jerry Frantz
JumpStart’s Jerry Frantz knows he’s in a risky business. “Any way you cut it, deploying capital into young companies is an inherently risky proposition,” he says. Frantz talks about the role of early-stage capital in economic health and managing risk as a startup investor.
January 3, 2019
StartInCLE’s Ed Buchholz
Ed Buchholz about some of the challenges faced by Cleveland’s startup community and how the region can attract and empower quality startups.
December 6, 2018
North Coast Angel Fund’s Todd Federman
The angel investor talks about common mistakes entrepreneurs need to avoid to beat the odds and monetize their ideas.
November 20, 2018
TechGrit’s Anthony Margida
Anthony Margida talks about key differences between business accelerators in Ohio and Silicon Valley and his thoughts on speeding up the flow of funding for startups.
November 2, 2018
LaunchHouse’s Todd Goldstein
LaunchHouse' s Todd Goldstein talks about the evolution of Cleveland’s entrepreneurial community and the value of looking at a deal from different points of view.
August 3, 2018
Flashstarts’ Charles Stack
How poker shaped his approach to dealmaking, the problem with risk in Cleveland’s investor community and the one thing entrepreneurs get totally wrong when making a pitch to potential investors.
May 4, 2018
How M&A strengthens the entrepreneurial economy
JumpStart's Ray Leach is excited about the potential that exists in Cleveland’s entrepreneurial economy to make huge strides in the years ahead.
March 9, 2018
Zapis Capital Group's Lee Zapis
Lee Zapis has invested in more than 20 companies since 2003, but he knows it takes more than capital to build an outstanding business. That’s why Zapis Capital Group prefers to take an active role in its portfolio companies, providing strategic advice and resources.
March 2, 2018
JumpStart's Ray Leach
A critical part of Ray Leach’s role at JumpStart is his ability to ID strong business builders. Just as important, however, is his ability to engage with established business leaders who can help his startups.
