The growth of big ideas into thriving companies, to create a prosperous economy, doesn’t occur randomly.
It requires several important components to work seamlessly with each other:
- Disruptive, innovative ideas that have the potential to change the way we live.
- Risk takers who invest in these ideas, knowing the risks but believing in the outcomes.
- Smart, motivated, and diverse entrepreneurs with the passion and skill to turn an idea into a company.
Each of these elements cannot work without the other two. But bring the three together and you start to create an ecosystem that entrepreneurs need to grow a big idea into a big company. Ultimately, these robust businesses create thousands of jobs, generating economic prosperity for a region, and wealth for its citizens.
It’s happened before in Northeast Ohio. B.F. Goodrich, Charles Brush and Ray Kralovic, along with many others, were entrepreneurs who had innovative, disruptive ideas that grew to be some of our region’s largest employers. They grew companies using all the resources available to them, and built one of the most wealth-creating communities in the United States. See the stories of our region's icons and be inspired.

Today, the elements of the ecosystem come together, through JumpStart.
Learn more about what we do.