What Does JumpStart Do?
JumpStart is a nationally recognized venture development organization that accelerates the progress of high potential, early-stage businesses. Through the depth of its entrepreneurial team and breadth of its high value resources, JumpStart improves client success in achieving the milestones and raising the follow-on capital necessary to create wealth. In doing so, JumpStart strives to create a more prosperous future for Northeast Ohio.
JumpStart strives, through its activities, to create a thriving entrepreneurial economy of prosperous companies and citizens in Northeast Ohio.
It guides smart, motivated, high potential entrepreneurs to turn their disruptive, innovative ideas into plans, their plans into operating businesses, and their businesses into rapidly growing ventures.
It has a special focus on supporting women and minority entrepreneurs working in the highest growth industries.
It selectively invests risk capital in the early-stage companies built upon disruptive, innovative ideas, to accelerate their growth by pairing risk capital with expert guidance.
Ultimately, JumpStart’s activities will lead to a thriving entrepreneurial economy of prosperous companies and citizens in Northeast Ohio.
History of JumpStart Inc.
JumpStart Inc., a non-profit organization, was formed in 2004 by a collaboration between NorTech (the Northeast Ohio Technology Coalition) and Case Western Reserve University. It was created to combine the efforts of four of the region’s entrepreneurial service organizations to support the continued emergence of Northeast Ohio’s innovative economy.
In the Business of Accelerating the Growth of Companies
JumpStart services are primarily delivered through three lines of business. Each of these businesses offers different services, to meet the varying needs of companies based on their stage of growth, business sector, and entrepreneurial profile:
JumpStart Ventures invests in and assists innovative, early-stage Northeast Ohio companies that have the potential to generate $30-$50 million in revenues in five to seven years. JumpStart Ventures helps companies accelerate their time to venture-readiness by bundling guidance from experienced Venture Partners with seed investment capital.
JumpStart Inclusion Advisors guides high impact minority and women-owned businesses seeking to raise capital from private investors in order to become larger scale national and international firms. It also assists high impact businesses situated in the urban centers of Northeast Ohio, whose businesses directly impact minority populations. By providing intensive hands-on guidance and strategic planning, it enables these high impact entrepreneurs to articulate high growth plans, access investment funds, and move their businesses through key milestones.
- JumpStart TechLift Advisors guides Northeast Ohio’s high potential technology entrepreneurs. It assists entrepreneurs in creating and articulating high growth strategic and operational plans, accessing investment funds and moving their businesses toward key milestones. TechLift Advisors’ Entrepreneurs-in-Residence are former technology CEOs, with significant experience in a technology sector, and work with entrepreneurs within that sector.
If you think any one of these businesses can help you, fill out our Advisory Request to get started.
JumpStart’s Value-Added Resources
In addition to the comprehensive resources delivered through our three lines of business, all entrepreneurs in Northeast Ohio have access to resources such as:
Educational Seminars and Events
JumpStart sponsors, organizes, and facilitates educational events with topics specifically geared toward enabling entrepreneurs to build their businesses. For example, the Growing Bright Ideas educational series brings national entrepreneurial expertise to our region. It focuses on topics such as capital formation, talent, organizational structure, and sales and marketing. We also actively participate in and support the entrepreneurial activities of our regional partners and publicize those events on our Web site and through other communications. View a list of upcoming events in Northeast Ohio geared toward the entrepreneurial community.
Communications
JumpStart offers many ways to stay current on entrepreneurial activity in Northeast Ohio:
- A bi-weekly email newsletter, JumpStart Connect, highlights the successes of entrepreneurial ventures, current news and upcoming events.
- True to its name, As It Happens is an email we send out, as needed, to communicate breaking news.
- Podcasts are available of our educational events and are updated frequently. Check out the inventory of podcasts and check back regularly!
- JumpStart’s own management team, with over 50 combined years of entrepreneurial experience, blogs on a variety of topics of interest to entrepreneurs. Read the IdeaExchange blog now or subscribe using your RSS reader.
IdeaCrossing
Launched by JumpStart, IdeaCrossing is a free online community for every stage entrepreneurs, accredited investor, business mentor, and service provider. Users register and create profiles that are used to match them with the resources they need to grow their businesses. Entrepreneurs are matched to accredited investors and business mentors. Investors can find deal flow that fits their investment criteria. Mentors can find startups to advise, and service providers can promote their services to the entire community. IdeaCrossing is completely private and secure, available at no cost, and requires minimal effort to start connecting and building great companies. www.ideacrossing.org