Press Releases

JumpStart Inc., the Northeast Ohio venture development organization that accelerates the growth of innovative early-stage businesses and ideas, recently announced an investment commitment of $400,000 in Wireless Environment, LLC, an Elyria, OH company developing and patenting technologies for use in a wide range of lighting products that use light emitting diodes (LEDs).

JumpStart Inc., the Northeast Ohio venture development organization that accelerates the growth of innovative early-stage businesses and ideas, today announced the close of an equity investment commitment of $380,000 in VasoLux MicroSystems, LLC, a company developing a minimally invasive device that measures the quality of cartilage. The technology will aid in not only identifying osteoarthritis, a condition caused by the degradation of cartilage that affects more than 20 million Americans, but in determining the most effective treatment plan.

JumpStart Inc., the Northeast Ohio venture development organization that accelerates the growth of innovative early-stage businesses and ideas, announced an investment commitment of $400,000 in DIY Real Estate Solutions (DIY), a Cleveland-based software developer that offers a complete management solution to the residential rental property management market.

JumpStart Inc., the Northeast Ohio venture development organization that accelerates the growth of innovative early-stage businesses and ideas, is pleased to announce two new additions to the management team. John Dearborn joins as Chief Development Officer and Cathy Belk as Chief Marketing Officer.

JumpStart Inc., the Northeast Ohio venture development organization that accelerates the growth of innovative early-stage businesses and ideas, today announced the close of an equity investment commitment of $380,000 in Freedom Meditech, Inc., a developer of a proprietary non-invasive ocular glucose measurement device for people with diabetes. The company’s device is based, in part, on patented technology developed at the University of Toledo.

The Center for Economic Development (CED) at Cleveland State University’s Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs and JumpStart Inc. have released their third annual report summarizing the findings of an entrepreneurship confidence survey (conducted from May 30 to June 30, 2008) to assess the entrepreneurial climate and entrepreneurs’ confidence in their ability to start and sustain a business in Northeast Ohio.

JumpStart Inc., the Northeast Ohio venture development organization that accelerates the growth of innovative early-stage businesses and ideas, has announced an investment commitment of $350,000 in Cleveland-based Tursiop Technologies, LLC. The JumpStart investment is part of a recently closed investment round that included $1 million from RMS Management of Cleveland, OH.

JumpStart Inc., the Northeast Ohio venture development organization that accelerates the growth of innovative early-stage businesses and ideas, has announced an investment commitment of $350,000 in CerviLenz™, Inc. The Cleveland-based company is commercializing a patented, Federal Drug Administration cleared medical device that allows obstetricians to easily measure cervical length in pregnant women, which has been established by the National Institutes of Health as an effective predictor of preterm birth risk.

JumpStart Inc., the Northeast Ohio venture development organization that accelerates the growth of innovative early-stage businesses and ideas, has announced its participation in STACK Media’s latest round of funding. The Cleveland-based media company develops unique content geared toward high school athletes and delivers it via both the Internet and hard copy magazines.

Great Lakes Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the completion of Series A $2.4 million equity financing led by Ohio investment funds including the North Coast Angel Fund JumpStart Inc., Everett Partners, Ltd, Ohio TechAngel Fund and Case Technology Ventures. The Company intends to use the funds to finalize the pre-clinical development and initiate pivotal clinical study of B-Lock™, a heparin-free antimicrobial and antithrombotic catheter lock solution.

JumpStart Inc., the Northeast Ohio venture development organization that accelerates the growth of innovative early-stage businesses and ideas, recently announced an investment commitment of $400,000 in InSeT Systems LLC, which is developing real-time tracking and communications systems for underground mines.

JumpStart, an Ohio venture development firm focused on early-stage startups, announced that it has launched VentureCareers on its website to assist its portfolio companies with their recruiting needs in a tight labor market. Hosted by VentureLoop, a leading provider of software and services to the venture capital and startup communities, VentureCareers will enable JumpStart to offer a valuable resource by directing website visitors to job opportunities at their startup portfolio companies.

Last year the NorTech Venture Capital Advisory Task Force reported in its inaugural 2006 Venture Capital Report that the region would need to generate and attract over $1.2 billion in venture capital by 2011 in order to meet the capital needs of companies located in Northeast Ohio. According to the findings from the recently completed 2007 Venture Capital Report of the Cleveland+ region, to be released in print mid February, Northeast Ohio has made significant progress toward reaching this goal. With $318 million in new investments, compared to $157 million in 2006, the region saw a doubling in the amount of capital invested into its growing companies as well as a 40 percent increase in the total number of investments made during 2007.

JumpStart Inc., Northeast Ohio’s venture development organization, has made an investment commitment of $350,000 in Advanced Materials Technology International LLC (AMTI). The Cleveland-based company is developing and commercializing a line of high-tech, energy-curable, nanoparticle materials for ink and coatings applications.

JumpStart Inc., Northeast Ohio’s venture development organization, has announced an investment commitment of $400,000 in Inspiron Logistics, a Summit county based company that provides wireless emergency notification services.