Acceleration Team
JumpStart is unique in that it both invests in and works intensively with portfolio companies. In this way, it combines both investing and consulting, with the consulting geared towards enabling companies to better execute on their business plans, hit milestones, and raise follow-on financing. This consulting is the role of JumpStart’s Acceleration Team, which consists of experienced entrepreneurs- and executives-in-residence. These EIRs have raised many millions of dollars in their careers, and many have also run large companies or divisions of companies. With their focus on execution and capital raising, and their experience in so doing, they are the lifeblood of JumpStart’s mission.
JumpStart’s Acceleration Team has access to an extensive national network of industry experts, service providers, and advisors who serve as a resource to portfolio companies on an as-needed basis. By combining these resources and their professional expereinces, the Acceleration Team works hard to offer honest, resourceful and insightful guidance to portfolio companies and accelerate these companies' growth -- all of which will ultimately lead to accelerated wealth and job creation in Northeast Ohio overall.
Rebecca Braun
Chief Operating Officer
Becca Braun joined JumpStart with a wealth of knowledge and experience from a variety of entrepreneurial companies. She was co-founder and initial CEO of Supplier Insight, a company that offers supplier management services and software to corporations and government agencies and that was recently acquired by Atlanta-based Procuri. Becca was formerly a Vice President at Kirtland Capital Partners (KCP), a $300 million private equity firm located in Willoughby Hills, Ohio. Prior to KCP, Becca was a principal at The Parthenon Group, a strategic advisory and principle investing firm in Boston, Massachusetts. Becca graduated from Harvard Business School in 1997 and has a Linguistics degree Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University. She is a co-founder of ClevelandClicks and of the Boston-based Harbus Foundation, and maintains involvement in The Braun Group, an executive communications firm. She serves on the boards/advisory boards of the Northeast Ohio Software Association, the Harvard Business School Club of Northeast Ohio, and Red Cross Blood Services of Northern Ohio, and is an alumna trustee of Springboard Enterprises.
Jerry Frantz
Managing Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Jerry Frantz has over 20 years of consumer marketing experience with both corporate and entrepreneurial companies. His career began in advertising with J. Walter Thompson, New York followed by five years of brand management with the Clairol division of Bristol-Myers Squibb. Jerry then entered the field of entertainment as the Marketing Director of Radio City Music Hall Productions and led them to record levels of revenue and attendance for three consecutive years. Following live entertainment, he moved to television. As Vice President of Marketing, Jerry was a member of the management team that launched Classic Sports Network (now ESPN Classic). After 15 years in New York City, he returned to his hometown of Cleveland to rejoin Bristol-Myers Squibb as a marketing executive with Matrix Essentials where he worked with the product development and promotional marketing departments. Following the L'Oreal acquisition of Matrix, Jerry chose to remain in Cleveland and, during the past three years, helped develop and launch the Cool Tops brand of Nickelodeon beverages, Five Star Technologies health and personal care products, and the Cleveland Wine School. He has also created new consumer marketing programs for BET Jazz Productions and UNICEF. Jerry holds an MBA from Columbia University and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Michigan.
Jim Doughman
Senior Director of Operations
Jim Doughman comes to JumpStart with 26 years of business experience with smaller, entrepreneurial companies throughout Northeast Ohio. While with Cleveland Crystals, a manufacturer of crystalline laser components, Jim developed, expanded and managed institutional accounts in several markets, including medical systems, defense, energy research and analytical equipment. He spent two years helping small and midsize companies grow with CAMP, Inc, (now a division of MAGNET), then served as Vice President of Marketing for Indigo Technical Media, a digital media start-up. Indigo provides instructional and marketing products to technical clients. Most recently, Jim worked as Marketing Director for Maingate Business Development Corporation. He earned a BS in Public Relations Journalism with a Physics minor from Kent State University and an MBA from the Case Weatherhead School of Management. Jim chairs the Boards of Directors for the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in Bay Village and the Passport Project, a new arts education agency that celebrates diversity.
Ted Frank
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Ted joins JumpStart having spent over 12 years building best-in-class, venture-backed technology companies and seven years in various sales and technology roles in the financial services industry. In addition to his responsibilities with JumpStart, he is Executive Chairman of travel and expense management software publisher SamePage Solutions and is President of Marketcypher, LLC. Prior to these ventures, Ted was a founder and President of Axentis, Inc., the dominant SaaS application provider in the governance, risk and compliance (GRC) market. In addition to building the company, he was a key driver in establishing formal recognition of GRC as a distinct and unique software category. Prior to Axentis, Ted was co-founder and Executive Vice President in charge of sales, marketing and business development for PlanSoft Corporation, a SaaS leader in the convention planning software market (backed by Marriott, Starwood and Hyatt). He began his career at a global banking firm with responsibilities ranging from strategic planning and financial engineering to sales and business development. In addition to his entrepreneurial, company-building roles, Ted has been an influential driver of thought leadership in the GRC market, serving as the founder and chairman of The Compliance Consortium, Co-Chair of OCEG’s Technology Council, a member of OCEG’s Leadership Council and a member of IBM’s Data Governance Council. On a local level, he is a member of The Kenston Local School District’s Business Advisory Board and has been active for years in promoting technology in Northeast Ohio. Ted holds a BS degree from Miami University and a Master of Business Administration in business strategy from Case Western Reserve University.
Kevin Mendelsohn
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Kevin comes to JumpStart from Athersys, Inc., where he spent the last five-and-a-half years working in business, product, and corporate development positions. Most recently, he was the Senior Manager of Corporate Development. While at Athersys, Kevin worked on establishing strategic partnerships with leading bioscience companies and assisted in the company's strategic planning and fundraising efforts.
Kevin received his MBA with a focus on entrepreneurship from the Weatherhead School of Management and his BA in zoology and economics from Miami University.
Lee Poseidon
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Lee joins JumpStart with 25 years of experience in growing and managing a number of high technology, publishing, manufacturing, distribution, and professional services businesses. His experience spans a number of product and service offerings, including hardware and software systems, enterprise wide information systems, medical practice management software, electronic medical records, software duplication and distribution services, tax processing systems and services, business forms, training products and services, consulting, microfiche production, and electronic publishing. Prior to joining JumpStart, Lee was Chief Operating Officer of Quorum Information Technologies, Inc. (TSX-V: QIS). Before joining Quorum, Lee held the position of Senior Vice President and General Manager of ProQuest Global Automotive (fka Bell and Howell Publishing Services). Lee has also held the position of Chief Operating Officer for Dealership Operations of the National Automobile Dealers Association, as well as a variety of management positions in his 15-year career with The Reynolds & Reynolds Company. Lee remains a principal of Growth Partners, LLC, a consulting firm focused on providing senior leadership, strategy, market expansion, and business development services, which he founded in 1999. Lee earned his MBA from Xavier University and his B.A. degree in Economics from Ohio Wesleyan University.
Mark Smith
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Mark Smith joins JumpStart after 24 years of providing leadership in large, high growth and entrepreneurial organizations, and in a cross section of functional areas including information technology, product development, product management, sales, and business development. During the 1980's and 1990's, he served in executive management roles for prominent Cleveland companies including Progressive, the third largest auto insurance provider in the country and Invacare Corporation, the world's leading home medical products provider. Mark has since served on the senior management teams of start-up endeavors including DriveLogic in Chicago, which provides internet-based supply chain management tools, and insurance software provider ClaimIQ in San Francisco. Most recently, Mark co-founded LINGG Productions, a Cleveland based arts promotion and event production company. He is a board member of the Cleveland Film Society/Cleveland International Film Festival, and has served on the technology advisory board for Red Cross Blood Services of Northern Ohio. Mark holds a BS in Mathematics from Michigan State University.
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