Some of the most exciting days at JumpStart are the days when the wire is sent to a new or existing company in which we are making an investment. They're days where the energy is a little bit higher, there's more constant checking of email to read the news coverage, and people hover closer to the JumpStart Ventures' office area to hear the celebratory bell we ring for good news.
We had a day like that last week with our investment in Catacel. If you didn't see the media coverage of it (thank you, media partners!) or hear about it on Twitter, you can learn more about the investment on our website. This investment in Catacel was particularly exciting because it was JumpStart Ventures' 52nd investment in its 40th company, our first investment in a Portage County company, and another investment in a clean energy company.
This one investment delivered on many factors we at JumpStart (and in this region) find substantially helpful in the development of an early-stage company. Catacel is led by a world-class entrepreneur with an idea and technology that promise to be venture-fundable, operating in a clean energy cluster that is second to none nationally, and receiving the seed capital and technical assistance necessary to accelerate its growth.
We are very excited to continue to work with this promising company.
The investment closed on what seemed to most, a ‘regular day'. It was a day without much pomp and circumstance, not a holiday, not a special anniversary of a founder, not even a Friday! But, this is the world of early-stage entrepreneurship...every day, companies attain milestones and grow. Every day, someone is closing a new investment, gaining a new customer, completing a clinical trial, hiring a critical new addition to the team, or finishing their product's development. Many times, these seemingly small things happen without many people noticing, but they are really the things that matter to growing, early-stage companies. Here at JumpStart, we make it a point to celebrate each and every one of these milestones of growth.
Congratulations, Catacel, and welcome. We can't wait to celebrate many more 'regular days' on your high growth path.
Cathy Belk is the Chief Marketing Officer of JumpStart. She specializes in branding, marketing communications, and business management. She brings 16+ years of experience in a variety of marketing and business roles, but gets her energy from working daily with entrepreneurs and their growing companies.