Real Possibilities

JumpStart is meeting with national leaders about Northeast Ohio's entrepreneurial ecosystem and what it could mean for the country.

JumpStart is currently guiding nine Midwest communities through a process similar to the one Northeast Ohio’s business and philanthropic leadership experienced when creating JumpStart in 2004, but that’s just the beginning. “National leaders are inspired by Northeast Ohio’s transformation,” says Doug Weintraub, JumpStart’s Board Chair. “They want to learn about it and be a part of it.” These leaders recognize that over the past 30 years, all net new job growth has stemmed from young entrepreneurial companies. In JumpStart, they see a way to leverage experience and expertise to generate economic impact in regions across the country.

In January 2011, JumpStart launched the JumpStart America initiative in partnership with the Obama Administration’s Startup America initiative to help communities throughout the United States build or accelerate their regional entrepreneurial ecosystems. One of Startup America’s goals is to create strategies that build partnerships—a core element of JumpStart’s approach. “Our work has always been supported by public, private, institutional, and philanthropic partnerships,” says Ray Leach, CEO. “We want to help other regions understand how to leverage collaborations and partnerships to accelerate innovation and create high impact companies.”

One month after the announcement, President Obama kicked off the Winning the Future Forum on Small Business in Cleveland. He pointed to JumpStart’s collaborative approach while addressing the audience, saying, “[We came to Northeast Ohio] because of what’s been done by JumpStart . . . your region has been thinking creatively.” Thinking creatively is exactly what Ray wants to help regions throughout the United States—including Northeast Ohio—continue to do. “By helping other regions and building partnerships with national funders, we’re better able to bring additional resources back to Northeast Ohio, creating a more sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem here,” Ray says. “We’re excited to bring JumpStart’s spirit, energy, and expertise to other communities in a way that increases our entire nation’s competitiveness.”