Entrepreneur Spotlight: Tosan Ugbeye of Scopemed

For early-stage technology startups, it’s generally understood that failing fast is a prerequisite for future success. Startup founders must be prepared to learn from mistakes and iterate rapidly to adapt to changes in the market, technology or user needs. Tosan Ugbeye, a registered clinician, certified anesthetist and the founder and CEO of ScopeMed, was working

Read Story

Entrepreneur Spotlight: Dawn Miller of Art Bound Studio

Entrepreneurship is not always predetermined. Sometimes, opportunities present themselves and enterprising individuals see a chance to make a career move. Owner and lead tattoo artist of Toledo-based Art Bound Studio, Dawn Miller is a perfect example of an accidental – but no less deserving – entrepreneur. In 2019, Dawn stumbled into the tattoo industry quite

Read Story

Entrepreneur Spotlight: Hermes Ortiz of Ortiz Art Drafts Designs

Like much in life, entrepreneurship often depends on knowing the right people. In Northeast Ohio’s Hispanic-Latino business community, the old adage rings especially true. Hermes Ortiz, owner of Ortiz Art Drafts Designs, is purposefully intertwined with his community. These days, Hermes is an established business owner, and he serves as an ambassador of sorts for

Read Story

Meet the Participants of the Cleveland Small Business Impact Program’s 19th Cohort

JumpStart’s Small Business Impact Program is a 12-week business accelerator that provides hands-on advising and industry-specific mentoring to participants. The program focuses on helping these entrepreneurs overcome key business issues, with a significant emphasis on financial projections and capital pitches. Throughout the program, participants will have the opportunity to work closely with the Impact Program

Read Story

Entrepreneur Spotlight: Brady Payne of Cleveland Rugby League

Savvy entrepreneurs know that identifying a gap in the market is a crucial first step in building a successful business. When Brady Payne’s high school friend and former football teammate, Monté Gaddis, approached him with the idea to create a North American professional rugby league, Brady’s interest piqued. A college athlete, sports enthusiast and enterprising

Read Story

Entrepreneur Spotlight: The Aarons of Skin District

The Aarons are the definition of a tight-knit family. Deborah and her wife Neicya and their four children do everything together—from school to play to work. After making a mint selling handmade lip balm at their lemonade stand during a Juneteenth celebration, Deborah and Neicya asked daughters 7-year-old Raveah, 8-year-old Riley and 10-year-old Myah what

Read Story

Breakthrough Science, Based in Cleveland: Afif Ghannoum of BIOHM

Afif Ghannoum calls himself an ignition entrepreneur; he thrives on turning ideas into reality. As CEO of BIOHM, an innovative microbiome company, he has done just that. Founded on his father Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum’s discovery of the important role fungus plays in digestive health, Afif converted biotechnology into commercial opportunities. Born and raised in Lebanon,

Read Story

Crafting A Community: Chris Harris of Black Frog Brewery

Like so many brewers, Chris Harris got his start in the garage, trialing new recipes to share with friends. Chris launched Black Frog Brewery soon after, inspired by his roots and his hometown of Toledo, Ohio (lovingly dubbed Frog Town). The beer took off, and his homebrewing hobby soon gained local notoriety. What started as

Read Story

Building Solutions For Enterprise Influencers: Joshua Reid of Inphlu

No matter what, Joshua Reid goes all in on his ideas. Be it developing a fitness program, setting up a coworking space or running a digital marketing agency, this drive has fueled his passion projects and built businesses from the ground up. Most recently, Joshua founded lnphlu, an Ohio-based social media automation platform that enables

Read Story

Advocating for Educator Wellness: Chanelle Walker of Professional Inspiration

Chanelle Walker was forever changed by her decade as a public-school educator. She knows first-hand how joyful working with, and inspiring young people can be. She also remembers the burnout she encountered. Chanelle launched Professional Inspiration to help other teachers combat that burnout. The Cleveland-based company empowers clients to embrace wellness and self-care by offering

Read Story