Entrepreneur Insight: Amy Husted and Audrey Wallace, Komae
In just 35 days and two minutes, business partners Amy Husted and Audrey Wallace, both stay-at-home moms, raised $30,000 to get their startup Komae off the ground. With Kickstarter backing and a pitch competition win under their belts, the duo was equipped with the necessary resources to begin developing a social app – one designed
JumpStart Supported Companies Honored At Best Of Tech Awards
For nearly two decades, OHTec has helped lead the charge toward a more connected tech community in Northeast Ohio. Run by COSE, the tech-focused economic development group offers a variety of programs, resources and events to help local tech companies navigate challenges, network and grow. OHTec’s signature program, Tech Week, is an annual initiative to
[PODCAST] Startup Stories: Living Local, Thinking Global
Whether you live in Cleveland or California, building a world-class startup requires you to think on a global scale. On Thursday, March 30th, JumpStart invited a panel of experienced NEO entrepreneurs to Bottlehouse Brewery to share real stories and offer real advice about getting the most out of your local resources, while also keeping your
Charu Ramanathan Launched Life-Changing Technology In Northeast Ohio
When Charu Ramanathan came from India to earn her doctorate in biomedical engineering, she had a vision for turning Case Western Reserve University’s non-invasive technology into a diagnostic tool to monitor heart activity. That drive to transform the project she loved into an actual tool that would help people meant going beyond publishing her thesis.
BLK Hack Launches New Chapter To Inspire, Educate And Connect Cleveland’s Minority Entrepreneurs
In March of 2016, twin brothers Branden and Bruce Jones launched Blk hack, an educational and inspirational monthly event series designed to better connect African-Americans with the tech industry and startup space. As co-founders of streaming service FLIQs, the brothers are familiar with the tech startup community, and equally as familiar with the lack of
Risky Business: All startup investments come with risk, but that doesn’t erase the need for strong founder fundamentals
Anyone familiar with the venture capital industry knows that it is a high-risk, high-reward business. A startup that succeeds can make a lot of money for themselves and their investors. However—as the common VC proverb goes—for every one startup that hits it big, another nine will fail. In reality, the numbers probably aren’t quite that stark.
Entrepreneur Insight: Paul Hugenberg, InfoGPS Networks
The question is simple and straightforward—where is your organization’s sensitive consumer data stored? The answer, on the other hand, tends to be far more complex. Paul Hugenberg experienced the struggle of answering this question frequently while working as an IT consultant, so he took it upon himself to develop an efficient and effective means of
Venture Capital Investors Like Revenue, But They Love Predictable Revenue
For any startup, generating that first dollar is a huge milestone. Revenue signals to investors that a company is helping to solve a problem in the market, and even more importantly, that people are willing to pay for that solution. If you are an entrepreneur that has reached this point, we truly applaud you—many startups
Sparking Innovation In Akron
Nick Petroski had become frustrated by the lack of startup events being held in Akron. The Launch League co-founder and board chairman was aware of a few weekend-long events in the area, but felt they didn’t fully encapsulate the highs and lows of building something. Taking matters into his own hands, he and his wife,
How To Hire Your First Employee
Your business is growing and so is the workload. At this point, your young startup is likely seeking additional bandwidth, new skills and maybe even a fresh perspective. All of which can be obtained by adding a new member to the team. Hiring your first employee is huge step forward for your company, but that
How Does A Lead Become A Customer?
You’ve likely heard it before, “think of the marketing and sales cycle as a funnel.” But what does that actually mean, and how can you apply an understanding of this funnel to help generate paying customers? Let’s start by considering the funnel’s basic goal and identifying the stages of the sales cycle that help you
Entrepreneur Insight: Al Hawkins, Milo Biotechnology
Driven by the rarity of the disease and the fact that there were no viable therapies on the market, Al Hawkins set out on a mission to enhance the lives of patients diagnosed with debilitating and incurable muscular dystrophies. In 2012, he founded Milo Biotechnology, a clinical-stage startup working to develop gene therapies to treat