Recent Acquisition Could Change Ohio Startup Landscape Forever
If you follow venture capital, you’ve no doubt heard the term “unicorn” referring to the rare (almost mythical) startup that reaches a value of $1 billion or more. For all the tens of thousands of tech startups that have launched, only a handful reach a billion dollar valuation. On a global level, there are an
Why Your Neighbor’s Job Matters
The rhetoric around “job creation” has become a little tired, almost to the point where people tend to glaze over when it’s mentioned. No one disagrees that jobs are important, it’s just that other people’s jobs aren’t usually on our minds. We often have our hands full just dealing with our own jobs and how
Why Diversity And Inclusion Are Not The Same Thing
“For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.” — Margaret Heffernan, entrepreneur, author and speaker Diversity and inclusion are key drivers of organizational innovation and positive financial performance. Both terms have become well-known, so much so that they are often used interchangeably — but they are actually two very different
These Investor Laws Are Stunting Startup Growth
Columbus, Detroit, Cincinnati, Chicago, Cleveland — startup hot spots like these are popping up across the nation as innovation and entrepreneurship are on the rise. However, while momentum is building in the Midwest, several misguided business regulations are stunting the startup community’s full potential. After much discussion with fellow VentureOhio board members, including Mark Kvamme of Drive Capital
Cleveland Continues Its Rise, But We Still Lag Behind In Jobs
In many ways, it’s a great time to be living in Northeast Ohio. Our culinary and cultural scenes are both booming. Cleveland is filled to the brim with young professionals who aren’t just working downtown, but living there too. And of course, our Cavaliers are the reigning NBA champions and the Indians made it to
Should Your Business Chase More Than One Bottom Line?
It’s hard to imagine someone achieving long-term success in business without focusing on how every move will impact the bottom line. Traditionally speaking, your net income drives almost every decision you make. It’s a simple concept — not always easy, but simple. But what if your objectives include more than profit? What if you’d also
A More Diverse Venture Capital Industry Is Better For All Of Us
Recently, Case Foundation CEO Jean Case published a very insightful blog post as part of Medium’s “You Tell Me” conversation series. Her piece addressed the venture capital industry’s lack of diversity and also announced the launch of the #FacesofFounders initiative — which is designed to give voice to entrepreneurs of different races, places and gender. Jean’s
Don’t Ignore The Innovative Power Of Inclusion
According to a recent report from Cisco, about 40 percent of today’s leading companies will be displaced from their market position by digital disruption in the next few years. In the words of entrepreneur and author Grant Cardone, “To get to the next level of whatever you are doing, you must think and act in
Due Diligence Is Important On Both Sides Of The Investing Table
Here at JumpStart, we are currently supporting tech startups from three separate investment funds totaling $40 million dollars. So as you can imagine, we are getting a lot of attention from entrepreneurs. But, there are likely even more out there waiting for the right time to connect. That’s because entrepreneurs are often uncertain about when
The Myth Of The Coasts
The ‘Myth of the Coasts’ is a guest blog post from Cathy Belk, President of JumpStart, Inc., and is the seventh blog post in the Case Foundation’s Myth of the Entrepreneur series. This series is intended to intentionally examine, and change, the stories our culture tells about entrepreneurship. For more information on the Case Foundation’s approach to
No, Female Entrepreneurs Should Not Have To Hide Their Gender To Get Funding
Silicon Valley bros are seriously misguided. On Wednesday, venture capitalist John Greathouse published a piece in The Wall Street Journal titled, “Why Women in Tech Might Consider Just Using Their Initials Online.” In a nutshell, he argues that the world of VC is so gender-biased that the best way for women to access opportunity is
Three Reasons To Be Very Optimistic About Ohio’s Entrepreneurial Future: Observations From The 2016 VentureOhio Gala
Last week, I attended the third-annual VentureOhio Gala, an event designed to celebrate the year’s biggest entrepreneurial success and share the results of the annual Ohio VentureReport. But as I enjoyed the night, I couldn’t help thinking how much different things used to be. I left California in 1995, moving to Cleveland to join a