Cleveland-Based JumpStart To Help Canton Pull In Tech-Based Startups In New Downtown Innovation District

Cleveland-based JumpStart will help Canton pull in new tech-based startups to its new “innovation district,” the organization announced Tuesday.

JumpStart invests money in start-ups, provides them with advice and resources and works in the community to make cities more attractive to technology companies.

The nonprofit will open an office in downtown Canton, hire a full-time community manager there and partially fund the district’s creation. It will pay $52,000 from its own coffers and use an additional $99,000 in state Third Frontier funding, according to CantonRep.com.

Canton isn’t the only city in Northeast Ohio to try to become a start-up hub. JumpStart partnered with the Cleveland Clinic to bring Plug and Play, a business accelerator, to Cleveland. Early this year, Akron launched the Bounce Innovation Hub, a resource center for local start-ups.

Both cities have passed an “innovation district” policy.

Canton has a slightly different approach. The city is setting up its innovation district within a historic redevelopment district, which officials say make it the first of its kind.

Read the full story at Cleveland.com.