Record-Breaking Exits Mark Great Start to 2021
On the heels of a rollercoaster year, there are few things sweeter for a startup founder to hear than those three magical words: “It’s a deal.” This has been a common chorus around here lately, with an unprecedented four companies from our portfolio being acquired in less than two months: VizZle, PreEmptive, Wisr and MedPilot.
Cleveland-headquartered start-up BoxCast buys competitor after big gains during pandemic
Cleveland-based streaming company BoxCast is announcing today that it has purchased a similar streaming business, Stream Monkey. This news comes after BoxCast announced in 2020 that it had raised $20 million from investors. News 5 first visited BoxCast in the early days of the pandemic when they were seeing a quick and sharp spike in
$50m in investment capital coming to Northeast Ohio
Yesterday, the Ohio Third Frontier Commission approved $72.7 million in statewide funding that will provide capital to innovative startup companies, advance medical technology and foster young talent through a new High School Tech Internship Pilot Program. The High School Tech Internship Pilot Program will help develop and retain tech talent in Ohio by providing up
Northeast Ohio gets a hefty share of Ohio Third Frontier Commission awards
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic, JumpStart Inc. and several other organizations and small companies in Northeast Ohio are among the recipients of a total of nearly $73 million from the Ohio Third Frontier Commission. The commission late Wednesday, March 10, announced it had approved $72.7 million in funding “that will provide capital to innovative
Ohio Providing Early-Stage Capital
Third Frontier Growing Technology Startups & Talent Today, the Ohio Third Frontier Commission approved $72.7 million in funding that will provide capital to innovative startup companies, advance medical technology, and foster young talent through a new High School Tech Internship Pilot Program. “We are investing in technology that will attract private capital from across the
How An Entrepreneur Raised $3.8 Million For AI Vending Machine PopCom
Dawn Dickson-Akpoghene’s “high IQ” kiosks use AI, biometrics and computer vision to enable retailers to retain customers through data stored on the blockchain. With $3.8 million in funding, Popcom’s $20,000 unit is in Polaris Fashion Place in Ohio. Click the image above to watch the video, courtesy of Forbes.
SoLo Funds Banks $10M Series A For Peer-to-Peer Lending
SoLo Funds is building an alternative to predatory lending through a new type of peer-to-peer lending in which strangers fund strangers asking for short-term personal loans for immediate needs. “Even before the pandemic, 70 percent of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck, and many didn’t have $400 in their savings account,” Travis Holoway, co-founder and
Time2Talk app looks to make learning a language more accessible
Speaking and understanding a new language can be difficult and frustrating. Time2Talk helps tackle that problem by connecting users with native speakers in their home countries. The app, which was launched with Spanish coaches, allows people to practice the language at any time and pay a per-minute fee. “When you are in the process of
Entrepreneur sees a business angle for software startup Emvitals in pandemic
Certainly she couldn’t have anticipated it, but entrepreneur Jennifer Hunter sees a role for her nearly 2-year-old business, Emvitals Inc., in easing the emotional stresses aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic — maybe even helping people cope with the recent clash at the U.S. Capitol. Hunter, a mental health therapist by training, is building a software
JumpStart Launches ‘Access Tech’ Digital Learning Initiative Funded by Verizon
JumpStart has announced a new digital training initiative aimed at connecting Cleveland residents with the education and tools needed to thrive in the digital economy. Access Tech, powered by JumpStart and funded by Verizon, leverages collaboration and innovation to expand digital access and learning to individuals and small businesses. “At JumpStart we know transformational change
Urban League of Greater Cleveland unveils UBIZ Loan Fund for minority-owned small businesses
The Urban League of Greater Cleveland is unveiling a program to provide capital exclusively to minority-owned small business in the Cleveland area — and it’s looking for some additional donors interested in furthering racial equity in Northeast Ohio. The latest initiative, dubbed the UBIZ Loan Fund, will be launched officially through a virtual event at
‘Now the fun begins’ for BoxCast, which is growing quickly and is coming off $20M Series A round
Prior to the pandemic, BoxCast, in the words of board member Mike Marchetti, “was on a great sales trajectory.” The Cleveland company’s revenue and customer base were increasing, and a 2019 acquisition strengthened a core component of its business. But COVID-19, with large in-person events put on hold and more people staying home, sped everything