The latest investment in the Cincinnati Chamber Minority Business Accelerator could help create 500 new jobs in the region over the next five years.

KeyBank’s Business Boost & Build program powered by JumpStart recently awarded $100,000 to the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s Minority Business Accelerator through the KeyBank Center for Technology, Innovation and Inclusive Growth.

The accelerator is expected to partner with other members of the Cincinnati Minority Business Collaborative along with Northern Kentucky University to use the funding to execute a strategy designed to help 50 minority-owned businesses grow their revenue to $5 million and create 500 new jobs in the next five years.

“We are thrilled to establish this partnership with JumpStart as we collectively strive to grow more larger-scale, job-creating, minority-owned businesses,” said Darrin Redus, vice president and head of the Cincinnati Chamber Minority Business Accelerator. “This investment from the KeyBank Business Boost & Build program will enable us to continue this important work and certainly expand our efforts.”

KeyBank’s Business Boost & Build Program was funded by a grant from the KeyBank Foundation in 2017 and is designed to stimulate economic growth in Ohio by helping startups and small businesses grow and prepare the workforce for their needs. Its Center for Technology, Innovation and Inclusive Growth makes grants to organizations across the state that are focused on connecting female, minority and rural individuals with the innovation economy, high-growth companies, competitive industries and related careers.

“We are proud to be supporting the important work of the Cincinnati Chamber Minority Business Accelerator and the Cincinnati Minority Business Collaborative,” KeyBank Cincinnati market president Mike McCuen said in a statement. “We believe these organizations, and the businesses they serve, are absolutely critical to our region and its economy.”

Read the full story at Cincinnati Busines Courier.