Grant will Also Fund New Programs to Help Minority Entrepreneurs Build Digital Literacy Skills

Today, the KeyBank Business Boost & Build program, powered by JumpStart, awarded $100,000 in funding to i.c.stars|*COLUMBUS through the KeyBank Center for Technology, Innovation and Inclusive Growth.

Originally founded in Chicago, i.c.stars has expanded its technology, leadership, and business training program to Columbus, Ohio in recent years. Using this funding, the organization will be able to increase the capacity of two upcoming coding boot camps and digital literacy workshops targeted to Columbus area Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs), in partnership with area minority serving business support organizations.

“We are so honored to receive this award. This is an amazing opportunity. We are very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish so far in Columbus,” said i.c.stars|*COLUMBUS Executive Director Kimberly Gayle. “Our partnership with JumpStart and the KeyBank Business Boost & Build program will assist our efforts to continue training underserved diverse populations in central Ohio in high impact IT careers and allow us to fill talent gaps in the start-up community. The ability to share our technology expertise with area minority businesses will strengthen their capacity to compete economically in the market place.”

“Access to training opportunities like the ones provided by i.c.stars are critical for those looking to build better careers and better lives through the technology sector,” said KeyBank Central Ohio District President Melissa Ingwersen. “That’s why we are proud to support the expansion of this important work in Columbus.”

Funded by a grant from the KeyBank Foundation in 2017, the KeyBank Business Boost & Build program is designed to stimulate economic growth in Ohio and Upstate New York by helping startups and small businesses grow and preparing the workforce for the needs of those companies.

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About i.c.stars
Formed in 1999, i.c.stars is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization and social enterprise that prepares young adults for technology careers and community leadership. Using project-based learning and full-immersion teaching, i.c.stars has trained more than 400 individuals and places 90 percent of qualified graduates in jobs. Participants see their annual earnings increase by an average of 400 percent as a result of the program. In 2016, i.c.stars opened an affiliate in Columbus, Ohio and in 2018 opened in Milwaukee. For more information, visit http://www.icstars-columbus.org.

About KeyCorp
KeyCorp’s roots trace back 190 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $137.0 billion at March 31, 2018.

Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, insurance, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,200 branches and more than 1,500 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.

About JumpStart Inc.
JumpStart unlocks the full potential of diverse and ambitious entrepreneurs to economically transform entire communities. For more information, follow @JumpStartInc on Twitter.