JumpStart Appoints Corey James as Chief Equity, Outreach and Initiatives Officer

JumpStart, a leading nonprofit venture development organization, is pleased to announce the appointment of Corey James as its new Chief Equity, Outreach and Initiatives Officer. James will be taking over the role previously held by Lamont Mackley, who retired earlier this year. In this function, James will play a pivotal role in advancing JumpStart’s work

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JumpStart and the Cleveland Browns Announce Return of the Small Business Training Camp

Half-day, capital-focused event featuring workshops, pitch competition and networking at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Aug. 17. JumpStart and the Cleveland Browns will host the second annual Small Business Training Camp at Cleveland Browns Stadium on August 17, 2023. This half-day, small business intensive will deliver critical information and resources to help business owners launch and

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Startups and Small Businesses Generated More Than $1.3B in Economic Output and Nearly 11,000 jobs Across Northern Ohio in 2022

Report Shows Economic Impact of Companies Supported by JumpStart and Partner Organizations JumpStart has released its yearly economic impact report, tracking the outcomes of the startups and small businesses assisted by the organization and its partners. The report, prepared by Silverlode Consulting, shows these startups and small businesses generated more than $1.3 billion in economic

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Aleksandra Brankov of Cafilia Wins Top Prize at JumpStart’s Pitch Cypher Event

Aleksandra Brakov owner of Cafilia, a coffee-subscription tech platform, took home the $1,500 top prize at last night’s tech focus pitch event. Jay R. Fogle and Karan’Ja Williams also received prize money for their technology startups. Pitch Cypher, held on March 30, 2023, at Re:Bar in Downtown Cleveland, was the first in the series of

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JumpStart Makes Commitment to Latino/Hispanic Community through Multi-year Partnership in CentroVilla25 Initiative 

JumpStart and The Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development (NEOHCED) are working together to increase resources and high-impact support to the Latino/Hispanic business community through a multi-year commitment to the CentroVilla25 initiative. JumpStart’s Board of Directors recently approved a three-year, $750,000 commitment to the NEOHCED-led CentroVilla25 initiative to accelerate meaningful economic growth in the

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JumpStart Named a Target Circle Nonprofit Partner at Select Store Locations

JumpStart is pleased to announce that the organization has been selected as a nonprofit partner for the first cycle of the Target Circle Giving Program for 2023. Now through March 31, member-shoppers can use the Circle app to cast votes earned from eligible Target purchases towards JumpStart to help us earn a share of their

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Kimalon Dixon Joins JumpStart as Organization’s New Chief of Staff

JumpStart Inc. has hired Kimalon Dixon to fill its newly created Chief of Staff role. Dixon will be responsible for the strategic alignment of operations, programming and external partnerships to increase the organization’s ability to power initiatives driving economic development, entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem building across Northern Ohio. Dixon recently served as the Senior Project

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Axuall names senior VP of commercial growth

Axuall Inc., an IT/software company in Cleveland that provides workforce intelligence and digital credentialing in the healthcare industry, has added a senior vice president of commercial growth. The company on Tuesday, Nov. 1, announced it has named veteran healthcare technology executive Mike Bechtel to the role. Bechtel’s background is in patient and member engagement, data

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Drive My Way™ Closes $4.4 Million Series A Financing Round

Investment will enable Drive My Way to accelerate the growth of its driver-centric platform to meet rapidly increasing market demand and support customer growth. Drive My Way™, a Software-as-a-Service provider with a next-generation personalized recruiting marketplace focused on the trucking industry, today announced it has closed a $4.4 million Series A financing round led by First

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JumpStart and the Cleveland Browns Announce Partnership to Support Cleveland-Area Small Business Owners

JumpStart and the Cleveland Browns are partnering to co-host four events focused on accelerating the growth of Cleveland-area Black and Hispanic/Latino-entrepreneurs. The events, powered by JumpStart in partnership with the Cleveland Browns, will be held at FirstEnergy Stadium; registration is free and open the public, as space remains available. Small Business Impact Program Showcase |

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VIDEO: Verizon And JumpStart Open Union-Miles Learning Center, Providing Free Tech Training And Skill Building To Cleveland Residents

On Friday, July 22, JumpStart and Verizon celebrated the official opening of the Verizon Community Forward Union-Miles Learning Center. Community leaders and residents gathered at the Earle B. Turner Recreation Center for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, center tour and technology demonstrations. Mayor Bibb, community residents, and JumpStart and Verizon leadership participated in the event. The center

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Online B2B steel marketplace & supply chain platform Felux raises $19M Series A to digitize outdated industrial commerce

Felux, the fastest growing online B2B marketplace and supply chain platform for steel and other metals, today announced it has raised a $19 million Series A to digitize commerce for the industrial supply chain. The round was led by EquipmentShare and joined by Signia Venture Partners, Suffolk Construction, Expa, Lightbank, 8VC, and JumpStart Ventures among

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