Leaders from the Economic Community Development Institute (ECDI), the Hispanic Business Center, The Presidents’ Council, The Urban League of Greater Cleveland, and JumpStart selected Ron Stubblefield to fill a newly created Shared Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) position. Based out of JumpStart’s Cleveland headquarters, Stubblefield will act as a collaborative resource between the four organizations.

The State of Ohio and Cuyahoga County provided funding for this initiative to advance Black and Brown tech and tech-enabled entrepreneurship in Northeast Ohio by connecting these entrepreneurs to the many resources available to tech-based businesses.

“Cuyahoga County is pleased to be able to fund this important role,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish. “Making sure that support and coordination is available for anyone who has a great idea is critical in making sure that opportunity is equitable in our county.”

In his role as EIR, Stubblefield will coordinate community and neighborhood outreach and programming, provide direct assistance to entrepreneurs, and advocate for the needs of these entrepreneurs with partner organizations in the State-funded Entrepreneur Services Provider network.

“Ron is an extraordinary person to fill this role; his experience in and dedication to equity and inclusion work are going to ensure the best possible outcomes for black and brown tech entrepreneurs in our community,” said Lamont Mackley, JumpStart Chief Inclusion & Outreach Officer. “I’m excited to be part of this new project and grateful to be working with these community partners to close the gap that exists in communities of color.”

Prior to his current role, Stubblefield served as the Assistant Director for Baltimore’s Emerging Technology Centers where he led incubation and accelerator programs and served as a business coach and lawyer-in-residence. Through this work, he helped entrepreneurs obtain funding through the Federal Opportunity Zone Program and other government funding programs. Additionally, he has assisted entrepreneurs in securing capital in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, London, Pittsburgh and New York.

Originally from the Washington DC Area, Stubblefield is a graduate of Morehouse College, the Stanford School of Engineering and the New York University School of Law. As a committed equity and inclusion advocate, he has represented the National Society of Black Engineers’ National Executive Board at meetings with Fortune 500 Companies, served on the Graduate Provost Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee at Stanford and organized a National Pre-Law Diversity Conference at NYU.

Stubblefield is certified as an Entrepreneurship Center Manager by the International Business Innovation Association (InBIA) and has focused much of his work on connecting historically underserved Black and Brown communities with capital and other resources. Successes include bringing $1.4M in funding to disadvantaged communities in Baltimore and helping New York City business owners secure government funding for important community development initiatives.

“While I am from the Washington DC area, I have familial roots in Cleveland. The investment Cleveland poured into my family helped make my successes possible,” said Ron Stubblefield. “I am honored to work with the world-class leadership of this coalition to give back to Cleveland by advancing racial equity through technology-based and enabled entrepreneurship.”

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About JumpStart Inc.
JumpStart is a nationally recognized investing, entrepreneurial support and economic development organization dedicated to unlocking the full potential of diverse and ambitious entrepreneurs to economically transform entire communities.