Karin Connelly Rice
When a tragedy happens anywhere in the world, Crisis Mappers are there to communicate what’s going on and what’s needed. Jen Ziemke, assistant professor of international relations at John Carroll University, cofounded Crisis Mappers along with Patrick Meier to organize a network of 4,000 mappers worldwide to assist in that communication.
The first International conference on Crisis Mappers was held at John Carroll in 2009 and the 100 attendees created the Crisis Mappers Network to gather and report critical information on catastrophes around the world. “Crisis Mappers really grew out of its own demand,” says Ziemke. “After the conference people wanted to stay in touch so we created a basic website. Now we’re a mix of every country in the world.”
The Crisis Mappers help get the word out and report on the situation in crises such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti or the uprising in Libya. “We’re seeing a change in how technology enables people to get the story out in real time,” Ziemke explains. “There’s a lot of sharing on the network and Google groups.” There are 1,724 Google group members in 161 countries. More than 4,000 are on the Crisis Mappers network.
During the Libya crisis, the United States called upon Crisis Mappers to identify refugees and where they were headed, as well as report food and water requests. “We were able to visualize and make sense of it really fast,” Ziemke says.
Now Crisis Mappers is working with Tremont Electric to provide portable nPower communication devices, charged through the user’s kinetic energy, to people who are off the network.
“Crisis Mappers are often off the grid,” says Ziemke. “They typically have cell phones, but no power.” The two organizations are working through Indiegogo to raise money for the devices.
Crisis Mappers will have its fourth conference in October in Washington, D.C. “We’re using the power of people to feed information into the system and having volunteers make sense of it,” says Ziemke.
Source: Jen Ziemke
Writer: Karin Connelly
The first International conference on Crisis Mappers was held at John Carroll in 2009 and the 100 attendees created the Crisis Mappers Network to gather and report critical information on catastrophes around the world. “Crisis Mappers really grew out of its own demand,” says Ziemke. “After the conference people wanted to stay in touch so we created a basic website. Now we’re a mix of every country in the world.”
The Crisis Mappers help get the word out and report on the situation in crises such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti or the uprising in Libya. “We’re seeing a change in how technology enables people to get the story out in real time,” Ziemke explains. “There’s a lot of sharing on the network and Google groups.” There are 1,724 Google group members in 161 countries. More than 4,000 are on the Crisis Mappers network.
During the Libya crisis, the United States called upon Crisis Mappers to identify refugees and where they were headed, as well as report food and water requests. “We were able to visualize and make sense of it really fast,” Ziemke says.
Now Crisis Mappers is working with Tremont Electric to provide portable nPower communication devices, charged through the user’s kinetic energy, to people who are off the network.
“Crisis Mappers are often off the grid,” says Ziemke. “They typically have cell phones, but no power.” The two organizations are working through Indiegogo to raise money for the devices.
Crisis Mappers will have its fourth conference in October in Washington, D.C. “We’re using the power of people to feed information into the system and having volunteers make sense of it,” says Ziemke.
Source: Jen Ziemke
Writer: Karin Connelly
After Robert Knighton’s grandmother had a stroke, she could only use the right side of her body. It made keeping clean in the hospital difficult. Knight’s wife Nina, a nurse at the VA Medical Center, noticed the same problem with some of her patients.
“The bed-bound patient population can’t get up to wash their hands,” explains Nina. “If a nurse comes in and she’s contaminated and touches the bedrails, the patients have nothing to wash their hands.”
The problem gave Nina an idea. “After working at St. Vincent Charity Hospital and then the VA she noticed it more in conjunction with the spread of hospital-acquired infections,” says Robert. “One day she was driving and it just came to her that patients needed a personal convenient device.” So Robert and Nina formed RKN Corporation in 2010 and started to develop the Bedside Sani-Holder, a bedside hand sanitizer dispenser. “This is a smart dispenser that helps with compliance, reminds patients if they haven’t used it and tracks usage,” says Robert.
Working with agencies like MAGNET and NorTech, RKN is working on a prototype of the Bedside Sani-Holder. They expect to hit the market by the second quarter of 2013. The Sani-Holder is part of NorTech’s Speed to Market Accelerator.
“We’ve really been able to use Northeast Ohio to launch our product,” says Robert. “Cleveland is known for healthcare and technology. It kind of feels like we’re entering the market at the right time.”
Robert and Nina are targeting hospitals and nursing homes with the Bedside Sani-Holder. So far, interest has been high. “We have spoken with quite a few hospitals in Northeast Ohio and have received welcoming feedback and interest,” says Robert. “Humility of Mary’s purchasing department said they would be interested in trialing our product once we are ready to go to market.”
When their product hits the market, RKN will be hiring IT staff, customer service, sales reps and operations staff. Two people that have been helping with management tasks will also join RKN working in permanent project management and operations.
Sources: Robert and Nina Knighton
Writer: Karin Connelly
“The bed-bound patient population can’t get up to wash their hands,” explains Nina. “If a nurse comes in and she’s contaminated and touches the bedrails, the patients have nothing to wash their hands.”
The problem gave Nina an idea. “After working at St. Vincent Charity Hospital and then the VA she noticed it more in conjunction with the spread of hospital-acquired infections,” says Robert. “One day she was driving and it just came to her that patients needed a personal convenient device.” So Robert and Nina formed RKN Corporation in 2010 and started to develop the Bedside Sani-Holder, a bedside hand sanitizer dispenser. “This is a smart dispenser that helps with compliance, reminds patients if they haven’t used it and tracks usage,” says Robert.
Working with agencies like MAGNET and NorTech, RKN is working on a prototype of the Bedside Sani-Holder. They expect to hit the market by the second quarter of 2013. The Sani-Holder is part of NorTech’s Speed to Market Accelerator.
“We’ve really been able to use Northeast Ohio to launch our product,” says Robert. “Cleveland is known for healthcare and technology. It kind of feels like we’re entering the market at the right time.”
Robert and Nina are targeting hospitals and nursing homes with the Bedside Sani-Holder. So far, interest has been high. “We have spoken with quite a few hospitals in Northeast Ohio and have received welcoming feedback and interest,” says Robert. “Humility of Mary’s purchasing department said they would be interested in trialing our product once we are ready to go to market.”
When their product hits the market, RKN will be hiring IT staff, customer service, sales reps and operations staff. Two people that have been helping with management tasks will also join RKN working in permanent project management and operations.
Sources: Robert and Nina Knighton
Writer: Karin Connelly
Andy Halko has entrepreneurship in his genes. The characteristics that make an entrepreneur succeed -- vision, hard work, and a touch of daredevil -- prompted Halko in 2002 to create Insivia, a strategic marketing and sales agency focused on business-to-business.
“In high school and all through college I worked for a company doing website development and software solutions,” recalls Halko. After graduating from John Carroll University, Halko stayed with the company for a while before deciding to go into business for himself.
“My dad was an entrepreneur. I had nothing to lose and I thought, I can do this," he says. "It’s kind of in my blood and I’m not afraid of work.”
Insivia focuses on four areas: Generating leads through SEO and direct mail; converting those leads; closing sales through presentations, proposals and online sales; and retaining customers. “We consider ourselves a full gamut firm, from leads to retaining customers,” Halko says. “We really try to come up with new ideas for things to improve our clients’ business. We use technology to close sales and design to impress customers.”
An additional component of Halko’s vision is customer service. “The other piece is good work,” he says. “Our stratagem is don’t settle for good enough. We take ideas, plans and strategy to reach our clients business goals. We’re really looking at the end goal and our focus being proud of every single piece.”
The philosophy has worked: 10 years later, Insivia has 15 employees in “the coolest” space on the West Bank of the Flats. The company is looking to hire people in account management, customer relations and software development.
“We’re always looking for talented people,” Halko says. “People who can produce good work and come up with good ideas.”
Source: Andy Halko
Writer: Karin Connelly
“In high school and all through college I worked for a company doing website development and software solutions,” recalls Halko. After graduating from John Carroll University, Halko stayed with the company for a while before deciding to go into business for himself.
“My dad was an entrepreneur. I had nothing to lose and I thought, I can do this," he says. "It’s kind of in my blood and I’m not afraid of work.”
Insivia focuses on four areas: Generating leads through SEO and direct mail; converting those leads; closing sales through presentations, proposals and online sales; and retaining customers. “We consider ourselves a full gamut firm, from leads to retaining customers,” Halko says. “We really try to come up with new ideas for things to improve our clients’ business. We use technology to close sales and design to impress customers.”
An additional component of Halko’s vision is customer service. “The other piece is good work,” he says. “Our stratagem is don’t settle for good enough. We take ideas, plans and strategy to reach our clients business goals. We’re really looking at the end goal and our focus being proud of every single piece.”
The philosophy has worked: 10 years later, Insivia has 15 employees in “the coolest” space on the West Bank of the Flats. The company is looking to hire people in account management, customer relations and software development.
“We’re always looking for talented people,” Halko says. “People who can produce good work and come up with good ideas.”
Source: Andy Halko
Writer: Karin Connelly
The Blackstone LaunchPad program opened its doors on the Baldwin-Wallace College and Lorain County Community College campuses on Sept. 6 and 7 and will open at Kent State University later this month and CWRU in January.
The Burton D. Morgan Foundation in Hudson and the Blackstone Charitable Foundation announced last November that they had committed $3.2 million to open LaunchPad locations in Northeast Ohio to train area student entrepreneurs.
The LaunchPad is a venture coach program developed at the University of Miami, Florida in 2008. The program provides participants with advice and mentorship to take business ideas to fruition. Students are matched up with venture coaches to guide them through the development process.
“The real goal here is around education,” says Deborah D. Hoover, president and CEO of the Burton D. Morgan Foundation. “We’re providing a strong education, it’s experiential. Our key approach to the program is about networking – obviously in Northeast Ohio and venture coaches, but also in the larger community and through the national network of LaunchPad locations.”
Hoover reports that the potential is there for 150 new sustainable companies in the next five years, which could generate as many as 3,000 jobs.
Amy Stursberg, executive director of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, says Northeast Ohio is an idea fit for LaunchPad. “We try to choose locations where we feel there is a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem and culture,” she says. “We’re leveraging those assets to jumpstart the region where it already exists.”
Kent State, which had a soft launch of LaunchPad this summer, already has 70 to 80 students involved in the program.
Sources: Deborah H. Hoover, Amy Stursberg
Writer: Karin Connelly
The Burton D. Morgan Foundation in Hudson and the Blackstone Charitable Foundation announced last November that they had committed $3.2 million to open LaunchPad locations in Northeast Ohio to train area student entrepreneurs.
The LaunchPad is a venture coach program developed at the University of Miami, Florida in 2008. The program provides participants with advice and mentorship to take business ideas to fruition. Students are matched up with venture coaches to guide them through the development process.
“The real goal here is around education,” says Deborah D. Hoover, president and CEO of the Burton D. Morgan Foundation. “We’re providing a strong education, it’s experiential. Our key approach to the program is about networking – obviously in Northeast Ohio and venture coaches, but also in the larger community and through the national network of LaunchPad locations.”
Hoover reports that the potential is there for 150 new sustainable companies in the next five years, which could generate as many as 3,000 jobs.
Amy Stursberg, executive director of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, says Northeast Ohio is an idea fit for LaunchPad. “We try to choose locations where we feel there is a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem and culture,” she says. “We’re leveraging those assets to jumpstart the region where it already exists.”
Kent State, which had a soft launch of LaunchPad this summer, already has 70 to 80 students involved in the program.
Sources: Deborah H. Hoover, Amy Stursberg
Writer: Karin Connelly
When Sonali Morris first enrolled her children (ages five and three) in swim classes while living in a Detroit suburb, it was a miserable experience.
"They were crying because they could see me sitting right on the pool deck and the water was very uncomfortable,” says Morris. “I had to go out and hide in the locker room area of the country club. I hated I couldn't see them taking lessons and had no idea what was happening.”
But then Morris discovered Goldfish Swim School, a swimming facility designed for kids four months to 12 years old.
“This was a place that really spoke to them, took the fear out of the water,” Morris says. The water is always 90 degrees, a four-to-one student teacher ratio and classes deigned to teach children to enjoy swimming. Private or semi-private lessons are offered. There’s also a snack bar, air-conditioned viewing room for parents and a pro shop.
Now, Morris and her husband Michael, along with Robert and Vicki Pietrick, are opening a Goldfish Swim School in Warrensville Heights. Construction has begun on a 8,900-square-foot facility and is expected to open in mid-November.
“We have a proprietary curriculum,” says Morris. “Swim school concepts aren’t new. We took the best practices and standardized it.”
Not only will the Goldfish Swim School teach children how to swim, the new facility will employ about 40 people year round. Morris is the general manager.
“We have a lot of part-time positions,” says Morris. “We need instructors, lifeguards, front desk workers and deck supervisors.”
Source: Sonali Morris
Writer: Karin Connelly
"They were crying because they could see me sitting right on the pool deck and the water was very uncomfortable,” says Morris. “I had to go out and hide in the locker room area of the country club. I hated I couldn't see them taking lessons and had no idea what was happening.”
But then Morris discovered Goldfish Swim School, a swimming facility designed for kids four months to 12 years old.
“This was a place that really spoke to them, took the fear out of the water,” Morris says. The water is always 90 degrees, a four-to-one student teacher ratio and classes deigned to teach children to enjoy swimming. Private or semi-private lessons are offered. There’s also a snack bar, air-conditioned viewing room for parents and a pro shop.
Now, Morris and her husband Michael, along with Robert and Vicki Pietrick, are opening a Goldfish Swim School in Warrensville Heights. Construction has begun on a 8,900-square-foot facility and is expected to open in mid-November.
“We have a proprietary curriculum,” says Morris. “Swim school concepts aren’t new. We took the best practices and standardized it.”
Not only will the Goldfish Swim School teach children how to swim, the new facility will employ about 40 people year round. Morris is the general manager.
“We have a lot of part-time positions,” says Morris. “We need instructors, lifeguards, front desk workers and deck supervisors.”
Source: Sonali Morris
Writer: Karin Connelly
The LaunchHouse Accelerator kicked off its inaugural program on September 4 with 10 technology startup companies eager to move to the next level. The program is funded through a $200,000 ONEFund grant and a $50,000 grant from Clarion Direct Investment. Each company will receive a $25,000 investment from LaunchHouse to grow their business.
“We’re quite excited,” says LaunchHouse CEO Todd Goldstein. “It’s changing the way investments are made in Northeast Ohio. With a little bit of capital we work with them to go from idea to validation.”
Goldstein describes the accelerator program as “customer-centric,” emphasizing the identification and needs of potential customers to grow the business. The 12-week program will provide mentors and instruction to the startup owners, guiding them through set goals.
“We’re hitting the ground running,” says Goldstein. “We’re not starting from scratch. We’re looking at the best innovators and how the company has grown.”
More than 60 companies from around the world applied for the accelerator. Twenty were selected to make their pitches to a panel of experts. From there, 10 companies were chosen, nine of which are from Northeast Ohio. The hope is that these 10 businesses will remain in Northeast Ohio once they are better established.
“The goal is to keep these companies in the region,” says Goldstein. “We believe Northeast Ohio is prime for an explosion of entrepreneurs.”
Source: Todd Goldstein
Writer: Karin Connelly
“We’re quite excited,” says LaunchHouse CEO Todd Goldstein. “It’s changing the way investments are made in Northeast Ohio. With a little bit of capital we work with them to go from idea to validation.”
Goldstein describes the accelerator program as “customer-centric,” emphasizing the identification and needs of potential customers to grow the business. The 12-week program will provide mentors and instruction to the startup owners, guiding them through set goals.
“We’re hitting the ground running,” says Goldstein. “We’re not starting from scratch. We’re looking at the best innovators and how the company has grown.”
More than 60 companies from around the world applied for the accelerator. Twenty were selected to make their pitches to a panel of experts. From there, 10 companies were chosen, nine of which are from Northeast Ohio. The hope is that these 10 businesses will remain in Northeast Ohio once they are better established.
“The goal is to keep these companies in the region,” says Goldstein. “We believe Northeast Ohio is prime for an explosion of entrepreneurs.”
Source: Todd Goldstein
Writer: Karin Connelly
TiE Ohio will recognize international entrepreneurs at its awards ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 20. Two Cleveland business executives, Jose Feliciano and Wayne Duigan, will be honored.
TiE Ohio is a resource for entrepreneurs to network and find mentors for their businesses. This event recognizes immigrant and American-born entrepreneurs who have taken their businesses to an international level.
“Entrepreneurs have the passion, the dream and they are willing to put themselves all in,” says Joe Cole, executive director of TiE Ohio. “We want to reward the entrepreneurs who are going global.”
Jose Feliciano, a trial lawyer with BakerHostetler, will receive the Community Catalyst Award. The award recognizes people who have supported immigrant entrepreneurs. “He’s really been in the forefront of advocacy of the immigrant entrepreneur,” adds Cole. “He has a predisposition to being an entrepreneur.”
Feliciano is the founder and chair of the Hispanic Roundtable, is former chairman of the Hispanic Leadership Development Program, founder of the Hispanic Community Forum and was a founder of the Ohio Hispanic Bar Association. He also hosts the monthly talk show, El Sol de Cleveland. “He’s really been out in the forefront,” says Cole.
Wayne Duigan, director international sales for Horizons, Inc. is nominated for the Global Entrepreneur award. “He has significantly grown Horizons’ global presence,” Cole notes. “They’ve really done a great job in establishing an international presence.”
The event will be held at the Ariel International Center at 5:30 p.m. Mark Kvamme, president and CIO of JobsOhio, will be the keynote speaker.
Source: Joe Cole
Writer: Karin Connelly
TiE Ohio is a resource for entrepreneurs to network and find mentors for their businesses. This event recognizes immigrant and American-born entrepreneurs who have taken their businesses to an international level.
“Entrepreneurs have the passion, the dream and they are willing to put themselves all in,” says Joe Cole, executive director of TiE Ohio. “We want to reward the entrepreneurs who are going global.”
Jose Feliciano, a trial lawyer with BakerHostetler, will receive the Community Catalyst Award. The award recognizes people who have supported immigrant entrepreneurs. “He’s really been in the forefront of advocacy of the immigrant entrepreneur,” adds Cole. “He has a predisposition to being an entrepreneur.”
Feliciano is the founder and chair of the Hispanic Roundtable, is former chairman of the Hispanic Leadership Development Program, founder of the Hispanic Community Forum and was a founder of the Ohio Hispanic Bar Association. He also hosts the monthly talk show, El Sol de Cleveland. “He’s really been out in the forefront,” says Cole.
Wayne Duigan, director international sales for Horizons, Inc. is nominated for the Global Entrepreneur award. “He has significantly grown Horizons’ global presence,” Cole notes. “They’ve really done a great job in establishing an international presence.”
The event will be held at the Ariel International Center at 5:30 p.m. Mark Kvamme, president and CIO of JobsOhio, will be the keynote speaker.
Source: Joe Cole
Writer: Karin Connelly
Ingenuity Fest 2012 will take place this weekend, September 14 to 16 at Cleveland Lakefront Docks 30 and 32, in 120,000 square feet of warehouse space. Aside from music and artistic performances, the festival will showcase the work of local inventors working on some fun and interactive projects.
“It ranges from DIY aesthetic things to engineers,” says director of programming James Krouse. “We have inventors or people who are beta testing a product or are in academic engineering programs. This is a place to display these innovations.”
The Make Space area of the festival will include the Lorain County Community College Fab Lab and the Cleveland MC2 Stem School Mobile Fab Lab -- a NASCAR trailer equipped with computers, software and lasers for creating 3-D images.
“It’s just a collection of designer software and laser cutters,” says Krouse.
A CWRU engineering graduate student will have a display of solar-powered fireflies that mimic the algorithm of fireflies’ communication. A panel of local chefs and sustainability advocates will speak on Friday about local food and sustainability. A series of talks on Saturday will examine the history of flight -- from the Wright brothers all the way through the Mars Curiosity expedition.
Source: James Krouse
Writer: Karin Connelly
“It ranges from DIY aesthetic things to engineers,” says director of programming James Krouse. “We have inventors or people who are beta testing a product or are in academic engineering programs. This is a place to display these innovations.”
The Make Space area of the festival will include the Lorain County Community College Fab Lab and the Cleveland MC2 Stem School Mobile Fab Lab -- a NASCAR trailer equipped with computers, software and lasers for creating 3-D images.
“It’s just a collection of designer software and laser cutters,” says Krouse.
A CWRU engineering graduate student will have a display of solar-powered fireflies that mimic the algorithm of fireflies’ communication. A panel of local chefs and sustainability advocates will speak on Friday about local food and sustainability. A series of talks on Saturday will examine the history of flight -- from the Wright brothers all the way through the Mars Curiosity expedition.
Source: James Krouse
Writer: Karin Connelly
Bad Girl Ventures will host its third business education series that culminates with the chance for female participants to win a $25,000 loan. The nine-week session begins on September 19 at the Lakewood campus of University of Akron.
Classes cover everything from legal and accounting to business plans and marketing to improving credit scores to resources available for financing.
“We try to hit on everything on the mind of the small business owner,” explains Reka Barabas, director of BGV Cleveland. Emphasis is placed on access to capital, which is sometimes a challenge for female business owners. “Only a small segment of women-owned businesses -- about five percent -- are accessing the capital available to small business owners,” says Barabas.
Since its initial launch in Cincinnati, BGV has educated over 400 women, awarded over $190,000 in low-interest loans and helped secure over $1,000,000 in outside funding for female entrepreneurs throughout Ohio.
Past finalists have gone on to find success in their businesses. For instance, Paula Hershman, founder of Storehouse Tea Company, just got into a new store with her product and Kelley Hynds of Hyndsight Productions just finished a video for a client, which was screened in the White House.
The application deadline for the classes is Aug. 31.
Source: Reka Barabas
Writer: Karin Connelly
Classes cover everything from legal and accounting to business plans and marketing to improving credit scores to resources available for financing.
“We try to hit on everything on the mind of the small business owner,” explains Reka Barabas, director of BGV Cleveland. Emphasis is placed on access to capital, which is sometimes a challenge for female business owners. “Only a small segment of women-owned businesses -- about five percent -- are accessing the capital available to small business owners,” says Barabas.
Since its initial launch in Cincinnati, BGV has educated over 400 women, awarded over $190,000 in low-interest loans and helped secure over $1,000,000 in outside funding for female entrepreneurs throughout Ohio.
Past finalists have gone on to find success in their businesses. For instance, Paula Hershman, founder of Storehouse Tea Company, just got into a new store with her product and Kelley Hynds of Hyndsight Productions just finished a video for a client, which was screened in the White House.
The application deadline for the classes is Aug. 31.
Source: Reka Barabas
Writer: Karin Connelly
COSE is looking for a few good startups. The organization’s second annual business pitch competition will be held on Thursday, October 18 at Pickwick and Frolic. Competition finalists will outline their ideas to a panel of experts, including Jeff Hoffman, founder of Priceline.com.
“So many small business owners just starting out with a new idea need more than money and someone to talk to,” says Megan Kim, COSE director of education and programs. “We’re challenging the business owner to think about their business in a new way, think about why their business is so unique.”
To get in front of the panelists, entrants must put together an executive summary and a two-minute video pitch. Applicants must be in business less than two years and have less than $250,000 in gross annual revenue.
Twenty semi-finalists will be chosen to give a 15-minute presentation and answer questions from the panel. From there, four finalists will be chosen to present at Pickwick and Frolic. The winner will receive $20,000, while second place gets $10,000 and third and fourth places receive $5,000 each.
The competition is designed to both encourage and educate small business owners in the area.
“It’s so great to see so many people with the entrepreneurial bug,” says Kim. “People who start their own businesses don’t always know where to go or what questions to ask. This competition gives them someone to talk it through with, it gives them connection and the chance to find their roots.”
The deadline to submit the executive summary and video pitch is Tuesday, Sept. 4 by 5 p.m.
Source: Megan Kim
Writer: Karin Connelly
“So many small business owners just starting out with a new idea need more than money and someone to talk to,” says Megan Kim, COSE director of education and programs. “We’re challenging the business owner to think about their business in a new way, think about why their business is so unique.”
To get in front of the panelists, entrants must put together an executive summary and a two-minute video pitch. Applicants must be in business less than two years and have less than $250,000 in gross annual revenue.
Twenty semi-finalists will be chosen to give a 15-minute presentation and answer questions from the panel. From there, four finalists will be chosen to present at Pickwick and Frolic. The winner will receive $20,000, while second place gets $10,000 and third and fourth places receive $5,000 each.
The competition is designed to both encourage and educate small business owners in the area.
“It’s so great to see so many people with the entrepreneurial bug,” says Kim. “People who start their own businesses don’t always know where to go or what questions to ask. This competition gives them someone to talk it through with, it gives them connection and the chance to find their roots.”
The deadline to submit the executive summary and video pitch is Tuesday, Sept. 4 by 5 p.m.
Source: Megan Kim
Writer: Karin Connelly
Mario Schulzke has always been fascinated with the spirit and drive behind entrepreneurs. The Plettenberg, Germany native came to America on his own at age 16, went to college and ended up in advertising in Los Angeles.
“I always wanted to be an entrepreneur but I couldn’t because of my work permit,” Schulzke recalls. So in 2009, he launched IdeaMensch, a vehicle to celebrate and learn from entrepreneurs. “I’d always admired entrepreneurs and people who brought their ideas to life. The original idea was to learn more from these people.”
This year Schulzke, now 31 and with his green card, decided to take his search on the road. He and a few friends are traveling across the country, inviting local entrepreneurs to share their stories. “People with ideas truly live everywhere,” Schulzke says. “I figured there was no better way to start this than to go on a road trip and try to learn from these people in person.”
The group is organizing 50 events in 48 states in 115 days. This past week they were at Quicken Loans Arena. The entrepreneurs featured were Eric Wobser of Ohio City Inc., Joe Pulizzi of Content Marketing World, Laura Bennett of Embrace Pet Insurance, David Levine of Wireless Environment and Deb Papes-Stanzak of Ronwear. Each entrepreneur gave a 15-minute speech about how and why they brought their ideas to life, followed by a brief Q&A.
Schulzke’s goal is to get other would-be entrepreneurs to act on their ideas. “The goal is to encourage and inspire people to bring their ideas to life,” he says. “If I could get one person to say ‘I have this idea and I’m going to get started on it,’ I’ll be happy.”
Source: Mario Schulzke
Writer: Karin Connelly
“I always wanted to be an entrepreneur but I couldn’t because of my work permit,” Schulzke recalls. So in 2009, he launched IdeaMensch, a vehicle to celebrate and learn from entrepreneurs. “I’d always admired entrepreneurs and people who brought their ideas to life. The original idea was to learn more from these people.”
This year Schulzke, now 31 and with his green card, decided to take his search on the road. He and a few friends are traveling across the country, inviting local entrepreneurs to share their stories. “People with ideas truly live everywhere,” Schulzke says. “I figured there was no better way to start this than to go on a road trip and try to learn from these people in person.”
The group is organizing 50 events in 48 states in 115 days. This past week they were at Quicken Loans Arena. The entrepreneurs featured were Eric Wobser of Ohio City Inc., Joe Pulizzi of Content Marketing World, Laura Bennett of Embrace Pet Insurance, David Levine of Wireless Environment and Deb Papes-Stanzak of Ronwear. Each entrepreneur gave a 15-minute speech about how and why they brought their ideas to life, followed by a brief Q&A.
Schulzke’s goal is to get other would-be entrepreneurs to act on their ideas. “The goal is to encourage and inspire people to bring their ideas to life,” he says. “If I could get one person to say ‘I have this idea and I’m going to get started on it,’ I’ll be happy.”
Source: Mario Schulzke
Writer: Karin Connelly
The St. Ignatius Reaching MAGIS program is designed to help students get on the track for college in Catholic schools.
“We try to identify young boys in sixth through eighth grade who are promising, rising students, and get them involved early,” explains school principal Dan Bradesca. “These are students from schools throughout the Cleveland area who spend 15 Saturdays in English, test prep and study skills, and computer and graphic arts.”
A specific part of the program includes an entrepreneurship demo. For the second year this summer, Nick Pavlak of BABL Media has led eight MAGIS teams in entrepreneurship and technology education. The teams worked with Pavlak in developing companies and ultimately presenting their ideas to a panel of experts at LaunchHouse.
“The future of technology lives in mobile technology, and this generation is growing up in the digital world,” says Bradesca. “This program gives kids the basic knowledge of mobile application design and development from an entrepreneurial approach.”
The students went from concept to sketching the idea out, to marketing and construction of the business. “They were really doing some intense stuff,” says Bradesca. The culmination was a presentation on July 9 to LaunchHouse entrepreneurs.
The top three companies were The Shoe Finder app, which helps users find shoes at a low price; the Emergency App, which lets people know you’re in trouble; and the Achieving app, which helps people attain their personal goals.
BABL will work with the students later this year on actually developing the top app ideas.
Source: Dan Bradesca
Writer: Karin Connelly
“We try to identify young boys in sixth through eighth grade who are promising, rising students, and get them involved early,” explains school principal Dan Bradesca. “These are students from schools throughout the Cleveland area who spend 15 Saturdays in English, test prep and study skills, and computer and graphic arts.”
A specific part of the program includes an entrepreneurship demo. For the second year this summer, Nick Pavlak of BABL Media has led eight MAGIS teams in entrepreneurship and technology education. The teams worked with Pavlak in developing companies and ultimately presenting their ideas to a panel of experts at LaunchHouse.
“The future of technology lives in mobile technology, and this generation is growing up in the digital world,” says Bradesca. “This program gives kids the basic knowledge of mobile application design and development from an entrepreneurial approach.”
The students went from concept to sketching the idea out, to marketing and construction of the business. “They were really doing some intense stuff,” says Bradesca. The culmination was a presentation on July 9 to LaunchHouse entrepreneurs.
The top three companies were The Shoe Finder app, which helps users find shoes at a low price; the Emergency App, which lets people know you’re in trouble; and the Achieving app, which helps people attain their personal goals.
BABL will work with the students later this year on actually developing the top app ideas.
Source: Dan Bradesca
Writer: Karin Connelly
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) last week awarded CWRU a $64.6-million, five-year grant for the continuation of a collaborative effort to bring medical research to hospitals, clinics and doctors’ offices, improving the health of patients in the region. The federal grant is the largest in Northeast Ohio history.
The NIH founded the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) six years ago to accelerate the transition of medical ideas to medical applications. “Five years ago the NIH decided a program was needed to help bring basic decisions from the science lab to patients,” says Pamela B. Davis, CWRU School of Medicine dean and principal investigator.
Cleveland is one of 61 institutions in the country to have a CTSA. Along with CWRU, the program is a collaborative effort between the Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth System, University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.
In addition to Davis, Richard A. Rudick, MD, vice chair of the Neurological Institute at Cleveland Clinic, serves as the effort’s co-principal investigator. The two applied for the original $64 million grant five years ago, which at the time was the largest in the region’s history.
More than 1,300 individuals have participated in CTSA-related efforts in the past five years in three categories: community engagement, teaching and mentoring, and acceleration of medical research and discovery.
For instance, doctor education on type 2 diabetes resulted in lowering three-month blood sugars in patients by an entire percentage point. “That’s enough to change the risk of complications,” says Davis. “It gives us the ability to make a real impact.”
Other efforts included retaining children with high blood pressure to run a portion of the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, resulting in significant long-term drops in blood pressure.
“We’re trying to reach into the community and make a difference,” says Davis. “We have done a lot of partnerships in town, and we’re looking forward to expanding that.”
Source: Pamela B. Davis
Writer: Karin Connelly
The NIH founded the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) six years ago to accelerate the transition of medical ideas to medical applications. “Five years ago the NIH decided a program was needed to help bring basic decisions from the science lab to patients,” says Pamela B. Davis, CWRU School of Medicine dean and principal investigator.
Cleveland is one of 61 institutions in the country to have a CTSA. Along with CWRU, the program is a collaborative effort between the Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth System, University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.
In addition to Davis, Richard A. Rudick, MD, vice chair of the Neurological Institute at Cleveland Clinic, serves as the effort’s co-principal investigator. The two applied for the original $64 million grant five years ago, which at the time was the largest in the region’s history.
More than 1,300 individuals have participated in CTSA-related efforts in the past five years in three categories: community engagement, teaching and mentoring, and acceleration of medical research and discovery.
For instance, doctor education on type 2 diabetes resulted in lowering three-month blood sugars in patients by an entire percentage point. “That’s enough to change the risk of complications,” says Davis. “It gives us the ability to make a real impact.”
Other efforts included retaining children with high blood pressure to run a portion of the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, resulting in significant long-term drops in blood pressure.
“We’re trying to reach into the community and make a difference,” says Davis. “We have done a lot of partnerships in town, and we’re looking forward to expanding that.”
Source: Pamela B. Davis
Writer: Karin Connelly
In 2011, Trevor Shaw was working in sales and marketing for an industrial parts distributor, searching through Google AdWords accounts when his wandering mind struck upon an idea. “I was bored and thinking about the previous weekend and all the fun I had,” Shaw recalls. “So I started thinking.”
Shaw’s thinking led to Barkudo, an iPhone app that allows bar managers to input daily drink specials so customers within a five-mile radius can redeem them on their phones.
“The bar manager goes to the Barkudo website, logs in to their merchant account and creates deals throughout the week,” explains Shaw. “Users open the app within five miles of that bar and will see the specials.”
Barkudo differs from deal sites like Groupon in that users do not prepay for the special, and bar owners do not have to wait for their money. “The bar owners receive their money at the point of sale, up front from the customer,” says Shaw. “There’s no printout. You just have to be at the location to get the deal.”
In just a few weeks -- Barkudo launched at the end of July -- Shaw has commitments from Panini’s on Coventry, The Cedar Lee Pub and Grill, The Fairmount Martini and Wine Bar, and the Blind Pig. More bars are on the way in Ohio City, Tremont and Akron.
“In the next month we expect to be moving quickly as everything starts trickling in and moving week by week," adds Shaw.
Right now, Shaw works with a programmer to help him launch. He expects to hire a technical person and sales reps as the business grows.
Source: Trevor Shaw
Writer: Karin Connelly
Shaw’s thinking led to Barkudo, an iPhone app that allows bar managers to input daily drink specials so customers within a five-mile radius can redeem them on their phones.
“The bar manager goes to the Barkudo website, logs in to their merchant account and creates deals throughout the week,” explains Shaw. “Users open the app within five miles of that bar and will see the specials.”
Barkudo differs from deal sites like Groupon in that users do not prepay for the special, and bar owners do not have to wait for their money. “The bar owners receive their money at the point of sale, up front from the customer,” says Shaw. “There’s no printout. You just have to be at the location to get the deal.”
In just a few weeks -- Barkudo launched at the end of July -- Shaw has commitments from Panini’s on Coventry, The Cedar Lee Pub and Grill, The Fairmount Martini and Wine Bar, and the Blind Pig. More bars are on the way in Ohio City, Tremont and Akron.
“In the next month we expect to be moving quickly as everything starts trickling in and moving week by week," adds Shaw.
Right now, Shaw works with a programmer to help him launch. He expects to hire a technical person and sales reps as the business grows.
Source: Trevor Shaw
Writer: Karin Connelly
TOA Technologies, the provider of mobile workforce management solutions, has hired Brian Cook as the company’s CFO. Since its founding in 2003, TOA has steadily grown from a small startup company to the global company with 350 employees around the world and more than 40 in Cleveland.
Cook, whose background is in global technology, telecommunications and media companies, will help guide TOA through its projected future growth.
“Brian is a good match for TOA because he’s lived through our future and he’s also not far removed from our past,” says John Opdycke, vice president of worldwide marketing. “We need someone in a financial role who is familiar with a company that is small and nimble and growing quickly.”
Aside from Cook’s international business and telecommunications expertise, Opdycke says Cook is a good personality fit with TOA. “The cultural fit was there,” he says. “Personality fit is important because we are still a small company.”
TOA recently entered markets in Latin American, Australia and New Zealand and is expanding locally as well. “We have seven of the top U.S. pay-tv providers as customers,” says Opdycke. “As things are happening, you really need more people. We’re bringing on people almost every other week.”
Source: John Opdycke
Writer: Karin Connelly
Cook, whose background is in global technology, telecommunications and media companies, will help guide TOA through its projected future growth.
“Brian is a good match for TOA because he’s lived through our future and he’s also not far removed from our past,” says John Opdycke, vice president of worldwide marketing. “We need someone in a financial role who is familiar with a company that is small and nimble and growing quickly.”
Aside from Cook’s international business and telecommunications expertise, Opdycke says Cook is a good personality fit with TOA. “The cultural fit was there,” he says. “Personality fit is important because we are still a small company.”
TOA recently entered markets in Latin American, Australia and New Zealand and is expanding locally as well. “We have seven of the top U.S. pay-tv providers as customers,” says Opdycke. “As things are happening, you really need more people. We’re bringing on people almost every other week.”
Source: John Opdycke
Writer: Karin Connelly
Enforcer eCoaching, a personalized wellness coaching service, has secured $250,00 from JumpStart to expand services across the country. A spin-off out of the Cleveland Clinic, Enforcer eCoaching was founded by Cleveland Clinic chief wellness officer Dr. Michael Roizen, television health guru Dr. Mehmet Oz and entrepreneurs Steven Lindseth and Arthur Benjamin.
The eCoaching focuses on smoking cessation, weight loss, hypertension control and diabetes control through personalized one-on-one email coaching and behavior modification.
“It’s based on 25 years of health coaching by Dr. Roizen,” says Marty Butler, Enforcer’s president and CEO. “We’re seeing a lot of niche treatment programs in the marketplace for companies looking to reduce their healthcare spending. Employers see a very strong return on investment.”
Butler says participants in the smoking cessation program have an 85-percent success rate, while weight loss participants lose an average of two inches to their waist lines.
Employers or private individuals can sign up for eCoaching. They select the type of coaching they want, are assigned a coach, and then check in with daily email correspondence. “It’s part automation, part personal coaching,” says Butler. “Every email is reviewed by a personal health coach, and they really build relationships and people become more accountable for their own healthcare.”
The convenience of email contributes for Enforcer’s success. “People can email whenever and wherever they want, and read the emails whenever and wherever,” says Butler. “We’re slowly nudging people to success because of the daily email exchange.”
In addition to JumpStart’s investment to help Enforcer complete its computer platform, the organization has also provided expertise in hiring sales and IT staff.
Source: Marty Butler
Writer: Karin Connelly
The eCoaching focuses on smoking cessation, weight loss, hypertension control and diabetes control through personalized one-on-one email coaching and behavior modification.
“It’s based on 25 years of health coaching by Dr. Roizen,” says Marty Butler, Enforcer’s president and CEO. “We’re seeing a lot of niche treatment programs in the marketplace for companies looking to reduce their healthcare spending. Employers see a very strong return on investment.”
Butler says participants in the smoking cessation program have an 85-percent success rate, while weight loss participants lose an average of two inches to their waist lines.
Employers or private individuals can sign up for eCoaching. They select the type of coaching they want, are assigned a coach, and then check in with daily email correspondence. “It’s part automation, part personal coaching,” says Butler. “Every email is reviewed by a personal health coach, and they really build relationships and people become more accountable for their own healthcare.”
The convenience of email contributes for Enforcer’s success. “People can email whenever and wherever they want, and read the emails whenever and wherever,” says Butler. “We’re slowly nudging people to success because of the daily email exchange.”
In addition to JumpStart’s investment to help Enforcer complete its computer platform, the organization has also provided expertise in hiring sales and IT staff.
Source: Marty Butler
Writer: Karin Connelly
The inaugural Great Lakes Venture Fair will take place at the Cleveland Marriott Downtown October 17-18, on the heels of the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds annual conference. The fair is a collaborative effort between JumpStart, Ohio Capital Fund, Ohio Venture Association, TiE Ohio, CincyTech and TechColumbus and will bring together investors and startups from across the Midwest.
“It’s a chance for the venture capital community to come together and see some of the most promising startups,” explains Carolyn Pione Micheli, director of communications for CincyTech. “According to a study by the Kauffman Foundation, in 2007 all net news job growth came from companies that are less than five years old.” The event is the successor to the Ohio Capital Fund’s Early Stage Summit, which was held in Columbus for seven years.
The GLVF will only accept 18 startup companies in bioscience and IT to pitch their companies to investors. Other activities at the event include presentations on regional investment activity, and conversations about building future growth in startups and investing.
“In terms of growing fresh new jobs, small companies are the key, “ says Micheli. “The startup community is really important to our economic future.”
Keynote speaker will be Jeff Weedman, vice president of global business development for Proctor & Gamble. The application deadline for companies looking for funding is Aug. 12. Registration to attend is $200 before Sep. 15, $250 after that.
Source: Carolyn Pione Micheli
Writer: Karin Connelly
“It’s a chance for the venture capital community to come together and see some of the most promising startups,” explains Carolyn Pione Micheli, director of communications for CincyTech. “According to a study by the Kauffman Foundation, in 2007 all net news job growth came from companies that are less than five years old.” The event is the successor to the Ohio Capital Fund’s Early Stage Summit, which was held in Columbus for seven years.
The GLVF will only accept 18 startup companies in bioscience and IT to pitch their companies to investors. Other activities at the event include presentations on regional investment activity, and conversations about building future growth in startups and investing.
“In terms of growing fresh new jobs, small companies are the key, “ says Micheli. “The startup community is really important to our economic future.”
Keynote speaker will be Jeff Weedman, vice president of global business development for Proctor & Gamble. The application deadline for companies looking for funding is Aug. 12. Registration to attend is $200 before Sep. 15, $250 after that.
Source: Carolyn Pione Micheli
Writer: Karin Connelly
Phoenix Coffee has introduced a direct trade coffee from Amado Nervo, in the Chiapas area of Mexico, to its menu. By purchasing the coffee directly from the growers, the middleman is eliminated and more money goes directly to the farmers.
“It’s a town of about 1,100 people and coffee is their only crop,” says Christopher Feran, coffee and marketing director for Phoenix. “We’re having a direct impact on the people of Amado Nervo. We like to connect people, and now we’re connecting them through coffee.”
Phoenix joined a coffee co-op out of Pittsburgh, Three Rivers Coffee Importers, to obtain the Chiapas coffee. The co-op provides health services, micro loans, low-interest loans, tools and education to the farmers. “This is the first of many direct trades to come,” promises Feran.
The direct trade concept fits Phoenix’s philosophy perfectly. “It makes a lot of sense for us,” Feran says. “We’ve always tried to focus on green and sustainability.”
The coffee is available online or in Phoenix cafes, in light and dark roasts.
Source: Christopher Feran
Writer: Karin Connelly
“It’s a town of about 1,100 people and coffee is their only crop,” says Christopher Feran, coffee and marketing director for Phoenix. “We’re having a direct impact on the people of Amado Nervo. We like to connect people, and now we’re connecting them through coffee.”
Phoenix joined a coffee co-op out of Pittsburgh, Three Rivers Coffee Importers, to obtain the Chiapas coffee. The co-op provides health services, micro loans, low-interest loans, tools and education to the farmers. “This is the first of many direct trades to come,” promises Feran.
The direct trade concept fits Phoenix’s philosophy perfectly. “It makes a lot of sense for us,” Feran says. “We’ve always tried to focus on green and sustainability.”
The coffee is available online or in Phoenix cafes, in light and dark roasts.
Source: Christopher Feran
Writer: Karin Connelly
Startup Lakewood is looking for new businesses and the organization is willing to help entrepreneurs take their ideas to fruition. The second annual Ideation Challenge showcases the new ideas and new business startups that will add to the diversity of the Lakewood business community.
“We think there are all sorts of people right here in Lakewood who have ideas for businesses but haven’t taken the steps to launch them,” says Mike Belsito, Lakewood’s entrepreneur-in-residence and director of the Ideation Challenge. “New businesses are important to the city, and this is one way to help people actually get started.”
Anyone with a business idea can submit an executive summary and a one- to two-minute elevator pitch for a chance to win a prize package that includes consulting, training and other resources for starting a new business. “The prizes will help the entrepreneurs take the next steps and take their ideas into reality,” says Belsito.
Two winners will be chosen -- one from Lakewood and one from Northeast Ohio. All entrants will receive feedback from Startup Lakewood. The competition is open to anybody, with the hope that the winners will start their businesses in Lakewood.
The deadline to submit executive summaries was recently extended to August 14. Startup Lakewood will then invite finalists by August 17 to make their elevator pitches on August 28 at University of Akron’s Lakewood Campus.
Source: Mike Belsito
Writer: Karin Connelly
“We think there are all sorts of people right here in Lakewood who have ideas for businesses but haven’t taken the steps to launch them,” says Mike Belsito, Lakewood’s entrepreneur-in-residence and director of the Ideation Challenge. “New businesses are important to the city, and this is one way to help people actually get started.”
Anyone with a business idea can submit an executive summary and a one- to two-minute elevator pitch for a chance to win a prize package that includes consulting, training and other resources for starting a new business. “The prizes will help the entrepreneurs take the next steps and take their ideas into reality,” says Belsito.
Two winners will be chosen -- one from Lakewood and one from Northeast Ohio. All entrants will receive feedback from Startup Lakewood. The competition is open to anybody, with the hope that the winners will start their businesses in Lakewood.
The deadline to submit executive summaries was recently extended to August 14. Startup Lakewood will then invite finalists by August 17 to make their elevator pitches on August 28 at University of Akron’s Lakewood Campus.
Source: Mike Belsito
Writer: Karin Connelly
Incoming ninth graders at Max Hayes High School took it to the parking lot last week, Thursday, July 26, to race the cars they had crafted as part of the Take it to the Max program. Part summer camp, part school orientation, nearly 60 students participated in two WIRE-Net program sessions to see if a career in manufacturing is the right path. Max Hayes students concentrate on manufacturing in their studies.
"The goal of the program is to introduce the students to careers in manufacturing and the careers taught at Max Hayes,” explains Jose Estrenera, director of youth programs for WIRE-Net. “If they get a leg up on what Max Hayes is about, they’ll be more productive.”
Two three-week sessions this summer focused on building a car. Students were given a block of wood, four wheels and four nails. “At first they look at it and say, ‘how am I going to make a car out of this,’” says Estrenera. But they figure it out as they take computer classes with a CAD type program to develop a plan, hear lectures from volunteers on aerodynamics and the rudimentary skills needed, and take a 3D model into the lab to shape, sand, paint and decorate their cars.
“The camp has four parts: the technical lab, the computer lab, physical exercise and social skills,” says Estrenera. “There are a lot of good jobs around in manufacturing. This camp gets them actively thinking about what they are doing in courses at Max Hayes.”
Not to mention the fun that was involved. “The reaction was great,” says Estrenera. “The kids were really proud of their cars and really expressed themselves.”
Source: Jose Estrenera
Writer: Karin Connelly
"The goal of the program is to introduce the students to careers in manufacturing and the careers taught at Max Hayes,” explains Jose Estrenera, director of youth programs for WIRE-Net. “If they get a leg up on what Max Hayes is about, they’ll be more productive.”
Two three-week sessions this summer focused on building a car. Students were given a block of wood, four wheels and four nails. “At first they look at it and say, ‘how am I going to make a car out of this,’” says Estrenera. But they figure it out as they take computer classes with a CAD type program to develop a plan, hear lectures from volunteers on aerodynamics and the rudimentary skills needed, and take a 3D model into the lab to shape, sand, paint and decorate their cars.
“The camp has four parts: the technical lab, the computer lab, physical exercise and social skills,” says Estrenera. “There are a lot of good jobs around in manufacturing. This camp gets them actively thinking about what they are doing in courses at Max Hayes.”
Not to mention the fun that was involved. “The reaction was great,” says Estrenera. “The kids were really proud of their cars and really expressed themselves.”
Source: Jose Estrenera
Writer: Karin Connelly