Shaker Launchhouse co-founder/marketing Dar Caldwell describes the business accelerator as a "thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem." That ecosystem will welcome 10 new inhabitants this coming fall thanks to funding from Ohio's New Entrepreneurs (ONE) Fund.
 
The $200,000 grant will be "a welcome addition here, allowing us to ramp up even more," Caldwell says. Launchhouse already provides dozens of member companies with all sorts of support, from ... Read more >

OnShift Software, a leader in web-based staff scheduling and shift management software for the healthcare industry, closed $3 million in series B financing. The funding will help OnShift meet the rising demand to manage healthcare costs.

OnShift is experiencing fast, significant growth, having achieved a 400 percent increase in annual revenue in 2011. The company’s customer base has surged to more than 600 in the past year. The funding will be used to accelerate OnS... Read more >

Tremont West Development Corporation has launched a new Storefront Incubator program that aims to help pop-up shops and startup businesses grow into permanent, bricks-and-mortar retailers, ideally right in the heart of historic Tremont.

Through a competitive process, Tremont West will select a fledgling retailer to occupy the 370-square-foot storefront it owns at 2406 Professor. The retailer will be offered three months of free rent as a sweetener. After the nine month le... Read more >

Someday, perhaps, we'll power our ever-growing number of personal electronic devices with something sustainable like biofuels or sunlight. Until then, the nPower PEG (personal energy device) will do nicely. Tremont Electric's clever gadget converts the motion of walking or running into energy, which it stores in a battery until you're ready to recharge your cell phone or iPod.
 
Cool, right? The only problem to date has been getting hold of one.
 ... Read more >

Entrepreneurial ventures are often launched out of garages, spare bedrooms and basements. Yet MedWish International, a nonprofit organization that repurposes medical supplies discarded by the healthcare industry for humanitarian aid to developing countries, is probably one of the few that has ever been launched out of a suitcase.

When Cleveland doctor Lee Ponsky visited Nigeria in 1991 and saw the vast level of healthcare need that exists there, he wanted to help in some ... Read more >

Major corporations have long conducted sophisticated research to figure out what kind of consumer you are. Now, a new initiative that is being launched by two young city residents aims to find out what kind of Clevelander you are -- and use the results to engage citizens and drive policy change in the region.

By surveying residents' attitudes towards living in Northeast Ohio, as well as our preferences for urban amenities, the creators of the Clevelander Report hope t... Read more >

Metheny Weir, a home remodeling business which was originally launched out of a Shaker Heights basement, recently expanded to a spacious storefront on Larchmere. The growth spurt is the result of the company inking last year a deal to become Cleveland's only licensed retailer of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, a hot new product that's generating a buzz in the interior design world.

Metheny Weir co-owner Sue Weir says that the innovative product allows home remodelers to ... Read more >

In this video, we join Cleveland city councilman Matt Zone on a guided tour of his favorite neighborhood: Gordon Square Arts District. Stops along the way include duoHome, Sweet Moses, Yellowcake, Gypsy Beans, 1point618, Capitol Theatre, and XYZ the Tavern. Shot by Fresh Water videographer David Wester, the short film illustrates why Detroit Shoreway is fast becoming one of the most dynamic neighborhoods in Cleveland.
 

Rock the Catwalk, a new fundraiser being introduced by the Women's Leadership Council in support of United Way of Greater Cleveland, will highlight Cleveland's trendiest local fashion boutiques.

Yet it will also put a face on the real human need that unfortunately exists among formerly homeless, unemployed women in our region. The event will highlight the nonprofit agencies that help these women dress for success while also engaging the female clients themselves a... Read more >

Two years ago, cyclist Mike Hulett traded legal briefs and billable hours for bike stands and Allen wrenches when he opened the Broadway Cyclery, a utility-focused bike shop in downtown Bedford.

Recently, he purchased the historic Marshall Building and moved his business into a larger, renovated storefront. He's slowly restoring the structure, originally built to house a drugstore and boasting Terrazzo floors and 15-foot ceilings, to its original beauty.

Hule... Read more >

When it comes to making challenging New Year’s resolutions, Josh Schwarz knows how to set the bar high and deliver results.

The Case Western Reserve University sophomore is a computer science major, and his  resolution for 2011 was to create one Facebook application a week -- 52 in all. To his credit, Schwarz met the goal -- on time and on target.

“I’ve always been into computers,” Schwarz explains. “I’m constantly wanting... Read more >

How would you spend three days on a bus with strangers? If reading, watching movies or sleeping are among your top choices, then the Startup Bus is not for you.
 
The destination is the South By Southwest (SXSW) technology conference in Austin, Texas, but that's almost beside the point. Startup Bus is all about the journey -- three days on the road, brainstorming and launching new companies with fellow hackers (programmers), hipsters (designers) and hustlers (entr... Read more >

Mahalls 20 Lanes, a vintage Lakewood bowling alley that's been owned by the same family since it was built in 1924, is being fixed up by new owners. Joe Pavlick and Kelly Flamos are renovating the historic venue, which features two 10-lane bowling alleys, a billiard room, several bars and a kitchen, and also plan to add live music.

"We're still working out the specifics of our plan, but we want to restore Mahalls to its former glory," says Pavlick, a for... Read more >

Steven Peffer cannot easily explain why he calls his new record shop House Frau; he just likes the German-sounding name, which reminds him of dark, wood-paneled bars and frothy steins of beer. Yet the entrepreneur has a crystal-clear view of why he's opening a vinyl record store in a digitally-oriented economy: Shoppers are hungry for tangible shopping experiences, he says, and there's a viable niche market for new and used records.

"Sure, you can fire up a w... Read more >

As the number of local bike commuters continues to increase, so too does the number of savvy entrepreneurs who serve and service them. In recent years, a mini boom of bike-based businesses has developed across Northeast Ohio, including frame builders, messenger bag makers, rickshaw drivers and an indoor bike park that attracts visitors from throughout the Midwest.

Grace Brothers, a seven-acre nursery and garden store in Broadview Heights that previously relied upon the suburban market, is vying for a new, urban market. This month, the family-owned company will open a gardening, farming and pet store in the growing Detroit Shoreway neighborhood on Cleveland's west side.

"We were selling to the new home market and kind of living the bubble, but then it evaporated over the last four years and things came to a standstill,"... Read more >

Public Square Group, a nonprofit organization that promotes skateboarding and skate parks as tools for redeveloping urban neighborhoods, engaging youth in positive activities and promoting active lifestyles, is opening an office and indoor skatepark in the MidTown neighborhood of Cleveland.

The new office and skatepark, which has been dubbed "Skate Kitchen," will be located in the historic Cadillac Building at E. 30th and Chester, adjacent to Jakprints. Skate Ki... Read more >