JumpStart CEO Ray Leach has been named to the board of the National Venture Capital Association. The NVCA serves as the voice of the United States venture capital community and advocates for policies that encourage innovation and reward long-term investment.

While most of the organization's 400 members represent venture capital firms on the East and West coasts, Leach is the only member representing the Midwest. "In order to be successful as a non-profit, we need healthy... Read more >

Thermalin Diabetes, a JumpStart Ventures portfolio company, recently closed $2.85 million in Series A investments, paving the way to the further development of short, medium and long lasting insulin analogs by Case Western Reserve Medical School Dr. Michael A. Weiss.

The announcement includes a second $250,000 investment from JumpStart, and exceeds Thermalin's original target by $1 million. "Having this round closed is great," says Thermalin CEO Rick Berenson. "I'm very e... Read more >

Cleveland-based ChanTest has tested more than 20,000 compounds for hundreds of pharmaceutical and biotech companies around the world since its founding in 1998. Over the years, the company has also developed a cell optimization service. These advancements have helped pharmaceutical and biotech companies develop safer drugs for a variety of health-related issues.

ChanTest has now formed an agreement with Molecular Devices, a Sunnyvale, California, company, to further its i... Read more >

Local rowing advocates say their beloved sport is about to get even bigger thanks to the Cleveland Rowing Foundation's recent acquisition of Rivergate Park, a former marina on the East Bank of the Flats. Over the next two years, CRF will redevelop Rivergate into a seven-acre riverside recreation venue, with a boathouse, kayak rental and public park. Rivergate is part of an emerging recreation district in the Flats that includes a new skate park and bike path to Whiskey Island.

According to Gil Van Bokkelen, chairman and CEO of Athersys, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) continues to be a debilitating condition for many people. Could Athersys' MultiStem cell therapy product benefit the more than two million people worldwide who suffer from some form of  IBD, such as ulcerative colitis?

A new phase II clinical trial will search for the answer. Athersys, in collaboration with Pfizer Inc., is conducting a study involving about 126 people in cli... Read more >

These days, it seems that everyone is singing Pittsburgh's praises. Our Rust Belt neighbor to the east recently scored a Google corporate office. And last year, perennial Cleveland-basher Forbes Magazine named Pittsburgh the country's most livable city. Ouch. Clearly Pittsburgh is doing something right. Simply put: That city is light years ahead of Cleveland when it comes to bike-friendliness -- and bike-friendly cities are more attractive to young professionals, the creat... Read more >

"Bioscience is one of the driving forces in Cleveland," said Baiju Shah, president and CEO of BioEnterprise. In case you need hard numbers to back up that claim, Shah noted that more than 600 healthcare related companies exist in the region.

Shah served as moderator for the 4th Annual Summit on Leadership, which was presented on March 10 by the Cleveland Business Leaders Committee of the Union Club.

What does Cleveland have that innovators in biomedicine and hea... Read more >

A proposed $7.5 million indoor cycling track in Slavic Village would be the only such facility of its kind east of the Rockies. The nonprofit organization Fast Track Cycling says the velodrome would attract thousands of cycling enthusiasts while helping to transform Cleveland into a greener, healthier city. Slavic Village supporters say, Bring it on.

The Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center (GCIC) on the Cleveland Clinic campus has taken another step toward advancing cardiovascular technology with the addition of Irish medical device solutions provider Creganna-TactX. Specializing in the design of minimally invasive innovations, Creganna-TactX has opened its Cleveland office to support local medical device manufacturers while partnering with the Clinic to develop further advancements.

"Our key markets are in cardio... Read more >

A packed house at Monday night's Local Food Cleveland meeting on raising backyard livestock demonstrated growing interest in raising chickens, bees and other animals in urban neighborhoods across Northeast Ohio.

When audience members at the Great Lakes Brewing Company's Tasting Room in Ohio City were asked by event organizer Peter McDermott if they currently were raising backyard livestock or were planning on it, approximately two-thirds raised their hands.

Two ... Read more >

Michele Iacobelli Buckholtz has treasured memories of going to lunch with her dad in Little Italy. He grew up here when it was an Italian neighborhood with markets on nearly every corner. She soaked up the old neighborhood during these childhood visits.

Today, Buckholtz is recreating the tradition of the small Italian market -- with a contemporary twist. She recently renovated an historic storefront at Murray Hill Road and Paul Avenue in Little Italy. It reopened as... Read more >

Last October, Cleveland's ViewRay unveiled a research radiation therapy system to the medical device community. Now comes word that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted ViewRay clearance for its radiotherapy treatment planning and delivery software, a key element of the radiation therapy system.

This is a critical step toward FDA approval of the system, according to Gregory M. Ayers, M.D. and Ph.D., president and CEO of ViewRay. "It's exciting to see such pr... Read more >

Malik Moore is excited about the $2 billion worth of development that is planned or underway in the Flats and adjacent neighborhoods. At the same time, however, as the area is redeveloped as a hub for entertainment, housing, offices, industry and recreation, he wants to ensure that residents' voices are being heard.

"As this neighborhood grows, we want the residents to grow with it," said Moore, Executive Director of the Downtown Cleveland YMCA, at last week's forum on m... Read more >

In 2010, MetroHealth began testing a surgical solution for high blood pressure, became the only Ohio hospital chosen to participate in the Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium to benefit injured servicemen and women, launched MetroExpressCare to address the needs of urgent care patients, and provided resources for the identification of the first gene associated with age-related cataracts.

All the while, the hospital system has kept its eye on sustainable business p... Read more >