More then $140 billion in gift cards are purchased each year, generating more than $1.8 billion in associated transaction fees. SparkBase, a Cleveland company founded in 2004, is the industry leader in software processing of gift cards, reward and loyalty programs. SparkBase's software makes sure purchases are recognized when a gift card is swiped, measures demographics, and tracks buying habits on rewards cards. This time last year, SparkBase had a handful of customers and seve... Read more >

Cleveland-area SPR Therapeutics is tackling the chronic pain market with its Smartpatch technology. The Smartpatch external stimulator delivers an electrical signal to an electrode placed in the muscle. The electrical signals stimulate the target nerve within the muscle, thereby exercising the muscle to treat the pain. The Smartpatch system will serve the $150 billion pain market, in particular those suffering shoulder pain from strokes, as well as chronic lower back pain.
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State Farm Insurance is looking for bi-lingual agents with an entrepreneurial spirit. So the agency is holding a job fair at Asian Town Center, located in Cleveland's Asiatown neighborhood, on May 17 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m..

"State Farm has really got a push on the multi-cultural market," says Kevin Perry, senior State Farm field executive in the company's Beachwood office. "As a growing company we noticed we didn't have a lot of agents across diverse backgrounds."Read more >

MC2 STEM High School was named a regional runner-up in an energy conservation competition sponsored by Alcoa Foundation and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change in Arlington, VA. The competition, called Make an Impact: Change our 2morrow (CO2), awarded STEM High School a $1,000 grant for completing the most calculations on how to reduce the carbon footprint with a carbon calculator.

"It was an opportunity for students, teachers, parents and administrators to have hands... Read more >

Cleveland is an entrepreneurial hotspot right now, and big business in Cleveland wants to make sure local women-owned outfits have equal footing. Springboard Enterprises has joined forces with Ohio-based powerhouses KeyBank, Thompson Hine, and Meaden & Moore to provide women with the keys to building big businesses. Build it Big is a business development program for women-owned businesses on the fast track to growth. "It's about educating business owners on how to find equity ... Read more >

Lights, camera, action!

Paramount Pictures announced plans to shoot an untitled film this summer in Cleveland and surrounding areas. The movie, starring Nickelodeon's Victoria Justice, will be directed by Josh Schwartz and produced by Michael Beugg. It is one of three major motion pictures slated for production in Greater Cleveland this summer. "I think it's going to be a very exciting summer," says Greater Cleveland Film Commission executive director Ivan Schwarz. "It's... Read more >

While it's common for individual companies to develop a business plan to help prepare for success, Northeast Ohio is one of only three regions in the country to pilot a regional business development plan. The Partnership for Regional Innovation Services to Manufacturers (PRISM) will be headed by MAGNET to help small and medium sized manufacturers thrive in the region.

"It's basically a way to ramp up the level of innovation in the manufacturing sector," says John Schober,... Read more >

Shaker LaunchHouse, a pre-seed investment fund and business accelerator, has raised $250,000 in capital funds. A portion of the money will be used to invest an average of $10,000 in 15 software and disruptive technology companies. "Disruptive technology refers to thinking of things that shake up or dramatically change the market," explains Todd Goldstein, managing partner of SLH.

The investments will be made over the next 12 months. Additionally, SLH will provide office s... Read more >

Cleveland State University's Nance College of Business Administration and Shaker LaunchHouse have teamed up to encourage the regions entrepreneurs to follow their dreams.

The agreement was adopted at a special meeting of the Shaker City Council on March 14, after recommendation by the Shaker Heights Economic Development Department.

One of the first endeavors the two have launched is the 2011 Idea Competition. The contest is open to students at any Ohio college or... Read more >

Roe Green believes in the arts. She can't imagine a world without them, and she wants to make sure people in Northeast Ohio continue to be exposed to the latest in theater, music and dance at the Cleveland Play House. So she made a three-year, $500,000 commitment to FusionFest.

"To me it was a very exciting idea," Green says of the donation. "I like exposing people to new things. It's stuff like this at FusionFest that people would not otherwise see."

Green is ho... Read more >

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 >

Shannon Okey enjoys sharing what she knows about knitting. But she didn't like being told what to do by traditional publishers. So, after publishing 12 books the traditional way, Okey launched Cooperative Press in 2006 with The Knitgrrl Guide to Professional Knitwear Design, the first-ever business book targeted to the handknit industry.

"I decided to start my own company and take advantage of some of the things that larger publishers were ignoring or underusing, such as ... Read more >

The Cuyahoga Arts and Culture (CAC) board recently approved a small grants pilot program for the 2012 funding cycle. The program simplifies the application process for organizations seeking funds up to $5,000.

The CAC's standard Project Support (PS) grant has an upper limit of $50,000 and requires a rigorous application process, including detailed financial and participant data, and a one-to-one cash match for each dollar of CAC funding. This program simplifies the amount... Read more >

Neuros Medical, a Greater Cleveland based medical device company, has developed a neuro-stimulator that has proven to eliminate chronic pain in amputees. A feasibility study, the first test on humans, showed the company's high-frequency Electrical Nerve Block™ technology reduced pain to zero in four of the five patients studied.

The device, which looks like a pacemaker attached to a wire, uses a high-frequency signal to stop the pain. "It will literally block that ... Read more >

American Greetings has made it possible to send a loved one a greeting card with birthday candles to blow out -- literally. The new line of cards called Ready, Set, Blow features six scenarios in which recipients are prompted to blow on the card. The puff of air prompts the card to come to life with LED lights, a song and sounds.

Users blow on the cards to extinguish birthday candles, toot a horn, or make a wish on a dandelion. The cards are designed to please recipients ... Read more >

April and May bring out the best in design during the inaugural Cleveland Design Month-and-a-Half, which features two events that show off the talents of local design students as well as regional and national designers.

The Cleveland Institute of Art's annual Spring Design Show, a tradition for more than 20 years, kicks off on Tuesday, April 19, while the Cleveland Furniture Fair, hosted by Cleveland's District of Design, begins May 16.

In the spring show stu... 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 >

Five years ago, Deby Cowdin was cleaning up after a party. As she picked up the empty wine and liquor bottles on her porch, her friend and partner, Mindy Bohannon, dared her to do something that would change her life. "She said, 'you're a glass artist, figure out something to do with them.'" So Cowdin did exactly that. She founded Blue Bag, a company that transforms bottles into serving plates, cheese boards and other works of art.

Cowdin started the business out of her h... Read more >

Local food startups are growing by leaps and bounds in Cleveland. Whether it's urban farming or specialty food production, the ability of local entrepreneurs to affect change in the food industry seems limitless.

This Monday, April 4, 10 food entrepreneurs will gather at Great Lakes Brewing Co. to share the secrets of their success. A Local Food Cleveland event, the Local Food Startup Business Showcase looks at businesses that are helping the local food economy.

... Read more >

MMPI, owner and operator of the forthcoming Medical Mart & Convention Center, stands to save $5 million over 14 years thanks to a newly signed contract with Cleveland Thermal. Rather than build its own on-site heating and cooling system, the mart and convention center will use heating and cooling energy provided by Cleveland Thermal.

Cleveland Thermal is a district energy supplier that serves about 125 commercial, institutional, municipal and federal buildings in Clev... Read more >