JumpStart introduced IdeaCrossing to the entrepreneurial community in 2007 as a tool for developing and growing a new business. More than 6,000 users nationwide -- 2,000 in Ohio -- use the free online tool to find funding, talk with investors and hash out their ideas. Now IdeaCrossing has launched Workspaces, an online collaborative meeting place.

Workspaces gives entrepreneurs a virtual meeting place to collaborate with their advisors and stakeholders "without being bound by geography or business hours." Through Workspaces, entrepreneurs can request online feedback, share documents, and obtain referrals to others who can help advance the business.  Both IdeaCrossing and Workspaces are free to use.

“Workspaces is the next step in IdeaCrossing,” explains Tiffan Clark, IdeaCrossing vice president. “We found that nine out of 10 entrepreneurs who came to us said they were looking for money, but weren’t ready. This is a private discussion forum, where only those in Workspaces can see the documents and get feedback. It’s like a virtual meeting without the video component.”

WorkSpaces offers a private meeting space to bring all of an entrepreneur’s advisors, mentors and collaborators together in one place. “It brings all those advisors into this virtual private space to see the collaboration of those ideas,” says Clark. “We connect the community with the resources they need to grow their business, no matter what stage they may be at.”

Source: Tiffan Clark
Writer: Karin Connelly