Jumpstart Inc.

With reports showing that high-tech startups contribute to the vibrancy and diversity of the economy and are a key driver of job creation, regions around the world are interested in becoming innovation hotspots. The reality is that most markets are not venture capital meccas like Silicon Valley. Still, there are creative ways to spur and support entrepreneurial activity and civic and corporate leaders, nonprofit foundations and economic development organizations are experimenting with novel approaches to launch and accelerate the successes of high growth companies in their communities. A Massive Open Online Course, or MOOC, is being created by Professor Michael Goldberg at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University that will, among other things, examine one such public, private and philanthropic intervention—the decade-long effort to advance the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Greater Cleveland. In this panel discussion moderated by JumpStart's Samantha Fryberger, Professor Goldberg,