Jumpstart Inc.

Greater Cleveland would not have been thought of as the land of entrepreneurial opportunity or activity 10 or so years ago. The region survived on established industry for quite some time, but found itself coming up short on jobs in the 1980s and 1990s. Over the past decade, the region banded together to get the entrepreneurial ball rolling with seed funds, incubators, accelerators and other key resources. Now Northeast Ohio is flush with an array of programs and startups successfully raising capital and getting national attention. But that’s not the complete picture of a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. There needs to be vibrancy, a sense of connection, culture and community. We sat down with Nick Barendt, Laura Bennett, Paul McAvinchey and Nichelle McCall to discuss the importance of culture and opportunities created for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs ... many of which are focused on peer networking and education.