ClevelandStartup.com

One of my recent tweets accidentally sparked an interesting conversation about whether or not an exchange fund like the one described in this TechCrunch article would work in Cleveland. The general consensus? Maybe. But more importantly, we all agreed that there needs to be a bigger emphasis on increasing awareness of new and innovative ways to help develop and grow more tech startups in Cleveland.

Microfunding is one of those “new” and innovative ways. Coupled with an idea like MoonDog (full disclosure: this was my Startup Weekend Cleveland team - darn good & talented people), microfunding has the potential to provide founders with unprecedented access to the seed capital and resources necessary to get up and running. Sometimes all it takes is, in addition to some great talent, a relatively small amount of money to take an idea from wireframe to working prototype. From there, the next logical step might be to engage an organization like Goldstein Caldwell & Associates (GCA), JumpStart, Civic Innovation Lab, etc to help take the idea forward.

So how do we work together and leverage the recent momentum folks like GCA and the SWCLE team have generated to connect a live pipeline of ideas with those with the means to invest as angels in a microfunding capacity on a more regular basis? Have “pitch nights” worked? What about investment clubs? Any organizations already doing something like this? I’d like to hear your ideas.

What do you think?

February 02, 2010, 5:17pm   Comments

I don’t claim to be a Startup expert by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, @swcle was my first experience rubbing elbows, meeting and sharing ideas with Cleveland’s best and brightest Startup enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. It was the Startup Weekend Cleveland experience that inspired me to reconnect with my passion for people that identify a need & build a business around a solution. It was that experience that inspired me to start this project. And that experience wouldn’t have been possible without the blood, sweat and tears of #swcle organizers @broadcrawford, @joefiorini, @gsvitak, @andrewkavanaugh, @stumpjumper, @jonrstahl & @dougcraver.

That all being said, I’m armed and ready to go. And by armed I mean Flip Video Camera in hand, ready to sit down and talk with the Cleveland Startup Community’s most inspirational and influential citizens. Why? Because I believe that by hearing seeing their stories, others will be motivated, inspired and empowered to take that giant leap and make their dream a reality.

Let me cut to the chase. I need your input. What Startups born & raised in Northeast Ohio do you admire the most? Who do you feel is making the biggest positive impact in Cleveland’s Startup Community? Who’s on your “Who’s Who” of Cleveland Startup icons? Leave a comment below or click the link to your left and send us an email with your suggestions. From there, the plan is to narrow it down to the Top 10 and start knocking on doors with the questions YOU want to ask them. A bit too ambitious? Maybe. But who really cares…

January 25, 2010, 10:17pm   Comments

Interested in helping create the resource for startup & early stage advocacy in Northeast Ohio? Have an idea for the blog? Please send an email to info@clevelandstartup.com and tell us a bit about yourself.

January 23, 2010, 11:47am   Comments