Cleveland : Buzz

IBM acquires UrbanCode to help businesses rapidly deliver mobile, cloud, big data and social softwar

PR Newswire Thursday, April 25, 2013

IBM announced it has acquired UrbanCode Inc. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, UrbanCode automates the delivery of software, helping businesses quickly release and update mobile, social, big data, cloud applications.

Read the full story here.

Middle-market companies from Ohio choose open innovation to achieve competitive advantage

Nine Sigma, Inc. Thursday, April 18, 2013

NineSigma, Inc., of Cleveland, the leading innovation partner to organizations worldwide, today announced several new clients they will work with under the Ohio Third Frontier Open Innovation Incentive (OII) Program. As part of the program, NineSigma received a grant from the State of Ohio to help middle market companies, with revenues between $10 million and $1 billion, leverage Open Innovation strategies.

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Ohio declares STEM education, entrepreneurship economic cornerstones

Black Innovation and Competitiveness Initiative Thursday, April 18, 2013

Johnathan M. Holifield, NorTech’s Vice President of Inclusive Competitiveness affirmed, “This potential game-changer for Ohio is an economic competitiveness imperative. Ohio must cultivate a larger, more diverse and inclusive STEM pipeline to produce more job-creating entrepreneurs. This program will accelerate those efforts.”

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Ohio ranked second in auto parts jobs

Dayton Daily News Thursday, April 11, 2013

Motor vehicle parts manufacturing is the largest source of manufacturing jobs in the United States, according to a study released Monday by the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association.

The industry directly employs more than 734,000 American workers and generates nearly $355 billion toward the gross domestic product, 2.3 percent of total U.S. GDP, the report said. The study was conducted with IHS Inc., a provider of analytics.

In Ohio, 89,423 workers are employed in making auto parts, making the state second to only Michigan, which has 102,624 workers directly employed in the industry, according to the association. Indiana was third with nearly 80,000 workers.

“With a presence in all 50 states, this industry is important to the health and success of American manufacturing and to the future of this country,” Bob McKenna, the association’s president and chief executive, said in a press release on the study.

In the Dayton area, companies like DMAX in Moraine, Tenneco in Kettering, Behr Thermal Products in Dayton, Ahresty in Wilmington and many others work for the auto industry, supplying General Motors nationwide or Honda in Ohio, among other original equipment manufacturers.

Read the story here.

Ohio science, tech groups target youth innovation

Canton Repository Thursday, March 28, 2013

A new scholarship program is being launched to encourage Ohio students to become high-tech inventors and entrepreneurs.

Believe in Ohio will be a youth commercialization and entrepreneurship program offering incentives for achievements in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Read the full story here.

DecisionDesk nets $1.7m to help colleges and companies pick the best people

VentureBeat Thursday, March 28, 2013

Ever had to collect thousands of applications and whittle them down to find the best hundred candidates? Universities and businesses do it all the time, and it’s not an easy task.

New York and Cleveland-based DecisionDesk wants to change that. The company takes the application and selection process into the cloud, promising to make the lives of administrators a lot less stressful. And it just raised $1.75 million in new funding to keep innovating.

Read the full story here.

Number of new businesses filing with state hits record

The Columbus Dispatch Thursday, February 28, 2013

A record number of companies and organizations filed to do business in the state of Ohio last year, Secretary of State Jon Husted’s office said.

In all, 88,068 new entities filed to do business last year.

Click here to read the full story.

The power of fuel cell technology in Northeast Ohio

Crain's Cleveland Business Thursday, February 28, 2013

Ohio is making history as a leader in the fuel cell industry from the perspective of technology development and manufacturing, including both system integration and supply chain.

To read the full story click here.

Cities' hearts beating strong in Ohio's 3 C's

Columbus Dispatch Thursday, February 14, 2013

Euclid Avenue was the spark in Cleveland, as a bus rapid-transit system ignited development along the important Downtown artery once lined with so many mansions it was known as Millionaires’ Row.

The rebirth of downtown Cincinnati started with Fountain Square and in Over-the-Rhine, a historic neighborhood filled with stately but crumbling homes.

In Columbus, the Arena District rose on the blighted site of a long-closed prison. This started a wave of development that has spread south, to the river and the land formerly occupied by the failed City Center mall.

Now, after many years and a combined investment of about $10 billion, Ohio’s three largest cities are enjoying downtown booms that have added residents, jobs, economic impact and vibrancy.

Read the full story here.

The crowdfunding crowd is anxious

The New York Times Thursday, January 17, 2013

To its advocates, crowdfunding is a way for capital-starved entrepreneurs to receive financing that neither big investors nor lenders are willing or able to provide. To others, it represents a potential minefield that could help bad businesses get off the ground before they eventually fail, and in some cases could even ensnare unsophisticated investors in outright fraud.

Those fears are partly why the Securities and Exchange Commission has delayed rules allowing crowdfunding that were supposed to take effect this month as part of the JOBS Act (Jump-Start Our Business Start-Ups), signed by President Obama last April. The S.E.C. is wary of loosening investor protections that have been in place since the 1930s.

Read the full story here.

moms are making their own way as entrepreneurs

Crain's Cleveland Business Thursday, January 03, 2013

A 2011 scare with melanoma convinced Cindy Perry to finally turn a hobby into a career.

Ms. Perry, an Avon Lake mother of two, last January launched a business from her home selling “pellos” — baby floor pillows she initially designed for her own children. The pellos essentially are 33-inch round pillows with depressed centers that can be used for newborns lying down or for babies learning to sit or crawl.

Now, nearly a year after its debut, Ms. Perry contracts with a local manufacturer — Western Reserve Sewing Co. in Cleveland — to make the pellos, and she said her product is sold at 37 boutiques in 17 states. She already has an intern and is about to take on her first employee.

Ms. Perry is among a growing number of mom entrepreneurs, or “mompreneurs,” who are starting their own business while running a family. These are women who cradle a phone in one hand, a baby in another and make sales calls while packing lunches.

Read the full story here.

Ohio advances on Forbes list of 'Best States for Business'

The Toledo Blade Thursday, December 20, 2012

Ohio rose to 33rd from 38th and Michigan remained at No. 47 in Forbes’ new list of “Best States for Business.” The rankings, at forbes.com/best-states-for-business, compare the states in six categories.

Read the full story here.

What it really takes to foster an entrepreneurial ecosystem

The Atlantic Cities Thursday, December 20, 2012

Innovation and entrepreneurship are the engines of economic growth. For decades now, cities and communities across the United States have tried to infuse themselves with those two properties by emulating Silicon Valley, a never-ending quest to become the next Silicon Somewhere.

Brad Feld’s terrific new book, Startup Communities, takes us inside the real ecologies of innovation and entrepreneurship. Feld, co-founder of venture capital firm Foundry Group, serves on the boards of numerous high-tech companies. He recently chatted with Cities about his new book.

Read the full story here.

Ohio among top states for tech growth

The Business Journal Thursday, December 13, 2012

A national study on high-tech jobs released Thursday shows that Ohio is quickly establishing itself as a hub of high-tech job activity. The Buckeye State is home to three of the top 25 cities for tech job growth -- more than any other state.

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The Midwest is becoming a hotspot for entrepreneurs

Huffington Post Thursday, December 13, 2012

This fall, entrepreneurs and investors from all over the country gathered in downtown Cleveland for the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds (NASVF) annual conference. During a "fireside chat," AOL founder and Startup America Chair Steve Case touched on his belief that a "broader entrepreneurial ecosystem" with many hubs of innovation is possible. "Many years ago, you couldn't launch a startup in some areas, and now you can," he said. "Costs are down, and the ability to get talent is up."

The Midwest is working hard to make Case's vision a reality sooner rather than later.

Read the full story here.