Competitive Advantage for Northeast Ohio's Technology Entrepreneurs
Collaboration Partners
Through the Entrepreneurial Signature Program, Northeast Ohio was awarded $15 million to be used over the course of three years. These funds, to be divided as $9 million in operations and $6 million in pre-seed investment, went to the following services, purposes and collaborators:
TechLift (a NorTech Initiative) Services
The most visible and decidedly new program, TechLift aims to support, mentor and enable Northeast Ohio’s technology entrepreneurs in a way that makes being located in Northeast Ohio a huge competitive advantage for them. Read about our services and how they can benefit your technology company.
Pre-Seed Funds Supported by TechLift
The following pre-seed investors were awarded a total of $6 million in funds to be invested in collaboration with TechLift:
TechLift Signature EIRs will be involved in each fund’s selection process for Northeast Ohio pre-seed technology investments and can guide entrepreneurs to and through the process.
Acceleration and Support
ESP funds also went to current entrepreneurial acceleration and support organizations for new programs that will positively impact the technology entrepreneurial environment and each organization’s effectiveness, including:
JumpStart
- Due Diligence and Enhanced Management Services – JumpStart will provide management assistance to signature technology entrepreneurs and due diligence services to pre-seed funds through this program.
- Talent Program – A program that enables high growth entrepreneurial companies to excel in identifying, recruiting, compensating, and retaining their executive level talent.
- IdeaCrossing – A unique internet portal linking entrepreneurs with the investment capital, business assistance, and services necessary to grow their business.
NEOinc
- Entrepreneurial Experts – Adding coaching and mentorship resources into the NEOinc regional incubators in Cleveland, Lorain, Akron, Youngstown, and Mansfield.
BioEnterprise
- Health Care Opportunities at Technology Intersections – A program that BioEnterprise will execute to create and commercialize opportunities that lie at the intersection of health care and other areas of regional technology distinctiveness, such as information technologies, electronics, sensors and advanced materials.
- Health Care CEOs-in-Waiting – This program will recruit and host CEOs-in-waiting whose tasks are to lead distinctive technology companies to a significant venture financing. The CEOs will transition to the company full-time upon financing.
We are focused on Northeast Ohio's signature technologies:
Advanced Materials, BioSciences, Electronics, Information Technology, Advanced Energy