Technology : Featured Stories

“By 2015, more people will access the web from their smartphone than from their desktops and laptops,” says EXP president Barb Cagely. In Northeast Ohio, numerous app developers are ahead of the curve, dreaming up mobile apps that do everything from enriching your tourism experience to ensuring that workers in the field have all the resources they need.

Despite its rich, historic assets, the City of Dayton has for decades been outcompeted by larger cities when it comes to attracting young professionals. Now city leaders are launching a broad effort to change that by focusing on recruiting and retaining college graduates through internship programs and other opportunities.

A not-so-quiet revolution is taking place at the Entrepreneurship Innovation Center at Lorain County Community College. The organizations and companies located here are helping to propel Ohio's innovation economy forward. Now its newest tenant, the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds, is launching educational programs and a national conference to build on the momentum.

Like most of the country, Northeast Ohio was slammed hard by the tidal wave of the most recent recession. But thanks to an increasingly diversified economic strategy -- one that saw a transition from traditional manufacturing (steel, tires) to modern forms of manufacturing (healthcare equipment, polymers) -- the region is emerging from those damaging waters stronger than it has in the past, say area advocates.

Terry Chan arrived in Cincinnati by way of Hong Kong and Carnegie Mellon University. His bold, forward-thinking plans for the Short Vine Innovation District reflect an international perspective on successful urban development. With the help of both new and long-term investors, Chan is now helping to create a technological hub of vibrant, early-stage businesses that's built to last.

Equity-based crowdfunding will allow everyone the opportunity to become a venture capitalist. But is this a good thing? Remember the dot-com bubble that burst in the 1990s? Yet while crowdfunding brings a certain amount of risk, even skeptics say that it has the potential to bring an important source of new capital to Ohio. The emerging phenomenon could also empower a new class of investors.

From wind turbines and biofuels to the fastest electric car on earth, Ohio's universities are leaders in cutting-edge clean energy technology. A recent conference promoted the linkage between energy and economic security, and also highlighted the need for greater investment and commercialization to secure our state's future as a trailblazer in this growing field. Here's a look at what's next in this burgeoning industry.