Entrepreneurial Programs : Innovation + Job News

Wearable tech is emerging as the "next big thing" in consumer technology. And a trio of Cincinnati entrepreneurs are developing Nugg-it, a wristband that will easily record snippets of everyday conversation, and investors are taking notice.

Nugg-it has raised a total of $250,000 raised from CincyTech and Design 2 Matter, a Silicon Valley-based industrial design firm. That's part of an ongoing $600,000 investment seed round. Design 2 Matter is also designing and building the device.

"[Design 2 Matter] has a very successful track record of bringing products from concept to shelf," says Nugg-it's co-founder and social media entrepreneur Matthew Dooley.

Nugg-it is meant to be worn 24 hours a day. It records live conversations on a 60-second loop, continuously saving them in one-minute "nuggets." To save a memorable part of a conversation, the user touches the device to save the last minute of buffered memory. That recording can be sent to a smartphone, and through an app can be edited, saved and shared.

"It's a smaller, lighter weight band," says Dooley. "Right now, we are trying to focus a lot of attention on design. It has to be something that is stylish and comfortable to wear. A lot of the functionality is off the shelf, but we're putting it together in a new way."

Dooley is working with former Procter & Gamble brand marketer and engineer Mike Sarow to develop the device. Plans are to deliver the final concept in March, and introduce it to the market by December, Dooley says.

"It occurred to us that there are a lot of circumstances in life where we want to remember and share something that was just said—a clever phrase in a meeting, something adorable from our 3-year-old, words of wisdom from a mentor—but we can't 'capture' it," Sarow says. "Now you can."

Nugg-it is CincyTech's first consumer electronics device investment.

"With the rise of the Nike FuelBand and smartwatches such as Pebble, wearable technology is projected to be a $7 billion market by 2017," says CincyTech's Executive-in-Residence Doug Groh. "We expect Nugg-it to help drive that growth and to do for short audio files what Twitter has done for 140-character content."

By Feoshia H. Davis
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Public schooling is multi-faceted, and each state legislature has a particular way of governing its districts.

Public schools are a large part of state budgets and efforts, and most years, there are new regulations for administrators and teachers to comply with. Many new rules—implementing an anti-bullying program, for instance—comprise of educational and professional development and reporting and tracking.

Taken together, each mandate can take up a lot of time, which leaves teachers struggling to do what they to best: educate children.

One Cincinnati company is growing by making it easier for K-12 schools to manage those mandates. PublicSchoolWORKS offers schools a suite of web-based software and ongoing support in the areas of staff and student health, safety compliance and behavior programs.

Founded in 1999, the O'Bryonville-based company has two software suites: EmployeeSafe and StudentWatch. PublicSchoolWORKS has clients in the Cincinnati area, but it also serves schools across North America. Its resources include written plans, forms, training courses and other content that school districts need in order to succeed.

PublicSchoolWORKS was developed by a team of actively employed school administrators. It's CEO, Steve Temming, has more than 22 years of experience working in public schools, including administration.

"We create complete programs that address the needs of a district, not from a strategy standpoint but from an implementation standpoint," says PublicSchoolWORKS' Vice President Tom Strasburger.

The company is constantly monitoring state legislatures to assure its custom-content software continues to meet school districts' needs. PublicSchoolWORKS also offers ongoing service support to help districts get the most out of the software, Strasburger says.

"We provide a signature product that completely addresses school issues," Strasburger says. "By knowing legislation and meeting that legislation, the system is built to manage what is expected of the school. It's virtually hands off, so (teachers and administrators) can do their jobs."

It's because of the system's automation and completeness that the company rarely loses a customer. Public School Works is growing with its own sales, support and research groups, in addition to IT. Not only are its services growing, but PublicSchoolWORKS is also physically outgrowing its current office space, and could soon move into a new, larger facility.

By Feoshia H. Davis
Follow Feoshia on Twitter

The Dayton Development Coalition (DDC), which serves 14 counties in west central Ohio, is the region’s economic development and advocacy organization supporting job creation.
 
When deciding where to locate, businesses consider a host of different factors, including a skilled workforce, transportation, logistics, taxes, incentives and educational institutions, when deciding where to locate. DDC relies on its internal data team to research and provide information on these and other important factors to help attract regional economic development.
 
The data team was recently tapped to present some of its best practices and strategies at the Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) national conference.  According to its website, EMSI provides “high-quality employment data and economic analysis through web tools and custom reports.”
 
The team shared how it uses EMSI data to target economic development efforts, explains Kristy Rochon, director of DCC’s institutional research and strategic planning. Impressed by the team’s presentation, EMSI is featuring some highlights on its website.

“One of our best practices is how we use data to recruit businesses to the Dayton region,” Rochon says. “When businesses contact us about what they need for their business decision, we put together the most competitive and comprehensive package possible, using data from a host of different sources. Instead of just feeding them data, however, we try to gain as much insight into their company as possible, comparing the Dayton region to where they’re currently located. We consistently go beyond the parameters to give them what they need.”
 
A second best practice, Rochon explains, reflects how DDC’s data team uses EMSI data to analyze regional competitive strengths and opportunities. “We look at what we call ‘driver industries.’ These are high-skilled industries that carry high job multipliers,” she says. “High job multipliers mean that for every job in that ‘driver industry,’ it’s going to produce additional jobs in that industry.”
 
She cites aerospace systems, advanced materials manufacturing, biosciences and advanced data management as examples of “driver industries.”
 
“What we’re looking for here is projected growth or projected decline and trying to understand the factors behind it. The goal is to find ways to strengthen the industry or capitalize on that growth.”

Source:  Kristy Rochon, Dayton Development Coalition
Writer:  Lynne Meyer

 

The discovery of a great local act or a hot new bar should be shared, says Impulcity founder Hunter Hammonds. Immediately.

And it is. Thousands of smartphone users have downloaded the mobile application of the Brandery-trained startup since it launched on iTunes early last week.

An update to the app could drop as early as Wednesday, which would bring significant improvements to the mobile aggregator of entertainment venues. And the new company is hiring, too. They're looking for an Android app developer and an "artist content intern"—someone to write content about venues and events.

Hammond’s team, which includes co-founder Austin Cameron and iOS developer Eric Ziegler, is fine-tuning a VIP program, which will Impulcity users to check-in at a venue and avoid cover charges or receive other VIP benefits. They’re working on more robust context for events, including the ability to play the music released by a new band and produce background on an entertainer or a venue. The app will offer rankings and suggestions based on users’ past choices and an interactive calendar for entertainment-seekers who plan ahead.

Hammonds and his team maintain strong partnerships with venues—they're always asking how they can make the app more useful. “People are tired of the traditional ways of finding stuff to do,” he says. Impulcity will evolve until it captures each city’s unique culture.

Impulcity's short history is one of long-into-the-night planning. Hammond’s team scrapped the first version of the app in September, and rewrote it in a four-day marathon coding session. Their retooled version received Brandery approval in October, and they continued to tweak it until their Feb. 12 launch in the iTunes App Store.

They've raised a reported $400,000 and are seeking new office space. “Our goal is to build, and to last,” Hammonds says. “We have no plans to be absorbed into anything else.” He’s still not sharing his revenue model, but said Impulcity will approach profit-making differently than other social media products.

“We’d love to hire fresh college kids, but universities are teaching them outdated stuff,” Hammonds says. Advice from Hammonds: Learn to make use of Objective-C,  Java and jQuery. And hurry. He really wants to find an Android developer to help them expand their reach.

By Gayle Brown

Startup Weekend is returning to Cleveland March 8-10 at the 5^th Street Arcades. An event that originated in Seattle, Startup Weekends occur all over the world and are designed to get people with the entrepreneurial bug together to pitch ideas, form teams to hash the ideas out and potentially form companies.

 
The event has not been held in Cleveland since 2009, but thanks to the efforts of Hyland Software employees Ryan Marimon and Brian Adams, it’s back and promises to be a jam-packed weekend of ideas. Anyone with a business idea, or just the desire to help build on an idea, is welcome to attend.
 
“There are no restrictions,” says Marimon. “The interesting thing about Startup Weekend is that many people have the notion, ‘I’m not ready to pack up and quite my job to start a new business.’ The reality is this is about community building, networking with people who have like-minded skills. You can really learn so much, no matter what you are doing.”
 
Participants give their pitches and the audience votes on the best ideas. Teams are then formed around the best ideas. The rest of the weekend is spent flushing out the businesses before final presentations are made to judges Kendall Wouters, CEO of Reach Ventures; Morris Wheeler of Drummond Road Capital; and Jeff Hoffman, co-founder of ColorJar.
 
Teams will have access to coaches from successful local businesses for advice. Teams can work around the clock throughout the weekend if they choose.
 
“Come prepared to not get a lot of sleep,” says Marimon. “It’s an awesome, exciting and intense weekend.” The event begins at 5:30pm Friday and run through 9pm Sunday.
 
Marimon says 2013 seemed like the perfect time to bring Startup Weekend back to Cleveland. “When you look at what’s happening downtown, it’s definitely a renaissance,” explains Marimon. “We wanted to use this as a springboard for that.”
 
Registration is $99 for the weekend and includes meals and coffee – all locally sourced. Fresh Water readers however can receive a $25 discount using the code “freshwater” in the promotional code section during registration.
 
Source: Ryan Marimon
Writer: Karin Connelly

The Burton D. Morgan Foundation, which supports entrepreneurship education and programming in Northeast Ohio, awarded a $1 million grant to JumpStart last week for an entrepreneurial mentoring program over the next three years.

“Our goal is to reach aspiring entrepreneurs by using the talent and time of the mentors to help these businesses move along with their plans,” explains Deborah D. Hoover, Burton D. Morgan Foundation CEO and president.
 
The mentoring program has been operating as a pilot program for about a year at JumpStart, with 24 mentor teams participating. The goal is to provide mentoring and support services to 1,500 early stage businesses in the region through 2015.
 
“This is an amazing investment the Burton D. Morgan Foundation made in JumpStart and the work we’re doing in the region,” says JumpStart COO Cathy Belk. “This is an incredible opportunity for entrepreneurs to access the wisdom and insight of people who have been through the same things they’re going through, people who know how to grow a business in tough positions.”
 
The grant will allow for the creation of a mentorship council, which will help form the most effective mentoring program. “The council will learn about best practices, understand other programs in the region and the differences between them,” says Belk.
 
Mentoring was one of Morgan’s core values as an entrepreneur himself. This program fits exactly with the foundation’s mission. “Mr. Morgan helped mentor hundreds of businesses,” says Hoover. “He loved to talk to people and had an open door policy.” Belk adds that JumpStart CEO Ray Leach once received mentoring from Morgan.
 
Source: Deborah Hoover and Cathy Belk
Writer: Karin Connelly

Shaker LaunchHouse raised $15,000 at its second annual gala, held last week at Crawford Galleries of Western Reserve Historical Society. The money will help support Cleveland’s budding entrepreneurs. More than 260 attended the event, which was sponsored by the Shaker Heights Development Corporation.
 
“It was huge,” says LaunchHouse co-founder Todd Goldstein. “There were entrepreneurs, business leaders, successful CEOs of companies and people from the city of Shaker Heights. We even had people who flew in from out of state. It was a broad range of people supporting the entrepreneur community.”
 
The money will be used to support LaunchHouse startups and for programming. Specifically, Freebie Fridays, when people can come into the offices to work and pitch their ideas, will continue. LaunchHouse will also continue its support of the LightHouse Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program (LEAP), a program targeted at high school students.
 
Goldstein points out that LaunchHouse staff will assist anyone with an idea. “We never turn an entrepreneur away,” he says. “If an entrepreneur shows up at our door, we’ll work with them. And we’ve helped hundreds of small business owners who come in on Thursdays for open office hours and one-on-one business advice from our team members.”
 
Since its founding in 2009, LaunchHouse has invested in more than 40 companies, with more than 100 working directly out of LaunchHouse.
 
“Our advanced goal is to be an idea hub in the region,” says Goldstein. “Seeing that many people come out really is a testament to all the entrepreneurial activity happening in Shaker Heights.”
 
Stephanie Colangelo, director of public relations and marketing, adds that LaunchHouse has a solid relationship with other entrepreneurial support organizations. “If something is not necessarily for LaunchHouse, we direct them to JumpStart or Bizdom,” she explains. “And they do the same for us.”

 
Source: Todd Goldstein, Stephanie Colangelo
Writer: Karin Connelly

Columbus-based entrepreneur Carol Clark is giving back to Ohio entrepreneurs with X Squared Angels, an angel group that provides capital to startups with a woman typically in a founder/CEO position.
 
Clark’s entrepreneurial roots date back to 1981 when she and Fran Papalios co-founded MindLeaders, an online software training company that was sold in 2007. Now she’s looking to give back by supporting startups with a woman in a leadership position.
 
“My personal experience has always been on mixed management teams,” says Clark, explaining the reasoning behind X Squared Angels’ investment strategy. “I just think we make better decisions!” She adds that she has studied data proving the economic impact is more substantial when a mixture of men and women lead the company.
 
Clark began her angel work by getting involved with the Ohio TechAngels following the sale of MindLeaders. She then attended the Angel Capital Association’s international meeting of angel organizations in Austin, Texas, where she met a group called Golden Seeds. “They shared their investment strategy and I went to a couple of their meetings in New York City,” Clark explains. “They focus on diverse management teams. You have to have at least one woman in a leadership position with equity in the company.” Clark ultimately joined the organization that would go on to inspire her work with X Squared Angels.
 
Still in their infancy, Clark and X Squared Angels have already begun negotiations for a possible investment with a female-led California-based company. Though Clark maintains there are other criteria that need to be discussed to determine if the young company is viable enough to make an investment. “It’s not a non-profit, it’s an investment fitting our investment strategy,” as Clark puts it.
 
Moving forward, Clark and her team of 15 investors are focusing on bringing in an additional 35 accredited investors to the group by the end of the year in order to start a fund. “If we have 50 investors, we can have a fund, and have more of an impact on the business,” she says. “The more investors we get and the more our name gets out there, the more applicants we’ll receive. And that can only help our economy.”
 
 
Source: Carol Clark
Writer: Joe Baur

4 Walls, a Cleveland designer and manufacturer of digital wall coverings for residential and commercial markets, has partnered with Sherwin-Williams in a new program, SurroundDecor.

The program caters primarily to the health care, hospitality, retail and corporate markets, and features new original digital designs printed on premium recycled PVC-free material. Customers choose their designs, colors and sizes and SurroundDesign creates custom murals for their spaces.
 
4 Walls and Sherwin-Williams are long term partners, and SurroundDecor is a natural fit, says4 Walls founder Patrick Walker.

“We have a good and close relationship with the decor group at Sherwin Williams, and have for many years,” he says. “They are familiar with our commitment to quality in both product design and manufacturing. When we presented the program, they felt we'd be a great partner.”
 
Sherwin-Williams announced the program at its annual show last week. Their sales network will handle initial requests and quotes, then 4 Walls will take over. “They not only handle 100-percent of the sales process with their rep network, but they also field the incoming requests for quotes and information,” says Walker “As soon as the questions get more complex and technical -- things we like to handle and take off their plate -- they pass the calls to us. They are great to work with, and provide solid guidance regarding their needs, and those of their customers.”
 
Because one order can typically take between three and 12 months to complete, Walker anticipates sales in the SurroundDecor program to ramp up by second quarter of this year. “We are planning for 15 to 20 percent sales growth, and to hire one to two additional people,” Walker predicts. “This is our forecast, and is certainly achievable. Getting there will of course depend on both the overall economy and the trends in our industry. As always, we are cautiously optimistic.”

 
Source: Patrick Walker
Writer: Karin Connelly

While Cincinnati is known for its larger, highly experienced branding and marketing companies, there is a talented force of creative entrepreneurs who work with well-known brands across the county.

One of these marketing entrepreneurs, Mike Zitt, is working with other local creatives to form a group that can offer a wider range of services. This emerging group, called Complete is a way to be more competitive and act as a one-stop shop for brand development and support across platforms.

In addition to Zitt's, companies included now are:

Centogram - Technology Company, Jerod Fritz
Barkan Agency - Media Buying, Michelle Barkan
Wise Productions -  Project Services, Tara Ackerman

"We benefit from a shared short-hand way of doing business together which is more efficient and enjoyable. Different then working with a team of employees, as small business owners, we are more passionate and committed and don't waste time jockeying for the corner office or get bogged down with internal company politics. We know how to run our own businesses well since we have done it successfully for a combined 35 years on our own," Zitt says.

Mike Zitt Inc., specializes in digital marketing with an emphasis on mobile app development. Zitt, originally from Cincinnati, worked in Chicago for eight years. He started out in printing and eventually worked for a company as a production artist and art director.

He eventually started his own company, and in the end, decided to bring it to Cincinnati. His hometown had the right mix of talent and affordability, he says.

"It was easier to start a business here because expenses and labor rates are lower," says Zitt, who is also president of the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Advertising Federation. "I maintained most of my clients when I moved here." 

Zitt has worked fo clients covering a wide range of businesses, including TimeWarner, Aetna, Discover, United Way, Car-X, RE/MAX and Wrigley.

He was an early adopter of mobile app development—in 2007, he entered an early partnership with Jumptap, the leading mobile advertisement network. Since then, his company has designed more than 200 rich media mobile ads, including more than 30 mobile ads for major companies like Dunkin' Donuts, Lexus, Honda and P&G. He created and delivered to the public one of first rich mobile ads with Dunkin' Donuts' “Frost” campaign with Jumptap.

His company is also moving into educational innovation. He's working with some area colleges to create educational support apps.

"Those will be completed very soon—we're working on creating training tools for teachers and classroom work," Zitt says.

By Feoshia H. Davis
Follow Feoshia on Twitter

Riding a bicycle can be dangerous, especially when people increase their likelihood of injury with two habits:
 
• Not wearing a helmet
• Listening to music with earbuds
 
Bipo solves both of those problems.
 
By locking earbuds into the vents of a helmet, the music that plays through the tiny speakers creates non-distracting background noise. As a result, the tunes are not blasted directly into your eardrums, making you much more perceptive of potential peril on the road.
 
The device does not require you to alter your helmet in any way, and the earbuds are easily removed once your ride is through. Bipo is a simple, ingenious way to safely enjoy music while cycling.
 
Developed by Noel Gauthier of The Launch Werks, a member of the Losantiville Design Collective, Bipo was first developed as a personal life-hack.

“The prototype was something I used for myself,” Gauthier says. “ But people kept asking me about it.”

After mulling it over, Gauthier decided to capitalize on his creation and began to seriously design Bipo with his business partner, Matt Anthony. This resulted in a six-month creation phase, where the duo worked on the schematics and conceptualization in between other projects.

Gauthier found the best way to convince cyclists of Bipo’s merits was to simply let them try it. Every response seemed to be positive. Not loud enough to be a distraction, the Bipo enables earbuds to produce abundant audio for ideal biking enjoyment.  

Gauthier later realized he had unintentionally made a device that not only enables cyclists a safe means of hearing music, but also encourages more consistent helmet use. Guilty, like many cyclists, of not wearing his helmet every ride, there was an audible difference without his Bipo. Gauthier says, on the occasions he’d forget his helmet, “I’d be halfway down the road and think to myself, ‘Why is it so quiet?’”
 
By Sean Peters

SafeCare, which provides continuous monitoring and background checks of employees in the healthcare industry, received a $25,000 grant in November from the Innovation Fund. The money will help SafeCare expand and refocus the company, which was formed out of Bizdom Cleveland’s inaugural class in April 2012.

The grant will allow SafeCare to concentrate more on the B2B market, rather than the consumer market. The company monitors employees on a monthly basis against nationwide healthcare and criminal public data sources.

“We will be using that money to really concentrate on flushing out our B2B offerings,” explains SafeCare founder and CEO Lissette Rivera. “We’re moving away from consumer products because of the sticky situations you can have when you share people’s information.”
 
SafeCare is in the process of re-designing their website to create a more personal feel. “We’re focused on providers rather than families, and our website will have a more warm and fuzzy feel,” Rivera says. The new website should launch by the end of this month.
 
SafeCare has three clients spanning nine healthcare facilities. Rivera has grown the company to four employees -- a CTO, two contract employees and a paid intern -- and is hoping to hire a salesperson in the next six months. “We’re fast moving in the direction of creating more and more jobs,” boasts Rivera.

 
Source: Lissette Rivera
Writer: Karin Connelly

In 2012, Northeast Ohio was a popular place for venture capitalists and angel investors to back startup companies. Investments nationally decreased by 10 percent last year, and decreased in the rest of Ohio by 33 percent, according to a study in The MoneyTree Report by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association.
 
But in Northeast Ohio, according to the Northeast Ohio Venture Capital Advisory Task Force, 105 tech-based companies in Greater Cleveland raised $201 million from venture capitalists and angel investors -- a 34-percent increase over the amount raised by companies in 2011.
 
“We’ve been on an upward trajectory of the number of companies that have been able to raise money,” says Samantha Fryberger, vice president of marketing for JumpStart. “There’s a strong angel community here and our angels are well organized and well educated.”
 
In fact, Northeast Ohio has the first and fifth largest angel funds in the country. Fryberger says the diversity of businesses and the number of support organizations attract investors to Northeast Ohio. 
 
“We have a very robust early-stage investment ecosystem right here in Northeast Ohio,” says Clay Rankin, managing member of the North Coast Angel Fund, which invests in life sciences companies and is the country’s fifth largest angel group. “We’ve been building a lot of momentum in the last six to eight years. We’ve been very fortunate in supporting early stage ventures.”
 
Citing successful companies like Juventas Therapeutics, Cleveland HeartLab and Neuros Medical, Rankin says it’s no wonder Cleveland is growing in investments. “There really are world class companies being developed right here in our backyard,” he says. “When you have world class companies, you attract support from angel groups.”

 
Source: Samantha Fryberger and Clay Rankin
Writer: Karin Connelly

How do you start a startup for people starting startups?
 
If you’re Christian Deuber, founder of Launch Farm, you pull together a large group of seasoned entrepreneurs, new entrepreneurs, entrepreneur wannabees, entrepreneurial college students, local companies that offer services to entrepreneurs, and angel investors and establish a new organization named Columbus Startups.
 
Think of it as a huge spider web cast over Columbus to integrate all things entrepreneurial.
 
Columbus Startups is based at Launch Farm, Deuber’s marketing, public relations and social media marketing agency. “The mission of Columbus Startups is to create and actively aggregate fresh, ever-changing information and insights focused on empowering the local startup scene,” he explains.

The organization is aimed at entrepreneurs looking to take advantage of the Columbus startup scene; startups looking for fresh talent, potential partners and investors; and investors looking for innovative startups to fund.

“Columbus Startups offers a multimedia complement to other sources of entrepreneurial collaboration in town,” Deuber says. “Our purpose is to elevate the local startup scene to a larger national stage. An initial goal is to increase both the speed and quality of connections in the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. We want to benefit multiple target audiences.”
 
While Columbus Startups has its own monthly meetings, participants are active in a host of other activities and groups within the local entrepreneurial scene. The organization’s website has become a significant source of information on startup happenings, with real-time reporting and updates from these local events. It also features information about tools to help startups, including apps, blogs and books, as well as a list of local business services, ranging from marketing and web design to legal services and funding sources, geared to the needs of startups.
 
Deuber is also beta testing what he calls Startup Genome on the website. “Startup Genome is a web-based tool that enables local startup communities to collect, aggregate and display their city’s data any way they want,” he explains.
 
There’s currently no fee to be involved in Columbus Startups, and, according to Deuber, more than 100 people are participating in the new organization.

Source:  Christian Deuber, Columbus Startups
Writer:  Lynne Meyer

yet2, an open innovation services provider, has opened a new office in Columbus. The Needham, Massachusetts-founded company specializes in generating strategic technology partnerships with companies worldwide.
 
Bruce Heinrich, Director of Account Management in Columbus, says Ohio’s businesses are prime for open innovation, a process of matching two companies with different needs and capabilities to create a new product efficiently and affordably. He adds that yet2 selected the city of Columbus because of its central location. “I can easily be in my car and travel to Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo and Cleveland in one to two hours.” They’re also next door to their partners at the statehouse, Ohio Third Frontier and Ohio Department of Development.
 
Heinrich says since the Ohio Third Frontier chose yet2 to deliver open innovation services they are assisting with marketing yet2’s offerings to Ohio-based companies. “The state chose a third party company to market and set up six forums around the state to educate mid market companies about the benefits and practice of open innovation,” he explains, noting that yet2 will be invited to attend these forums.
 
Since opening in December, yet2 has several companies that are utilizing their search services and expects to add many more in due course. “One of the companies that we’re working with right now is looking to create a new product category and had a need for a technology they could not develop internally,” Heinrich explains. “This product represents a huge market opportunity that would fuel growth in Ohio operations.”
 
It’s a mutually beneficial relationship that has the potential of connecting Ohio companies with international businesses to speed their time to market at a cheaper cost than working internally. Heinrich provides a hypothetical, saying “If it takes nine months or a year for the open innovation process rather than two to four years to do the [research and development], do all the testing themselves and launch the product, then it will save them money and make the product more profitable in the long run.”
 
In the end, it’s all about creating jobs and growth in Ohio as yet2 continues to hit the ground running. “You can expect to see a lot more of us out there as we begin to build relationships across the state, proactively seeking customers,” Heinrich notes. “And hopefully hear some success stories and case stories of what’s happening.”
 
 
Source: Bruce Heinrich
Writer: Joe Baur