NORTHWEST OHIO ENTREPRENEURIALRESOURCE MAP

Entrepreneurship isn’t easy. To build a successful startup venture, many different factors – some of which cannot be controlled – must coalesce. Simply put, founding a business and getting it off the ground can be a very daunting task without the assistance of those who have done it before.

Entrepreneurship is a lot like riding a bicycle. The vast majority of people who successfully learn to ride had someone to show them the way and help them during their first unsteady moments.

Of course, starting a business is far more complex than pedaling a bike, but the principle remains the same. Most entrepreneurs learn how to succeed by watching and working with people who have been where they are trying to go.

Here in Northwest Ohio, we are building strong, interconnected network of entrepreneurial support organizations that can serve as a steadying hand for young startups. At the core of this intertwined group is the Northwest Ohio Entrepreneurial Signature Program, com-prised of Rocket Ventures, ProMedica and LaunchPad Incubation at the University of Toledo. Under the structure of the Ohio Third Frontier, these three organizations assist high-tech entrepreneurs in a highly collaborative way, working to build links to other support organizations to ensure all Northwest Ohio entrepreneurs can access the right resources at the right time.

This Entrepreneurial Asset Map is an extension of our work; it is meant to be an index – a detailed directory of programs and organizations that can support entrepreneurship in Northwest Ohio. For entrepreneurs, this is a map to the right resource. For community leaders, this is a listing of every asset that can be leveraged to help our region’s small business and startup communities achieve their full potential.

Finally, the EMap is also meant to be a living document, so please let us know of any entrepreneurial support organizations we may have missed by emailing us at EMap@rocketventures.org.

Happy Connecting,

Dean Monske Dean MonskePresident & CEO, Regional Growth Partnership and Rocket Ventures

The Toledo Region Guide for Entrepreneurs and Startups:

IDEATIONImagining the Commercial Opportunity by validating market need

INCUBATIONIncubating to Define Commercial Potential by preparing a business plan and developing a prototype

DEMONSTRATIONDemonstrating Products & Processes in Commercial Context by generating data on market acceptance of the product, pricing, and distribution channels

MARKET ENTRYMarket Entry to prove commercial viability with ongoing production and revenue generation

GROWTHGrowth to generate financial returns by acting on opportunities for sales growth and moving toward profitability

ALL STAGES

KEY:

Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart, so navigating the often difficult and confusing world of building a startup can be filled with time-consuming challenges and obstacles, including who to connect with to for general guidance, where to get answers to specific problems, and how to take a company to the next stage. The Toledo Region Guide for Entrepreneurs will help. Startups can use it to identify their stage of development (such as ideation vs. incubation), find the right organization to contact, and obtain specific needs (such as talent vs. financing).

Please email EMap@rocketventures.org with feedback or to have your organization listed