Flashstarts is Founded
We founded Flashstarts with the vision of helping startups get funding and exposure in the Cleveland area.
Flashstarts Accelerator Launches
We kicked off our first privately held accelerator where we invested in 15 startups during our first year.
Inaugural Internship Program Kicks Off
Throughout the years our internship program has grown as we highly value young talent in the startup industry. With 30 interns in each class, we assigned interns to 11 different startups with the goal of matching personalities and career goals.
First Demo Day
During our inaugural Demo Day, we invested in 10 startups as they presented their visions to investors in Cleveland. Venture for America CEO, Andrew Wang, also gave a keynote speech to kick off the event.
Accelerator Takes New Heights
Shannon Lyons launched a for profit accelerator with NASA which explored alternative methods for the commercialization of intellectual property. She later joined our team in April of 2015 as our Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Demo Day 2014
We invested in 12 startups this year including Qwickly, Vestor, Lufthouse and more! The event, which introduced our second class of startups, took place at the Allen Theater in Playhouse Square.
Engineered Serendipity
We opened Startmart in downtown Cleveland to serve as a space for startups to grow and share their ideas. It served as a hub for entrepreneurs to pull their resources and share their diverse perspectives on business and innovation.
Demo Day 2015
House of Blues Cleveland hosted our third annual Demo Day. Our class of 11 startups took the stage to present their innovative ideas to Cleveland investors.
Flashstarts Becomes Largest Entrepreneurial Internship Program in Ohio
For our fourth year of running our internship program, we expanded to support 20 – 25 interns.
Demo Day 2016
Held at the City Club in Cleveland, five startups and alumni from past accelerator classes presented their creative ideas to the community.
Cleveland200 Fund and Resource Collection for Entrepreneurs
We launched the Cleveland200 Fund to equip startups with investments and resources to grow their businesses.
TechInvest @ Summerfest
We partnered with TanZ to create a three day event highlighting innovation and music. With demo presentations by entrepreneurs and performances by Zedd and Nicky Romero the event showcased Cleveland as a hub for business and music.
Pitch Neon
Our TEDx style event allowed entrepreneurs and leaders from various industries to pitch their innovation from multiple categories like technology, medicine, social justice, etc. to the community.
Around the Block
We kicked off our Around the Block series where we traveled around the Cleveland area to educate communities on blockchain technology.
The World Wide Web Turns 30
Sir Tim Berners-Lee asked our CEO, Charles Stack, to join him in a Twitter campaign to celebrate 30 years of the World Wide Web. As a part of the celebration, Charles shared his landmark invention, books.com, the world’s first online retailer and first web bookstore.
Last Demo Day
After several years of introducing startups to Cleveland, we went back to our roots in our final Demo Day event. Our final event showcased seven startups seeking investors to bring their visions to life.
Switching Gears
After seven years operating as a startup accelerator, we decided to pivot and focus on consulting businesses. Our experience working with startups is extremely valuable and we provide unique insight for businesses who are looking to innovate and keep up with constantly evolving technology.
Flashstarts Goes Virtual
In conjunction with our pivot, we closed Startmart after five years of engineered serendipity. We will always value the time we spent helping startups get off the ground and we now have the opportunity to help businesses anywhere in the world with our virtual model. We also launched our virtual internship program.