Author: flashstarts

Crain's coverage of the the North Coast Angel Fund 'One Crucial Thing' Charles Stack, a serial startup entrepreneur who is now CEO of Flashstarts Inc., a business accelerator that is transforming itself into a consultancy, said that while investors and entrepreneurs should pay attention to what the market thinks it wants, that shouldn't deter people from what they believe is a better business idea. To emphasize his point, Stack closed his two minutes with a quote often attributed to auto pioneer Henry Ford. "If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse," Stack said, before…

Let's face it. Startups are hard. From big things like naming your business and crafting a brand to more mundane tasks like figuring out taxes or how to market through email newsletters, there's always more to do. It's very easy to lose sight of the straightforward goal that you started with: starting a business. After years of striving to help entrepreneurs succeed, I've developed a simple formula that gets straight to the point. It's called the "2 Step Startup Formula". If you can stay focused and boil your core process down to this, you'll be on track to succeed in…

Picture this: you have just come up with your million dollar idea. Snappy Name? Check! You're ready to take the next step in creating a brand new legal entity so you can start distributing shares to potential investors. You have also decided that you don't need the flexibility (or the legal expense) of an LLC, and have yet to be given any reason not to be a YADC (Yet Another Delaware Corporation). You've gotten halfway through the BizFilings process (or something similar) when you come across a question. How many shares would you like to authorize? And what should the par value be?…

Aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs have the chance to pitch their unique, game-changing business ideas at TechPint at The Agora on 12/3. $1,000 in cash prizes will be awarded as the judges see fit. All finalists will receive a 1 month open desk membership to StartMart. Is your idea good enough to take it all home? Or will more than one pitcher walk away with a prize? Those interested in pitching can apply here with a short 2-minute pitch video by 11:59PM on Monday, November 30th. The top six (6) pitchers will have 3 minutes to present their ideas to a…

Our 2014 portfolio company <remesh has proven for some time that it has a great deal of potential for a number of business applications. We're excited now to share that the Cleveland startup will be putting one of those applications to test in the Barclays Accelerator powered by Techstars. Learn more in the press release below. Cleveland startup <remesh to join first New York Barclays Accelerator class CLEVELAND, July 15, 2015 -- <remesh, a Cleveland-based startup that utilizes collective intelligence to streamline group conversation, today announced they are joining the inaugural class of NYC based Barclays Accelerator powered by Techstars. <remesh will…

The joining of two or more different minds often leads to innovation. We're excited to announce we are adding the innovation of NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland to our startup accelerator program through a formal partnership. The partnership brings a variety of opportunities for collaboration -- including assistance to our current startup accelerator teams from Glenn experts and access to and identification of technologies. More details are in the press release below. Startup Accelerator Flashstarts Partners with NASA Glenn Research Center CLEVELAND, Thursday, June 4, 2015 – Flashstarts, a startup accelerator and venture fund in Cleveland, and NASA’s Glenn Research Center in…

This past Saturday, we moved our offices to the second floor of the Terminal Tower in Tower City. We're upgrading from about 4,000 square feet to 7,000 square feet to use for our startup accelerator. Not only are we in a larger office space, right in the heart of downtown Cleveland, but we moved in as the first tenant of StartMart. The entrepreneurship hub for startups and resources that our founders Charles Stack and Jennifer Neundorfer have been forming for almost a year is no longer just a concept. Read the news in the press release below.     Flashstarts Names Terminal Tower Future…

We are proud to announce the appointment of Shannon Lyons as Flashstarts' Executive Vice President. In addition to managing team recruitment and due diligence for our coming 2015 Accelerator Program, Shannon will pioneer the formation of a $15 million StartMart Fund. With this Fund, StartMart will be able to invest in our region's startups both financially and through provision of resources, connections, and office space. See the press release below for more details. Flashstarts and StartMart Acquire Shannon Lyons from LaunchHouse As Executive Vice President, Lyons Will Initiate New $15M StartMart Fund CLEVELAND, April 21, 2015 – Flashstarts, a startup accelerator…