Regional Partners

To have an effective statewide reach, OhioITA has partnered with organizations in six geographical regions to pursue a common objective: to develop and advance the information technology industry across the state. The regions, shown on the map at right, are Northwest Ohio, Northeast Ohio, Appalachia, Central Ohio, Dayton and Cincinnati.

Northeast Ohio

JumpStart Inc. funds high-growth businesses and ideas, works with their founders to develop the businesses into venture-ready entities and simultaneously celebrates Northeast Ohio's early-stage company successes. JumpStart has helped to seed nine information technology startups in the last year with over $1.5 million in funding going to these startup entities. OhioITA funding to JumpStart is used to help underwrite its “virtual” incubation process which puts “C” level executives in mentoring relationships with startup IT companies.

Appalachia Ohio

Information Technology Alliance of Appalachia Ohio, Inc. (“ITAAO”) is a non-profit corporation serving the growing information technology industry of southern Ohio, the Appalachian region, and the Ohio Valley region by promoting investment, knowledge networking, entrepreneurship, and job creation.

ITAAO promotes the IT sector of Appalachian and southern Ohio regions and the Ohio Valley region by coordinating an angel investor network that seeks out investment opportunities in the region, for IT startup businesses and for the growth of existing IT businesses. It also promotes regional job creation through the support of entrepreneurial technology projects, company startups, expansions, and relocations. ITAAO will document success stories and create case studies for the benefit of entrepreneurs, investors, grant providers, schools, training programs, and other interested parties.

During the past fiscal year, ITAAO and OhioITA have worked together to help ITAAO promote its regional strength in IT, which is gaming technology. Ohio University and Shawnee State are spending significant funds on gaming education to make the region the best of breed in its educational category.

Cincinnati

The Circuit is an organization created to enhance the development of technology-related companies and institutions in the Cincinnati area. The Circuit has more than 175 member companies who publish and sell software, hardware and computer-related services, and provide professional assistance to the technology community in the Greater Cincinnati area.

OhioITA and The Circuit have been partners for over five years, with primary funding provided to help train investors and entrepreneurs to better evaluate business opportunities for investment and pursuit, respectively. The Circuit is affiliated with Queen City Angels, which is a primary funding mechanism for startup businesses in the greater Cincinnati area.

Central Ohio

Braintree
Braintree is a funded facility, in part by the State of Ohio's Department of Development Technology Division, the City of Mansfield, Richland County and North Central State College (in-kind), and some private businesses. Our mission is to provide low cost operating opportunities for small businesses and to assist in nurturing their prosperous growth. We assist all types of businesses, with special interest in those that strive to bring cutting edge technology to the marketplace. Services of Braintree are generally provided on a cost-recovery basis and only include the services that you need. These low costs services include computerized accounting; payroll & payroll reporting, reception & secretarial, telephone answering, and access to fax & copy machines.

Dayton

The Greater Dayton IT Alliance (GDITA) is an industry trade association dedicated to the retention, growth and economic development of the information technology (IT) industry in the Miami Valley region. We are an industry-led, industry-driven organization made up of more than 240 member companies representing all facets of information technology.

OhioITA funds a GDITA web initiative designed to help keep IT jobs in Ohio through partnership with major Dayton area corporations.

Northwest Ohio

The Regional Growth Partnership assists local businesses in identifying and using programs that can lower expansion costs, reduce operating costs related to the expansion or improve quality and serve as an ombudsman/facilitator on regulatory and government issues. Some common examples are tax credits, financing, business planning, training and technology resources.

Toledo and Northwest Ohio are positioned to become a leader in technology incubation and commercialization, where technology concepts and the entrepreneurial spirit can thrive. Through the newly created Launch Program, with support of the State of Ohio, the Regional Growth Partnership and area collaborators are taking the lead in the coordination of the area's overall technology-led development activities.

Capitalizing on the close partnerships among local organizations, the Regional Growth Partnership is working closely with area colleges and universities, the Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce and EISC, Inc. to assist technology clients grow successful businesses. Area colleges and universities provide training, research and development expertise for commercialization, technology implementation and business growth. The Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce provides entrepreneurial training and assistance to manufacturing or technology-based companies through its Small Business Development Center. In addition, EISC, Inc. has the capacity to assist in product innovation, market research and business assistance. Whether it is contacts in academia, private business, or public organizations, Launch has the network in place to move clients in the right direction.