Source: TechColumbus Connections Member Newsletter, October 29, 2009

The Dublin Entrepreneurial Center as a geographic extension of a collaborative business community located in the heart of Innovation ParkTechColumbus partners with the City of Dublin to provide: in Dublin.

• Resources targeted to meet the needs of Innovative start-up companies
• A creative atmosphere encouraging idea-sharing and collaborative problem-solving
• Access to industry-specific experts offering unique solutions
• Close proximity to a wide-ranging variety of industry clusters

Since early 2008, Rick Coplin, Venture Development Director, TechStart, has worked with the City of Dublin to start, promote and run The DEC. The first major event was an open house in March 2009 that attracted 425 people and a broad mix of small businesses has been moving into The DEC ever since.

TechColumbus provides coaching and mentoring; and various DEC collaborators provide a variety of services to the entrepreneurs. The City of Dublin has also hired two DEC small business owners to assist with promoting The DEC, planning events and managing day to day operations.

“The City of Dublin is a tremendous partner with TechColumbus,” said Rick. “I arrange for TechColumbus resources to assist the businesses in The DEC and in Dublin. I am also constantly evaluating what we should do next to keep The DEC an effective growth component in the Dublin community.”

The DEC currently has 16 small business tenants, plans for a Green initiative, and a waiting list for offices.

“The networking events sponsored by TechColumbus and other groups such as TechLife, the International Bootstrapping Association and the twice a month DEC jellies (casual coworking) have really helped to build a sense of community and generate interest in The DEC,” said Rick.

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TechColumbus Wins SSTI Award for Building Entrepreneurial Capacity

TechColumbus, the region’s catalyst for technology-based economic development, and Central Ohio were honored this week with a top award from the State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI), a national organization with broad membership and influence.

TechColumbus was named recipient of SSTI’s 2009 Excellence in TBED Awards for Building Entrepreneurial Capacity on Oct. 22 during its 13th Annual Conference in Overland Park, KS. The award celebrates the exceptional achievement of TechStart, TechColumbus’ entrepreneurial coaching and funding program, and Central Ohio in technology-based economic development (TBED).

“This recognition of the groundswell in Central Ohio around technology entrepreneurship reinforces the great outcomes occurring here and throughout Ohio,” said Ted Ford, TechColumbus’ president and CEO. “The Ohio Third Frontier program, from which our program is primarily funded, is creating jobs, new innovative companies and attracting venture capital from around the country.”

Awards were also issued to other initiatives around the country in five additional categories. The awards are the result of a yearly nationwide competition of initiatives that emphasize impact and strategic value as well as TBED transferability for others.

“TBED fosters a climate where new and existing companies that develop technology and continuously innovate will thrive,” said Dan Berglund SSTI president and CEO.

For more details, click here for the October TechColumbus newsletter published in Business First.

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What every entrepreneur can learn from Toobla

Here's a great article on one of Columbus' rising startup stars.

Source: Startup Business Examiner - John Edwards

In late September in Columbus, Ohio an innovative new web application launched that promises to change the game for online bookmarking tools. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

If you follow startups then you know that the journey can be just as important as the destination. That’s because the path to most successful new businesses is through a desert that lacks transportation (ideas), cash (water), and guideposts (local resources and the press). For that reason too many never make it out alive. One company that has made it through is Toobla, and the rewards could be significant.

to read the rest of this article, click here.

Follow Toobla progress via Twitter: @blinkdaddy and @Toobla

Learn more and sign up at toobla.com

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100 Million VC funding pool targeted for Central Ohio

Source: Business First of Columbus - by Kevin Kemper

Central Ohio business leaders are looking to raise $100 million to spur the region’s promising startup companies into the next stage of growth.

A consortium including the ColumbusChamber, TechColumbus, the Columbus Partnership and local entrepreneurs has been quietly working over the past year to put together a venture capital fund of funds that would gather money from within and outside the region to invest in home-grown companies looking for elusive cash in the recession.

“We’re looking at a road map – who is going to invest, how much will be invested – and at the end of that we’ll be able to go out and raise money,” said Rich Langdale, managing partner of Columbus-based VC firm NCT Ventures LLC.

“The whole goal is to create enough capital in the market to fund rapid growth of these companies coming out of the incubator,” said Ted Ford, CEO of TechColumbus, which promotes the region’s tech economy and runs the TechStart business incubator on Kinnear Road. “Definitely it’s a lever that we’ll use to attract other venture capital funds.”

Click here to read the rest of the article.

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Entrepreneurial Activities and Opportunities Abound in Central Ohio!

This is a fairly typical week in the life Central Ohio innovators - several opportunities to learn, network and invest time in being successful.

First, a recap of two events from last week:

The August entrepreneurs track luncheon focused on the tough decisions entrepreneurs make when deciding to leave a seemingly secure full time position in order to pursue the entrepreneurial dream. A recap and video of the event can be found here (the video is 1 hour). Good stories of planning, rash decisions, near failure, uncertainty and success from the panel of entrepreneurs.

The August Leadership Luncheon focused on the transformation taking place in America's energy industry. Energy, the Future and the developing Smart Grid – with American Electric Power, Duke Energy and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio presenting their ideas on what the future holds. You can view the 1 our video and the presenters' slides here.

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This week, there are multiple events on Thursday, August 20th.

Thursday kicks off with the monthly Business Breakfast, hosted at TechColumbus. Developing Transformational Leadership Techniques (Event details and registration). Speakers are:

Maureen Metcalf, President of Metcalf & Associates, Inc., has extensive business experience to support her clients' Level 5 leadership development and organizational transformations.

Carl Fernyak, CEO of MT Business Technology. Carl has over 18 years of technology industry experience, starting and successfully scaling 6 companies prior to acquiring MT Business Technologies in 2006.

Rattan D’Souza, Worthington Industries' Director of Strategic Planning. In his 7 years at Worthington Industries, Rattan has been in both business and IT roles. Currently Rattan is responsible for developing appropriate business strategy and processes that ensure long-term success of his business unit.

Ben Blanquera is the Vice President Information Services at Progressive Medical Inc. and is also a co-founder of TechLife Columbus.

...

The next event on Thursday morning is Ideas 2 Deals Live, presented by the SBDC's Mike Bowers in Central Ohio and hosted at Sandbox Coworking Community Columbus at 9:00 a.m. Ideas to Deals Live is a three-part program designed for entrepreneurs desiring to turn their business idea into an opportunity worthy of investment. The class will explore issues relating to start-up, marketing, financing, sales and growth. Registration is full for this event, however it will be held again prior to the end of the year at The Dec.

Running simultaneously to the Leadership Breakfast and Ideals to Deals Live is the monthly Jelly at The DEC. Typically 20-30 individuals attend this Jelly, and enjoy lunch and networking while attempting to work. The large open spaces at The DEC and the several places to 'sneak away' form the crowd make for an ideal co-working environment.

The Jelly will segue into The DEC's monthly Innovation Series for entrepreneurs. The August Innovation Series is Local i-phone/Mobile Innovation & Development, and promises to be an outstanding opportunity to learn about mobile applications and building a business around them.

Finally, on Thursday evening, there is a networking event following the Innovation Series. Join us at Matt The Millers to discuss ideas and opportunities and to compare notes on mobile application potential. Register here.

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Tired? OK, take the weekend to rest and we'll wind it up and do new things next week - all with the aim of celebrating Central Ohio's vibrant entrepreneurial community, networking, and building successful businesses.

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Application Deadline for 14ninetytwo Early Stage Technology Virtual Incubator is 8-10-09

Deadline for Applying for 14ninetytwo Early Stage Technology Virtual Incubator Fast Approaching

August 6, 2009

August 10 is the deadline for entrepreneurs interested in applying for the 14ninetytwo early state technology virtual incubator. The program is designed to support those with innovative ideas for a new product or application especially in the realm of Web 2.0 or mobile technologies.

14ninetytwo is unique in that it doesn’t require you to quit your day job in order to pursue your entrepreneurial endeavor. Approximately 12-15 applicants will be chosen to participate in a Weekend of Discovery August 21-23. During this intense boot camp weekend startup specialists, business professionals and seasoned entrepreneurs will provide coaching, mentoring and advice on taking an innovative idea into a viable business. The weekend will feature experts in legal, finance, company formation and structure, marketing, capital access and more.

On Sunday, all participating companies will “pitch” their business idea based on the principles they’ve learned over the weekend and three of these companies will be chosen for further incubation services. 14ninetytwo will provide the resources to these three companies to enable them, within 90 days, to emerge from the program with a working prototype of their idea, a fully fleshed out business plan and a clear path to their first customer.

The program is supported by Ohio Third Frontier and TechColumbus. It is managed by local entrepreneur Willie Neumann and taps into the vast resources of the entrepreneurial community in Central Ohio.

For more details and the online application, see the 14ninetytwo Web site.

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TechColumbus Incubator Ranked #5 in the Nation

The June issue of Entrepreneur’s Startups magazine included a “Round Up of Business Incubators.” The story ranked the TechColumbus incubator as #5 of the nation’s Top 10 business incubators. The magazine cited TechColumbus’ incubator with infusing $4.3 million into 32 companies in 2008 and helping attract a 10 percent increase in VC funding for its companies last year.

The 63,000-square-foot, award winning TechColumbus incubator currently provides business services, laboratory facilities, office space and coaching and mentoring to 25 startups involved in pursuits ranging from IT to medical device development, advanced materials and more.

Source: TechColumbus' TechWeek newsletter 7-2-09

Dublin Entrepreneurial Center Highlighted in BioOhio’s Accelerating Excellence

The Dublin Entrepreneurial Center is highlighted in the 2009 Accelerating Excellence , which is the forum for bioscience business and technology news in Ohio published by BioOhio. Accelerating Excellence is a first-rate publication, and provides a window into the important events, news and trends affecting Ohio’s multi-billion dollar Bioscience industry. In the article One State, 5 Robust Bioscience Regions, the author takes a brief “bioscience roadtrip” through Ohio’s five distinct regions that are home to important bioscience research and a strong bioscience business base. Central Ohio is highlighted via the efforts of TechColumbus and the growing presence of the Dublin Entrepreneurial Center. Take a moment to read the article in a fully interactive format. Those of us working hard to make Central Ohio a great place for technology business and investment are quite proud of this recognition.

The Dublin Entrepreneurial Center

Dublin’s Economic Development Department, and TechColumbus have partnered to develop an entrepreneurial center in Dublin, Ohio. The Dublin Entrepreneurial Center (The DEC) has been in the planning and development stages for over two years, and has had a home at 7003 Post Road since the fall of 2008. Located in the heart of Dublin’s Innovation Park, the 40,000 square foot building is prime space for growing an innovative, entrepreneurial company. The City of Dublin has planned an Open House for The DEC on Thursday, March 19^th beginning at 7:30 a.m., complete with ribbon cutting and catered breakfast. Register officially for the event and also let others know you are joining the celebration at the Columbus Tech Meetup . Feel free to come and go as your schedule permits.

The idea for an entrepreneurial center first took shape when The City of Dublin’s Deputy City Manager and Director of Economic Development, Dana McDaniel, evaluated the Department’s standard focus on attraction and retention for larger companies. He reasoned that his team’s efforts also needed to concentrate on reaching out to, supporting and nurturing entrepreneurs and early stage businesses if Dublin’s business community and economic base was to thrive. Mr. McDaniel frequently points out that if he can nurture the long tail – startups and companies with a just a few employees with growth potential – the next Cardinal Health might already be or soon be planted in Dublin. After visiting Dublin and meeting with Dana McDaniel in the fall of 2008, David Strom captured this sentiment well in his article It Takes a Long-Tailed Village. The Long Tail in Central Ohio is fertile ground, and also full of risk and uncertainty, which are not the normal purview of government economic development efforts.

Enter TechColumbus, which forged an agreement in 2007 to locate a satellite office in Dublin and bring its significant resources, experience and expertise to bear in partnering with Dublin to cultivate the vibrant community of entrepreneurs and growth focused businesses. TechColumbus concentrates its efforts on innovative technology based businesses – those that have potential for rapid revenue and employee growth. The partnership between Dublin and TechColumbus has already yielded significant results, such as investment in a Dublin company via the Regional Commercialization Fund. These results will be addressed in a future DEC update blog. The DEC is modeled on the successful TechColumbus incubator located on Kinnear Road in Columbus, but does not duplicate it. Think in terms of a "graduate center" for companies already having some success and wanting to build on that success by being in close proximity to other entrepreneurial companies. With staffed offices located at The DEC, TechColumbus is uniquely positioned to focus on Dublin’s Long Tail in partnership with Dublin's Economic Development team.

Much of the work of the Dublin Economic Development team and TechColumbus is centered around setting the conditions of place and environment to support and nurture innovative companies as they grow into successful Dublin based businesses. The Key concept behind The DEC is to assemble a number of organizations, people and activities together in one Dublin location that also houses several entrepreneurial businesses - a solid foundation for success.

The DEC is a focal point for entrepreneurs, hosting several entities that provide a myriad of on-site support for innovative companies, including community oriented education and workforce programs, training, Edison Centers as well as being home to multiple early stage and growing entrepreneurial companies (to be covered in a future DEC update blog). Physically, The DEC is taking shape to offer a creative atmosphere encouraging idea-sharing and collaboration as well as a high demand training center. Resources at The DEC include or will soon include:

• TechColumbus
  
• Small Business Development Center and the SBDC's affiliated community
• Columbus State Community College
  
• Columbus Tech Life - – whose mission is to foster a greater culture and passion for Social Media, Internet, Web and other cutting edge technologies. Events are scheduled through Meetup.
  
• University training and workforce programs – in development with Aquarian Technology Systems, local universities and colleges.
• Entrepreneurial college – in development with local business leaders, colleges and universities. More details soon.
  
• Edison Center: The Center for Innovative Food Technology
• Platform Lab - Ohio's premier testing and training facility will host training courses in the large specialized training room on the 4^th floor.
• DHB Wireless - Dublin’s broadband wireless provider is providing free broadband wireless to all tenants of The DEC.

In addition to these organizations, The DEC offers:

• Training room accommodating 20+ people (reservations required)
• Large open spaces for meetings, events and networking (reservations required)
• Offices available for lease – single offices to multiple offices through Tom Burrows with Commercial One Realtors

The DEC is ideal for hosting training courses, meetings, networking events etc. The DEC will host several co-working and networking events in the near term:

• Ideas to Deals...LIVE - The SBDC will host its popular Ideas to Deals...LIVE course at the DEC on Thursday, March 19^th, 2009, during the Open House. Led by Mike Bowers I2DLive is designed for entrepreneurs interested in turning their business idea into an opportunity worthy of angel or venture investment. Additional SBDC courses will be held throughout the year.
  

• Monthly Dublin Jellies – Organized by Jelly Columbus – These informal meetings are designed for entrepreneurs to come and work alongside other entrepreneurs, network and learn during special lunchtime topics. The first Dublin Jelly is planned for March 26^th, 2009.

• Business Builders Club (BBC) - the entrepreneurial club at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business. Occasional events and meetings sponsored by the BBC will be held at The DEC, such as the IdeaPitch business competition planned for the spring of 2009. The BBC is a catalyst for the development of Ohio State's entrepreneurial student body.

There is much going on and planned for The DEC in 2009 and work to set the conditions for success will be ongoing and involve the broader central Ohio technology community. MidWest TechBiz will be posting regular updates as we prepare for the Open House on Thursday, March 19^th, 2009. MidWest TechBiz will also be posting updates for The DEC throughout this year, including overviews of tenants, details on the Dublin-TechColumbus partnership, ongoing developments etc.

You can keep up with news and events in several ways:

• Subscribing to MidWest TechBiz
  
• Joining The DEC’s FaceBook page
• Following @RickCoplin on Twitter
• Becoming a member of TechColumbus
• Signing up for TechColumbus' TechWeek
• Connecting with the Columbus TechLife Meetup group

Join us for the Open House and come see what The DEC is all about and is rapidly becoming. Register officially and join The DEC: Synergy. Innovation. Energy.

Great Service is Simple

I recently visited a Baja Fresh Mexican Grill for the first time and had a great lunch. I asked the server what she liked on the menu and got a great “tour” of the menu. I later responded to a web survey request and made a comment about the availability of salsa to go with my chips. I had missed the unlimited chips and salsa bar, and probably ignored the hostess when she directed me to it. Within a few hours of making the comment on the survey, I received this response:

My name is Billy Pilawski and I am the regional operator for Baja Fresh in Ohio. I would like to apologize for the lack of "sauce" you received recently at our Olentangy location. I am hoping that the team directed you to our bottomless salsa bar. We also offer unlimited chips. Were you aware of these features? We pride ourselves on great food, excellent customer service and sparkling clean restaurants. I have addressed the situation with the team. I would like to invite you back in as my guest. Please send me your mailing address and I will drop some free meal coupons in the mail. We appreciate your feedback and value you as a guest. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

Sincerely,

Billy Pilawski

Regional Operator

What a pleasant surprise! I don’t often fill out surveys, and did this one as I was waiting on something else. I had no expectations of a response. Needless to say, this kind of service and attention to detail is rare. I would have gone back based on the great food, now I will absolutely go back and encourage anyone I know who likes eating at Baja Fresh Mexican Grill's competitors to give them a try.

So, stop by Baja Fresh Mexican Grill today and enjoy unlimited chips and sauces, and ask the person waiting on you what they like on the menu.

Let me know when you go, what you ate and what you think about the excellent food and great service.

Enjoy lunch and dinner!