It's Time to Believe Southwest Ohio

I never thought I’d see the day. Some 10 years ago, I began occupying the Director’s office on the first floor of the Hamilton County Business Center in Norwood. I guess David Main and the Board of Directors saw something in a 30 year old ex-banker that might benefit the growing base of entrepreneurs in the business incubator. The past 120 months have provided a whirlwind of opportunities and challenges that I believe have laid the groundwork for a future of greater success for Southwest Ohio’s entrepreneurs.


Why do I feel the future is bright for entrepreneurs in the region? Well, let me share with you some observations on the local entrepreneurial development front.

• Collaboration – And I mean the right collaborations. Groups like the Queen City Angels, C-Cap, Bio/Start, University of Cincinnati, Greater Cincinnati Venture Association, CincyTech USA, and HCBC have joined forces to improve entrepreneurs’ access to capital and business mentoring through quality programming like SoundingBoard, Entrepreneurial Bootcamp, Entrepreneurs in Residence, and Morning Mentoring.

• Capital – And I mean early stage capital. Groups like Blue Chip Venture Capital, Triathlon, University of Cincinnati, Children’s Hospital, Queen City Angels, and CincyTech USA have formed early stage seed funds that focus on investing in the regions best and brightest entrepreneurial opportunities.

• Credence – And I mean believing in ourselves. We’re beginning to grow entrepreneurial winners who are being recognized by the outside world. Local companies have been recognized by the likes of Inc Magazine and Fast Company. Nothing breeds success like success itself.

10 years ago, Southwest Ohio was lacking these three C’s, and I believe the region has made tremendous strides to put its positive entrepreneurial mark on the national landscape by making incredible progress though collaboration, capital, and credence. No one is going to believe in Southwest Ohio unless we believe in ourselves and I’m here to tell you that the business assistance groups that HCBC is working with are pushing the progress needle north and pressing the accelerator to the floor. I only dreamed of having access to these kinds of tools ten years ago and now that they are in hand, I can’t wait to report on the superior results we will achieve in the next 10 years !!!

To gain access to the invaluable tools available to innovative and scaleable startups in Southwest Ohio, please feel free to contact Patrick Longo at longo@hcdc.com.