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About Us

GOOD
IDEAS

FINANCIAL
CAPITAL

SOCIAL
CAPITAL

SUCCESSFUL
BUSINESSES

The equation is simple. The reality is anything but.

A vibrant future for Cincinnati requires an entrepreneurial ecosystem that removes barriers to starting and growing a business; yet, most entrepreneurs lack the access to financial or social capital needed for their business to thrive. 

IMPACT

$4 MiLLION

IN GRANT FUNDS INVESTED IN
LOCAL BUSINESSES

$19.6 MiLLION

RAISED IN FOLLOW-ON FUNDING
BY GRANT RECIPIENTS

$36.8 MiLLION

IN REVENUE GENERATED BY
GRANT RECIPIENT COMPANIES

79%

OF GRANT RECIPIENT FOUNDERS ARE CONSIDERED "UNDERREPRESENTED"

833

INDIVIDUALS EMPLOYED BY GRANT RECIPIENT COMPANIES REGIONALLY

LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD

Too many good ideas fall by the wayside because opportunities for starting and growing a business are not equally available to all founders in our community.​

 

83% of entrepreneurs don't have access to funding when starting a business. Women and minority founders face even greater barriers to accessing funding and social capital.

Main Street Ventures supports all good ideas and founders, but with a particular focus on those who have been historically underrepresented in the startup community.

HISTORY

launch-grant-timeline_2x.png

2010

2018

2021

1999

Main Street Ventures is launched with focus on providing tech companies with a physical structure and wifi network to serve as a home base on Main Street in Over-the-Rhine.

Main Street Ventures launches The Brandery, a seed-stage startup accelerator that leverages the expertise of the Cincinnati region - namely branding, marketing, and design.

 

The Brandery has been ranked in the Top 10 of all startup accelerators worldwide (there are hundreds) and successfully graduated 79 companies who have collectively raised over $135MM in outside capital & created over $120MM in exit value.

As the needs of the entrepreneurial ecosystem have evolved, Main Street Ventures launches new initiatives to meet challenging future needs, including the equity-free Leap Funding program and Ecosystem Building Grant.

Main Street Ventures introduces the Launch Grant Program and the Launch It: Cincy University Pitch Competition and continues to explore other opportunities to meet the needs of entrepreneurs in Greater Cincinnati.

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