Ray Leach is CEO of Cleveland-based JumpStart. In this episode, we talk with Ray about the economic impact of startups and entrepreneurs, the growing work their team is doing, and creating equitable opportunities.

JumpStart is a nonprofit venture development organization providing capital, services and connections to help entrepreneurs grow, researchers commercialize and corporations innovate. Their mission is to unlock the full potential of entrepreneurship to transform entire communities.

Ray is the founding CEO of JumpStart and through his leadership the organization has gained a national best-in-class reputation for its innovative economic development models and its ability to leverage its experience and expertise across the U.S.

Ray is considered a national thought and practice leader at the intersection of public, private, and philanthropic partnerships accelerating private-sector investment capital, job creation, and increasing inclusive economic outcomes in neighborhoods, cities, states, and regions.

Ray was a Sloan Fellow and a graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management and the University of Akron. He began his career at IBM and went on to co-found four startups. Ray was a founding member of the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE) and currently serves on the for-profit boards of Axuall, Smithers, and Signet LLC.

To learn more about JumpStart, please visit: https://www.jumpstartinc.org/

To learn more about JumpStart's work and economic impact, please visit: https://issuu.com/jumpstartinc./docs/2022_abridged_ei_report_final?fr=sNmMxYjUxNDA1NTQ

To follow along with Ray's work and to connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raytleach/