Entrepreneurs + Innovators

Now we’re cooking: Chefs Jill Davis and Karen Small embark on a new joint culinary concept
Two well-known Cleveland chefs and restaurant owners—Karen Small of the Flying Fig and Jill Davis of Toast—are embarking on a new culinary project together.
Landing a reboot: CycleWerks co-founder transitions into launching a new e-bike breed
Scott Colosimo launched his e-bike career with Cleveland CycleWerks in 2009, but now he's on to bigger and better things with the LAND District—a new business and a new generation of transitional vehicles. 
Innovative thinking: 25 visionaries to pitch their ideas at Accelerate civic pitch competition
Cleveland Leadership Center's annual Accelerate civic pitch competition is coming in February, and 25 innovators and entrepreneurs are armed with creative new ideas in six categories to vie for the $5,000 prize.
Celebrating 50 years of rocking the falafel on Coventry
Crowds came out to Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights last Friday to wish Tommy's  owner Tommy Fello a happy 50th anniversary of the iconic restaurant.
Telling stories: Filmmaker uses his craft to capture the spirit of NEO folks in his documentaries
Documentary filmmaker Carl Kiss enjoys telling the stories of how everyday Clevelanders and local business make Northeast Ohio a better place. Most recently, he capture Destiny Burns' story in his CLE Urban Winery documentary. 
Harness Collective is bringing new vision to the historic Vitrolite building in Ohio City
Harness Cycle has been a cult staple with spinning and fitness enthusiasts in Ohio City since 2013, but founder Anne Hartnett and CEO Andria Loczi have had their wheels turning on an even bigger vision in recent years.
Beyond shade and powder: These make-up lessons prove to be so much more for transgender clients
Makeup artist Coco Miletti and her assistant, Jake Hallett, have made it their mission to be as inclusive as possible—serving the LGBTQ+ community with their makeup and skincare business.
Civic pitch: Applications open for eighth annual Accelerate Pitch competition
The judges at Cleveland Leadership Center's eighth annual Citizens Make Change civic pitch competition want to hear you ideas for improving Northeast Ohio. Application are now open!
EDWINS campus is expanding with additional housing in Buckeye
After continuously growing its footprint in the Buckeye neighborhood over the past eight years, EDWINS is expanding its campus again with a new 8,270-suare-foot living unit.
MSPIRE pitch competition puts manufacturing entrepreneurs in the spotlight
It’s that time of year again, as MAGNET readies the launch of this year’s MSPIRE pitch competition. This year, MAGNET is also inviting manufacturing technology creators, rather than just focusing on physical products.
Greyt expectations: Thomas Fox says goodbye to CreativeMornings and hello to Greyt Culture
Thomas Fox is infusing fresh new energy into Cleveland's cultural scene with Greyt Culture—offering everything from sunset rooftop concerts to free breakfast lectures.
Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Venues: Author celebrates new book this weekend at the Beachland
Plenty of local music industry pros will be at the Beachland Ballroom this weekend to celebrate the launch of Deanna Adams' newest book, "Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Venues."
This retro cigarette machine dispenses $10 works of art by Cleveland creatives
The Cleveland Artifact Machine, aka a restored 1960s-era cigarette machine, will dispense more than 400 pieces of pocket-sized art at an exhibit featuring Ohio artists later this month at Sandusky Cultural Center.
Making moves: Lords of the Land brings street dance culture to Public Square
Where street dance culture and hip-hop cred meet, you’ll find Cleveland-based dancer and choreographer Samuel McIntosh. And McIntosh is bringing that intersection to the corner of Euclid and Ontario with Lords of the Land—a free four-day festival designed to highlight all Northeast Ohio's street dance scene has to offer.
On the bubble: Local bubbleologist Dr. U.R. Awesome to go for 12th world record on Sunday
Gary Pearlman bounces through life as bubbleologist Dr. U.R. Awesome—blowing his way to 11 Guinness World Records titles and hoping for a 12th this weekend.
Cleveland's event scene comes alive again with the debut of BLDG17 CLE in St. Clair-Superior
As event planner Kattie Cool sees it, there is no better way to celebrate the ability to gather in large groups again than with an all-new event space serving Cleveland—and that's where BLDG17 CLE comes in.
Driftwood Caterers takes over Landerhaven with fresh look, honors former owner
Last summer Chris Hodgson and Scott Kuhn of Driftwood Catering bought Landerhaven from Harlan Diamond, who operated the hall for 60 years. Driftwood has honored Diamond, yet given Landerhaven a new look after reopening this spring. 
Ohio's first UFC Gym is alive and kicking in Middleburg Heights
Tim Stewart has always been a big believer in listening to his intuition. So when he heard that familiar inner voice once again while visiting a UFC gym franchise in Kailua, Hawaii, he listened—and two years later, he and his wife Kellie have opened Ohio’s first UFC gym in Middleburg Heights.
Whoa! New plant-based, gluten-free cookie dough bar satisfies the sweet tooth, avoids allergens
With a gluten allergy and a sweet tooth, LaunchHouse founder Todd Goldstein has created Whoa! Dough vegan cookie dough bars that are gluten free, soy free, and satisfy those sweet cravings.
Neurodesign fellowship aims to build a medtech ecosystem in Cleveland through collaboration
A collaborative effort between CWRU and Cleveland Clinic has created Cleveland NeuroDesign Innovation Fellowship to develop a workforce in Cleveland that takes our medtech resources and turns them into companies.