Entrepreneurs + Innovators

Fast Forward Fund helps Gordon Square businesses make it through pandemic strains
Small businesses in Gordon Square, like Superelectric Pinball Parlor and Maelstrom Collaborative Arts, are adapting their models during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to money from Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization's Fast Forward Fund.
Let the good vibes roll: Saucy Brew Works woos investors and opens two new locations

Exponential growth in the middle of a pandemic? Taking a new Ohio City beer garden from concept to completion in the span of three weeks? These may seem like Herculean feats, but Saucy Brew Works seems to have found the secret sauce for success.

Happy campers: This savvy Cleveland Heights teen is helping save summer camp for local kids
When local day camps began cancelling sessions this summer, one young entrepreneur took it upon herself to bring camp to the kids in her Cleveland Heights neighborhood with Kamp Kate.
Going mobile: Vegan comfort food caterer Squash the Beef raises funds to buy a food trailer
After a year of delighting a growing customer base with its vegan comfort food, Squash the Beef is raising funds to buy a food trailer and take their catering business to the streets of Cleveland.
Culinary Crisis: Chef Rocco Whalen reflects on dark times, is hopeful for a brighter future
Fahrenheit chef/owner Rocco Whalen feels the pain Cleveland has felt during the coronavirus, the murder of George Floyd, and the riots. But now, he looks to the future and hopes for better days in Cleveland and in the local restaurant industry.
A new world: Doug Katz launches ghost kitchen concept to test takeout- and delivery-only market
Chef Doug Katz has launched Chim,a ghost kitchen that serves South American fare for takeout and delivery.
Detroit Shoreway uses grant to help both its local businesses and residents during hard times
Thanks to a $56,000 Cleveland Foundation COVID-19 grant the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Corporation is paying six local eateries to cook free meals for those who need them—helping both residents and small business owners.
Like a boss: This new book shines a light on 20 CLE women to watch
Appropriately sized at 216 pages, the new book Boss Ladies of CLE highlights some of our city's top female talent.
Culinary Crisis: Anna in the Raw’s Anna Harouvis puts her café family first as she reopens
Anna Harouvis, raw food chef and owner of Anna in the Raw on E. 9th Street, shares her story of weathering the coronavirus and her hopes for the future.
Pop goes the wedding: How Cuyahoga Valley National Park is keeping the bridal dream alive
May typically signals the start of wedding season, but in the face of COVID-19, the forecast looks a whole lot different this year. Enter the pop-up wedding option at Cuyahoga Valley National Park, an intimate gathering for 10 people or less that highlights Ohio's only national park as its backdrop.
Comeback kids: Local retailers prepare to reopen amid coronavirus concerns
Even though Ohio's stay-at-home order is lifted, suburban small business owners struggle with the pros and cons of re-opening and keeping their customers safe.
Local love: Made Cleveland takes the flea market shopping experience online

If Etsy and the Yellow Pages had a baby, it might look like Made Cleveland. Set to launch this Saturday, May 23, Made Cleveland is an online e-commerce hub and directory featuring local artists and makers — and is ready to fill in the gaps and meet demand in the absence of in-person markets this season.

Kudos to you: Lunch Owl pivots from lunch deliveries to goody boxes for employees working at home
With offices shutting down during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lunch Owl owner Scott Himmel create a new business, Kudo Box,  to honor employees working from home with locally-made goodies.
Easy riders: CycleBar to re-open with state-of-the-art air purifier to keep riders safe from COVID
CycleBar in Beachwood is one of the first fitness centers in Northeast Ohio to install a state-of-the-art hydroperoxide air purifying system—making owner Joe Purton confident his members will be safe when he re-opens in June.  
Culinary Crisis: The Fairmount's Jake Orosz breathes easy after Friday’s patio reopening
The Fiarmount owner Jake Ororsz has used the restaurant shutdown order to hone his takeout operations and tweak the food and drink menus in anticipation of reopening. Now, Orosz says he's ready to take on any battle in the war on the coronavirus.
Culinary Crisis: Luna Bakery’s Bridget Thibeault searches for bright spots during a pandemic
Bridget Thibeault, owner of Luna Bakery and Cafe, shares her story of building her business over the past 10 years and the anxieties of making it through the COVID-19 pandemic.
#PeopleofCLE: Dustin and Paloma, helping the frontline one donut at a time
Nothing lifts someone's spirits better than donuts. So Dustin and Paloma Goldberg, owners of Goldie's Donuts, decided to donate and dozen donuts to area hospital workers for every dozen their customers buy.
Culinary Crisis: Chef Karen Small’s Flying Fig opens for business as she ponders the future
Flying Fig owner and executive chef Karen Small feels the pain local restaurants have gone through with the COVID-19 shutdown, but is trying to learn some long-term lessons on the journey back to success.
Bottoms up! Couple starts nonprofit cocktail delivery business to aid frontline workers
Dave Ocker and Kyah Fernandez lost their restaurant jobs after COVID-19 hit. But saw it as an opportunity to start a nonprofit cocktail delivery company that benefits first responders on the frontline.
Manufacturing Alliance ‘in this together’ for PPE sourcing and creation
MAGNET and the the Ohio Manufacturing Alliance were quick to form the Ohio Manufacturing Alliance after Governor DeWine put out the plea for help in creating Personal Protective Equipment to fight COVID-19 in Ohio. The alliance uses its collective innovation prowess to speedily produce much-needed equipment.