An executive who's helped spearhead the growth of Cintrifuse, Cincinnati's startup catalyst, is headed to South Carolina.
Eric Weissmann, Cintrifuse's vice president of external relations, is set to become executive director of Greenville, S.C.-based Next, which supports entrepreneurs, the organization announced Thursday. He is expected to make the transition in September.
Weissmann played a key role in the launch of "StartupCincy," which has grown from a social media campaign to a weeklong event. This year's event is scheduled to take place Oct. 26-29.
"When Cintrifuse began, we lived by the credo ‘Collaborate First’ and I plan on taking that attitude with me to Greenville," Weissmann said in an email to Cincy Inno. "The essence of the mantra — full credit to Bob McDonald, former P&G CEO and founding father of Cintrifuse — is that you shouldn’t just go creating new programs or initiatives if someone else is already doing it or CAN do it better. Collaborate first with those that are on the front lines, address gaps and address overlaps, but don’t think any single organization must do everything."
Comparing his new home in Greenville to the Queen City, Weissmann said both cities have "a bunch of passionate folks in the trenches, keyed in support from the universities and latent capacity in the investment space." He added his decade of experience in Cincinnati's startup community has given him a "decoder ring" to help companies in Greenville grow.
"The world changed 18 months ago and we’re not going back to the way things were," he said. "Entrepreneurs are central to the nation’s, and therefore every region's, economy and the sooner we figure that out the better. Startups are the source of all net new jobs; small businesses can be a catalytic force to exponential growth for cities and entire states."
Founded in 2006, Next's services have impacted more than 120 companies that have gone on to raise $28 million in capital, according to the release.
