Cincinnati’s Lightship Foundation is expanding one of its signature programs to a half-dozen new sites in Ohio this year to drive the growth of minority-led businesses in the state.
The foundation, a nonprofit and economic development group, will expand its Lightship Bootcamp to Dayton, Athens, Columbus, Cleveland, Toledo and Youngstown in 2023. It’s the first time the two-day program, which targets underrepresented entrepreneurs, has offered in-person programming in the Buckeye State outside its traditional Cincinnati confines.
The foundation is partnering with JobsOhio, the state's private economic development group, to promote and sponsor the camps, which will target businesses within each region of the JobsOhio network.
JobsOhio is funding the entire project as part of its inclusion growth strategy, although its total investment amount is unclear.
"Lightship Foundation was founded in Cincinnati with the purpose of supporting remarkable Ohio-based entrepreneurs and innovators – so we are thrilled to be expanding our Lightship Bootcamp programming to other cities throughout the state," Candice Brackeen, CEO of Lightship Foundation, said in a release.
Lightship's boot camp includes a constructed curriculum and exercises, including investment deck audit and revision, pitch audit and revision consultation, abbreviated financial audit and guidance, legal guidance, brand audit and workshop, customer insight report, business model canvas, product landing page audit and revision, and more.
The boot camps are free and open to underrepresented entrepreneurs eligible for JobsOhio programs. Lightship tends to focus on early-stage startups with a focus on consumer packaged goods, e-commerce, sustainability, artificial intelligence and health care.
The boot camps will run from March through October as follows:
- March 7-9: Dayton
- April 25-27: Athens
- June 27-29: Columbus
- Aug. 8-10: Cleveland
- Aug. 29-31: Toledo
- Oct. 17-19: Youngstown
JobsOhio said Lightship Foundation has played an integral role in making Ohio more inclusive for minority- and women-owned businesses.
The foundation established its headquarters in the Cincinnati Innovation District, an ecosystem anchored by the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, in 2021. JobsOhio said it would invest $1 million to help fund the build-out of that facility, “The Beacon,” located at 121 E. McMillan.
The organization also acquired and brought Black Tech Week to Cincinnati last year, drawing more than 1,500 entrepreneurs to the city.
Lightship Foundation offers a 12-week accelerator and pitch program for women and minority founders. Its boot camp dates back to 2011, and Lightship said it’s the first underrepresented founder-focused program in the U.S. Outside of Cincinnati, the program has been offered in Florida, Michigan, Oklahoma and Missouri, and its alumni have gone on to raise more than $100 million in funding, the organization said.
