Lightship Foundation hosting bootcamp in Athens

Lightship Foundation unveiled plans to expand its Lightship Bootcamp program by hosting six three-day bootcamps throughout Ohio in 2023 to provide mentorship, specialized curriculum and networking for underrepresented entrepreneurs seeking to grow their businesses within the state. Lightship has scheduled a bootcamp for April 25-27 in Athens for entrepreneurs and innovators in southeast Ohio.
 
JobsOhio, the state's private economic development corporation, has partnered with the foundation to promote and sponsor the bootcamps, which will target businesses within each region of the JobsOhio network.
 
Lightship Foundation, an impact-driven organization serving remarkable entrepreneurs and ecosystems, established its headquarters in the Cincinnati Innovation District in 2021. The organization has played an integral role in making Ohio more inclusive for minority- and women-owned businesses and helps drive the state's growing startup ecosystem.
 
Lightship's Bootcamp program includes a thoughtfully 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. JobsOhio is supporting the expansion of the Lightship Bootcamp program as part of the economic development corporation's growing inclusion growth strategy.
 
"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 forward-thinking cities throughout the state of Ohio," said Candice Brackeen, CEO of Lightship Foundation. "We are grateful to be supported by an organization like JobsOhio, which has the statewide reach and network of business and industry partners needed to bring the expansion of this important program to life."
 
"This partnership with the Lightship Foundation complements our shared vision to ensure Ohio is more inclusive and accessible for businesses throughout the state," said J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio president and CEO. "By assisting the Lightship Bootcamp program, we are investing in innovation, creating jobs, and attracting new talent that can bring more opportunity for underserved members of our business community."
 
The bootcamps are open to underrepresented entrepreneurs eligible for JobsOhio programs in many of the state's most attractive business regions, including Athens, Columbus, Cleveland, Toledo, and Youngstown. The bootcamps are scheduled for the following dates:

• April 25 - April 27: Athens;
• June 27 - June 29: Columbus;
• Aug. 8 - Aug. 10: Cleveland;
• Aug. 29 - Aug. 31: Toledo; and
• Oct. 17 - Oct. 19: Youngstown.
 
“We are pleased to host Lightship Foundation in the OhioSE region and look forward to the opportunities it brings to our regional entrepreneurs,” said Katy Farber, Vice President of OhioSE. “Thanks to the JobsOhio sponsorship of this exciting event meant to further empower our region’s entrepreneurs that are so very important to the economic growth of our communities.”

Business owners, entrepreneurs and innovators can visit Lightship Foundation’s website at https://www.lightship.foundation/post/lightship-brings-bootcamp-to-6-new-cities-across-ohio to learn more and apply.
 
Lightship Foundation is an impact-driven organization serving remarkable entrepreneurs & ecosystems. We leverage corporate partnerships, specialized programming, meaningful mentorship, and capital investments to drive growth within the minority innovation economy. Lightship provides remarkable founders the resources and direction their businesses need to scale.

Ohio Southeast Economic Development (OhioSE) is the JobsOhio Network Partner for southern, eastern, and southeastern Ohio, providing economic development work and resources in 25 rural counties; they are the newest and geographically the largest of the six regions across the state. OhioSE partners closely with regional development districts, local economic development offices, state agencies and other entities to expand, retain and attract businesses in the counties they serve. Learn more at OhioSE.com.

JobsOhio is a private nonprofit economic development corporation designed to drive job creation and new capital investment in Ohio through business attraction, retention and expansion. The organization also works to seed talent production in its targeted industries and to attract talent to Ohio though Find Your Ohio. JobsOhio works with six regional partners across Ohio: Dayton Development Coalition, Ohio Southeast Economic Development, One Columbus, REDI Cincinnati, Regional Growth Partnership and Team NEO. Learn more at www.jobsohio.com. Follow Jobs Ohio on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.