Bounce Innovation Hub

Thank you to everyone who attended today's workshop from Viking Sales Consultants: Building Your Ideal Customer Blueprint

Facilitator Vic Ing led attendees through a framework to find the right customers for them. They left with practical tools to improve marketing, networking, referrals, and customer acquisition.

Stay tuned for our next workshop on Wednesday, August 19!

A workspace can be so much more than sterile cubes and swivel chairs.

Consolidus has been at Bounce for longer than Bounce itself – founded in 2006 and growing within this same building into one of the region’s fastest growing companies. When you visit their office on the 8th floor, you can see this growth firsthand.

Their suite is designed to uplift the team with high-quality personal and collaborative areas between a spacious bullpen layout and thoughtful branding elements, capped off with plenty of natural light and a gorgeous view of the Downtown Akron skyline out of their window.

Consolidus continues to grow and innovate their space with the addition of a new lounge area and meeting room that makes a strong, brand-reflective statement to partners, employees, and investors.

Explore our space and consider creating your own: https://bouncehub.org/our-space

Start your career off right in Akron!

Akron was recently ranked the No. 2 City to build a career in 2026 by Monster due to its high affordability and career opportunity. This echoes the recent news that Akron is attracting more professionals to the area through growth in valuable industries such as polymer and healthcare technologies.

Read the full rankings:

Best Cities to Start a Career in 2026: Top 100 U.S. Metros Monster’s Build a Career Score ranked Harrisburg, Akron, & Dayton among the best cities to start a career in 2026 based on opportunity & affordability.

Calling all Northeast Ohio tech startups! 📣

The Northeast Ohio Student Venture Fund (NEOSVF) is currently accepting applications through 5 pm on Friday, August 28nd for tech startups interested in joining the fall 2026 program.

NEOSVF is a student-led, non-profit venture capital organization that gives Northeast Ohio college students real-world investment experience for regional tech startups. This is done by teaching partners about the startups, early-stage financing, and the due diligence process.

Apply now: https://bouncehub.org/neosvf-application

Last year, Bounce companies contributed an estimated $332M in economic activity in Ohio.

In working with our partners at JumpStart Inc. through the ESP program, we are able to deliver real results for statewide progress and economic development out of Northeast Ohio.

We are working hard to continue this momentum through the rest of 2026 as well!

Read the full report from Jumpstart: http://jumpstartinc.org/eir

Building a high-growth technology company can be complex, but finding the right support shouldn’t be.

At Bounce, we meet founders where they are and give them the tools to succeed. We’re part of a statewide network connecting Ohio founders with expert guidance, funding opportunities and sector-specific resources.

If we’re not the right fit, we can help you find an organization that is.

Learn more: jumpstartinc.org/coe

Northeast Ohio built its identity on rubber and polymer chemistry. BioVerde Tech is asking what happens when you reinvent that chemistry using biology.

The company uses microbes to produce the chemicals needed for rubber and plastic products. CEO Dave Witte told the Wall Street Journal that Bioverde has opened a lab on The University of Akron campus, hired local and out-of-state employees, and plans to build a small production facility in Akron. The decision to plant roots here isn’t accidental. The talent, networks, and institutional knowledge that come with a region that spent a century mastering polymer science are genuinely hard to replicate anywhere else.

Bioverde is a core part of our Synthe6 Materials Accelerator, a 12-month program built specifically for advanced materials, specialty chemicals, and polymer science startups. That program gives founders access to industry mentors who know the space deeply, workshops to build business strategy, and vetted service providers. For Bioverde, Bounce has also co-funded extensive recruiting support through our HR partner Silverline to support hiring Ohio-based scientists, and provided financial support for patent filings to protect the core IP at the heart of what they’re building.

This is exactly the kind of company that makes the case for why Northeast Ohio is still worth betting on.

Read the full WSJ piece here:

The Midwestern Exodus Is Finally Ending Longtime migration away from parts of Rust Belt has started to reverse. Housing affordability is pull for metro areas like Akron, Ohio.

Get ready for the next Food Truck Wednesday on August 12! From 11 AM - 1 PM, the following trucks will be parked outside and ready to serve you a delicious lunch at Bounce:

🌯 Wholly Frijoles Mexican Street Food
🍜 Thai It Up Food Truck
🥙 Yummy Pita Food Truck

See you there, rain or shine!

Meet your facilitator for the upcoming Beyond Startup Workshop on August 5, Vic Ing from Viking Sales Consultants!

For more than thirty years, he has built, led, and supported revenue-generating teams in a variety of sales, leadership, and business development roles, and through Viking Sales Consultants has helped entrepreneurs, business owners, and sales professionals improve business development, strengthen customer relationships, and create sustainable growth.

He is the author of Selling Is Easy (If You Know the Rules) and has facilitated hundreds of workshops, coaching engagements, and strategic planning sessions throughout Northeast Ohio.

Register now: https://BeyondStartupCustomerBlueprint.eventbrite.com

In 2025, companies supported by Bounce Innovation Hub’s services and funding contributed an estimated $332 million in economic activity in Ohio.

We are proud of our work alongside JumpStart Inc. and other ESP partners to create jobs and economic outputs across the state!