Telling the stories of entrepreneurship and builders in Cleveland and throughout Northeast Ohio. Every Thursday, Jeffrey Stern helps map the Cleveland/NEO business... more
Umberto Fedeli — Founder, President, and CEO of the Fedeli group — one of the largest risk management and insurance... more
Andrew Wolfe, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Bloomfilter.Andrew is a software engineer turned entrepreneur who is passionate about improving the ways... more
Mike Schroeder, Founder & President of Roundstone.Mike founded Roundstone Insurance in 2003 — when they launched the first Group Medical... more
David Levine — Co-Founder/CEO @ Wireless Environment (Acquired by Ring, Acquired by Amazon) & Co-Founder/CEO @ My Home Park Having made... more
Stewart A. Kohl is Co-CEO of The Riverside Company — a $14 billion global private equity firm founded to invest... more
Bill Manby, Founding & Managing Partner at Interstate Fusion Ventures.An entrepreneur at heart, Bill grew up in NEO and has... more
John McKenna, CEO of Peachtree VA, a virtual assistant staffing organization & President of The Emerald Group, a premier mortgage... more
Mitch Kroll, co-founder & CEO of Findaway (acquired by Spotify).Mitch started Findaway back in 2004, a time when audiobooks were... more
Michael Crawford — Chairman of the Board, President, and CEO of the Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company, which... more
Michael Goldberg, Executive Director of the Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship, as well as an Associate Professor of Design and Innovation... more
Angie Dianetti — President and driving force behind Radcom, a company specializing in performance improvement consulting, which she founded back... more
Andrew Spott — Founder & President of HR Signal, and the Founder & Chairman of the VividFront.Andrew founded VividFront back... more
Justin McLoughlin — Founder & CEO of airCFO — on building a bootstrapped company, scaling a professional services organization, the... more
Tory and Michael Waxman — the founders of Sundays (>$14 million raised, Cleveland-based) — on building Sundays for Dogs to... more
Dom Raban — Founder and CEO of Xploro®While originally founded in the UK, Xploro has recently established its headquarters here in... more
Mike Bruckman, CEO of Haima Therapeutics.With a PhD in organic chemistry and additional training in biomedical engineering and management, Mike... more
Brendan Anderson and Donnie Bedney on their work at ScaleCo — a Cleveland-based entrepreneurship-through-acquisition organization that has invested more than... more
Tanya Budler, Founder of Rise Together, on building an impact consulting firm based here in Cleveland that partners with civic,... more
Our conversation this week is with Lindsay Watson, CEO & Founder of Augment Therapy.Augment Therapy was founded in 2017 when... more
Dr. Onas Bolton — Founder and CEO of Octet Scientific, a specialty Cleveland-based chemical manufacturer unlocking the full power of... more
Anees Pretorius and Cono Onorato — co-founders of Bean ($1.7mm in funding) — on the pursuit of their vision to... more
Julia Solooki & Lior Shafir — the co-founders of Smart Soda, headquartered here in Cleveland — on revolutionizing the beverage... more
Adrian Bota — co-founder and CEO of ORIGIN Milk — on creating the superlative, regenerative A2 heritage milk company!Adrian’s roots... more
Ed Largent — President, CEO, and Board Chair of Westfield, one of the most enduring companies in Ohio.Very few companies... more
Matt Crowley and Bill Wichert, the co-founders of TonDone, have recently secured $1.5 million in funding and facilitated over $30... more
Dan Hampu and Daniel Isenberg on their collective work at the Burton D Morgan Foundation and Scalerator NEO — covering... more
Lay of The Land's conversation today is with Brian Folmer.Born and raised in Cleveland, Brian has boomeranged back to Cleveland... more
Afif Ghannoum, a biotech attorney by background and the CEO of BIOHM Health — which he co-founded with his father,... more
Adam Fleischer — President of Cleveland’s Entrepreneurs' Organization and founder & co-owner of The Wine Spot here in Cleveland Heights.A... more
Michael Murphy, on a mission to bring professional soccer to Cleveland as the Co-founder and CEO of the Cleveland Soccer... more
Aleksandra Brankov and Cole Worley — the co-founders of Cafilia, a Cleveland startup and network of curated local coffee shops... more
Jeremy Umansky, the renowned chef and owner of Larder!Larder Delicatessen and Bakery — as it’s known in full — is... more
Lay of The Land's conversation today is with Artur Grabowski — co-founder of Extendify.Artur emigrated from Poland to the Cleveland... more
Chuck Snider, Jamey Snider, and Jeff Snider — the family behind Snider Recreation — on building & growing a recreational and... more
Dr. Elad Granot — Dean of John Carroll University’s Boler College of Business, co-founder and managing member of an early-stage... more
Jan Jenson — Ph.D., CEO/CSO/Founder of Trailhead Biosystems — on the basics of cell differentiation and development biology, and the vast... more
Aaron George — Founder/CEO of SupplyNow — on building the on-demand wholesale grocery delivery market for foodservice and his journey as an... more
Jeffrey Stern — host of the Lay of The Land Podcast and co-founder at Axuall — reflecting on the... more
Steve Santamaria — CEO of Folio Photonics — on innovating storage media and the future of storage technology, the opportunity... more
Kris Snyder — founder of Vox Mobile and Impact Architects & Head of Finance and Partnerships at Ninety.io — on working... more
Raji Sankar — co-founder of Wholesome International & co-CEO of Choolaah — on building best-in-class restaurants, culture, and customer experiences after... more
Lukas Minkov & Logan Schouman — Co-Founders at afters.io & IDRA — on unlocking the value of instant local delivery services!
Ed Weinfurtner — Executive Chairman of Great Day Improvements (one of NEO's largest companies employing over 2,000 people) & Co-Founder at... more
Chef Douglas Katz — chef & owner of Amba, Chimi, Zhug — on creating fulfilling, transportive experiences that nurture and inspire... more
Michael Kubinski — Founder & CEO of Cleveland Clothing Company — on spreading Cleveland pride, one t-shirt at a time since... more
Leopoldo Peña — Co-Founder & CEO of Presta — on startups, his passion for expanding access to those who historically... more
Heather Lenz — Founder & CEO of Sangfroid Strategy — on her entrepreneurial journey, how data is currently used in... more
Pat Conway & Mark King — Co-founder & CEO respectively of Great Lakes Brewing Company — on building Ohio’s original craft... more
Lila Mills — founding editor-in-chief of Signal Cleveland — on starting a newsroom from scratch and building the trust required to... more
Anne Skoch — Founder and CEO of Anne Cate — on how to marry art and business, pursue your passion... more
Sherrill Paul Witt — founder of Lolly The Trolley — on running one of Cleveland's most beloved icons since 1985, covering... more
Dallas Hogensen — CEO of Felux (>$24mm raised) — on marketplaces, importance of culture, and creating the world’s largest operating platform... more
Shawn Rech — Co-Founder/CEO/Director at Transition Studios, AGTV & TruBlu — on growing Cleveland's permanent media industry, the importance of... more
Graham Veysey & Fisk Biggar — founders of Graham+Fisk’s Wine-In-A-Can \\ Firehouse Can Co. — on building the first exclusive wine-in-a-can... more
Tom Tyrrell — founder and Chairman of Great Lakes Biomimicry & co-founder of Segmint — on the power of biomimicry... more
Baiju Shah — President and CEO of Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP) — on economic development in Cleveland and leading the... more
David Sylvan — president of UH Ventures, the innovation and commercialization division of University Hospitals, a Cleveland-based health system with... more
Dr. Colleen M. Lorber — Founder & CEO of Wraparound Experts — on the current state of our society’s mental... more
David Davis II — Founder & CEO of FBA Flip — on entrepenuership, the changing dynamics of the modern internet-first world we... more
William (Billy) Littlefield II — President & CTO of Wizest — on Wizest's (recently raised $1.7mm) vision to democratize access... more
Dr. Chelsea Monty-Bromer — founder & CEO of SweatID (aka RooSense) — on bridging the academic-entrepreneurial gap, the implications of... more
Mark D’Agostino — founder and president of ConnectedHR — on the changing macro-dynamics of employment, how the nature of... more
Chris Wentz — Founder and CEO of Everykey — on taking an idea at his Case Western entrepreneurship class to... more
Dennis Althar — Founder & CEO of Althar Audio and All-tronics Medical Systems — on everything from his prodigal expertise in electronics,... more
Dennis Althar — Founder & CEO of Althar Audio and All-tronics Medical Systems — on everything from his prodigal expertise in electronics,... more
John Wetzel, Alex Hilleary, Brooks Sime — Co-Founders of Gather — on building a company oriented around a future of work... more
Camille Heard — CEO & Co-Founder of FELOH — on building a beauty tech startup celebrating diversity in beauty through... more
Patrick M. Howard and Ben Kanelos — founding team of RustBit Studios and creators of the Grip of Madness game... more
Eugene Malinskiy — Co-Founder and CEO of Lazurite — on the future of the operating rooms, the path to get... more
Ray Leach (Founder/CEO) & Hardik Desai (Sr. Partner) on the history of JumpStart, the launch of JumpStart Ventures and its... more
Nolan Gallagher — Founder and CEO of Gravitas Ventures — on building a global all rights theatrical distribution company that... more
Dave Kennedy — Founder of Binary Defense and TrustedSec — on his journey to becoming a cybersecurity authority, building two of... more
Tony Pietrocola — Co-Founder & President of AgileBlue — on serial entrepreneurship, technology waves, and cybersecurity.
John Nottingham — Co-Founder & Co-President of Nottingham Spirk — on building the longest-standing design collaborative in the world (celebrating its... more
Rick Simmons — Co-Founder & CEO of the telos institute — on leadership, personal betterment, liminal spaces, embracing disruption, ultramarathons,... more
Drew Kraemer — CEO of Code3 & Founder of Marketplace Strategy — on building a digital performance marketing agency that... more
Jamie Van Doren — Founder & CEO of NeverEnding — on gaming, entertainment, entrepreneurship, pseudonymity, the future of storytelling,... more
Ryan Lambacher — Founder & CEO of Graffle — on unlocking the value of NFTs and solving the infrastructure layer... more
Cal Al-Dhubaib — Founder & CEO of Pandata - on the design and development of human-centered, trusted AI solutions that... more
Daniel Brown — Co-Founder of Rust Belt Riders and Tilth Soil — on providing people with a clean, timely, and... more
Ryan Young — Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of FlashHouse — on the real estate industry today, ins and outs... more
Jack Grover — Founder & CEO of Grove Bags — on the ins and outs of the cannabis industry,... more
Dr. Daniel German — founder & CEO of orthobrain — on transforming the delivery of orthodontics, solving the global orthodontic... more
Jane Alexander — Chief Digital Information Officer at The Cleveland Museum of Art — exploring the state of the art... more
Eric Diamond — co-founder and CEO of Central Kitchen — on building the driving force behind the local craft food... more
David Boone Jr. — co-founder and CEO of BlendED — on boomeranging back to Cleveland from Seattle to found and... more
Mike Belsito — Co-Founder of Product Collective (based here in Cleveland) — on bootstrapping his organization back in 2015 which... more
Bob Baskette — founder and CTO of Roundtable Learning (originally founded as Knowbase) — on immersive learning and the commercial... more
Justin Bibb, now Mayor-Elect of Cleveland, on running for office and his vision to modernize city government.
Jeffrey Stern — host of the Lay of The Land Podcast and co-founder at Axuall — reflecting on 50... more
Michael DeAloia — CEO at Evergreen Podcasts — on the business of podcasting, building a media company here in... more
Scott Colosimo — Founder at Cleveland CycleWerks & LAND Energy — on Cleveland manufacturing, commitment to design, and... more
Stan Garber & Alex Yakubovich — Co-Founders of Scout RFP (now known as Workday Strategic Sourcing) — on serial... more
Steve Potash — Founder, President, and CEO of OverDrive — on managing the largest global network of digital... more
India Johnson — Founder of UAVistas — on the future of drones and their implications for business and society.
Jake Bailosky — CTO & Founder of OnStation (Cleveland-based & closed $1.4mm from Cleveland investors) — on revolutionizing how... more
James Barnes Jr. — Founder & President of Immaculate Cleaning — on building Northeast Ohio’s fastest growing janitorial services company.
Charlie Lougheed — Co-founder & CEO of Axuall — on serial entrepreneurship, building in Cleveland, and his most recent endeavor,... more
Aaron Grossman — Founder & CEO of TalentLaunch — on building a growing network of independently operated staffing firms... more
Brian Zimmerman — CEO of The Cleveland Metroparks — on leading the renaissance of Cleveland’s most beloved hidden gem,... more
AC Evans — co-founder & CEO of Drips — on building the first conversational texting company of its kind, founding... more
Dan Collins — Founder & CEO of Wastebits — on building a software waste-management company and bringing technology to the... more
Brent Zimmerman — Co-Founder & CEO of Saucy Brew Works — on starting and building one of Ohio’s fastest growing... more
Shane Bigelow — CEO at CHAMPtitles (Cleveland based with >$17.5 million raised) — on jettisoning antiquated paper-based processes and digitizing... more
Kate Volzer — Co-Founder and CEO at Wisr — on helping schools and students connect with each other, innovating with... more
Jacob Sheridan — Co-Founder and CEO at TPA Stream — on simplifying healthcare administration challenges, the power of bringing people... more
Charu Ramanathan, PhD — Co-Founder and CEO at vitalxchange — on healthcare innovation, building & selling CardioInsight (her first... more
David Edelman — CEO & Founder of Thrivable — on building the leading online community for those touched by... more
Terence McCarron — CEO & Founder of OpinionRoute — on growing his bootstrapped market research and sample firm to 8... more
Lindsay Watson PT, MPT — CEO & Founder of Augment Therapy — on clinician-driven innovation and building Augment Therapy, which... more
Jarred & Brandon Smith — co-founders of NOOMA — on going beyond making sports nutrition drinks and building a company... more
Todd Federman — managing director of North Coast Ventures — on investing in Cleveland-based startups and the larger Cleveland entrepreneurial... more
Brett Lindsey — CEO of Everstream & Founder of Snip Internet — on the infrastructure of the internet, the future... more
Gordon Daily — founder & CEO of BoxCast — on Cleveland entrepreneurship and the future of live streaming off the... more
Laura Steinbrink — founder & CEO of Brilliency and managing partner at Emerald Built Environments — on driving environmental... more
Ryan Cleary — co-founder & COO of FloatMe — on how they’ve helped save their users over $30mm in fees... more
Justin McLoughlin — founder & CEO of airCFO — on building a bootstrapped company, scaling a professional services organization, the... more
Marisa Sergi — founder & CEO of Red Brands & chief growth officer of L'uva Bella Winery — on... more
Tom Lix — founder & CEO of Cleveland Whiskey — on pushing the boundaries of convention while building on tradition... more
Mac Anderson — co-founder & CMO of Cleveland Kitchen (formerly Cleveland Kraut) — on creating world-class culinary fermented foods for... more
Manoj Jhaveri — co-founder & CEO of Hyr Medical — on transforming the healthcare staffing industry by empowering providers to... more
Cullen Naumoff — co-founder of Farm Fare — on why local food is better food and how Farm Fare allows... more
Anthony Hughes — co-founder and CEO at Tech Elevator — on their recent acquisition to Stride, the future of education,... more
Brandon Bryant — co-founder and venture partner at Harlem Capital — on investing in companies started by people of color... more
Justin Bibb, Mayor of Cleveland, on running for office and his vision to modernize city government.
Matt Buder Shapiro — co-founder and chief marketing officer of MedPilot — on building and growing his company specifically in... more
Dan Whalen (VP of design and development @ Harbor Bay) on INTRO — Cleveland’s first and America’s tallest mass timber... more
Bob Sopko is the director of Case Western’s LaunchNet focused on helping students and alumni build startups and supporting their... more
Nicole Paolozzi, founder & CEO of OndeCare (based here in Cleveland), on the challenges of in-home healthcare for loved... more
Taher Hassonjee — director of business development at RVshare (based in Akron, Ohio) — on the world of recreational... more
Nicole Paolozzi, founder & CEO of OndeCare (based here in Cleveland), on the challenges of in-home healthcare for loved ones of... more