There’s been a lot happening in the small business world in Columbus over the past month. From awards to anniversaries, here’s an overview of what small business across the city are celebrating.
TechColumbus Announces VentureNEXT Winners
A celebration of all things entrepreneurial in Central Ohio, VentureNEXT brings together entrepreneurs, creatives, investors and corporations. Nov. 6 marked the first annual VentureNEXT Startup Awards which recognized three local startups representing different stages of commercialization and diverse industries. Awards went to:
- – Biobent Polymers – This Battelle spinoff specializes in bio-composite polymers which offer comparable performance to pure petroleum-based plastics at highly competitive prices.
- – nChannel – This cloud-based application suite connects existing eCommerce, POS and financial systems to help companies better manage multichannel operations.
- – Print Syndicate – Also recently making headlines for a $4.25 million funding announcement, the apparel and home goods e-commerce company puts out timely, well-designed products that mix art and pop-culture with a heavy dose of humor.
VentureNEXT also honored two local corporations with Corporate Engagement Awards. M/I Homes and QStart Labs were recgonized for their commitment and engagement with startups.
“I travel all over the country working with entrepreneurs and investors,” said Barry Moltz, master of ceremonies. “The energy and momentum that I’ve seen here in Central Ohio is second to none. There’s capital, great venture support from TechColumbus, and a real commitment from the corporate business community to help young companies get customers and grow. People beyond Ohio are recognizing that there’s something special here.”
For more information, visit venturenext.org.
Chute Gerdeman Celebrates 25 Years
Chute Gerdeman is celebrating a quarter century of success. The Columbus-based company touts an impressive global client list including household names like Whole Foods, M&M’S/Mars, Target and Verizon. Chute Gerdeman offers strategic branding and design for retailers. Staying on top of industry trends, expanded service offerings will include innovative visual merchandising deployment, pop-up and exploratory store concepts, a digital design technology and co-creation strategies.
“We are celebrating a milestone that any company would be proud to achieve,” said Co-Chairman Denny Gerdeman. “We have persevered and grown because we have remained on the cutting edge of retail trends, understood where the market is headed, and provided unique solutions for our clients.”
Fore more information, visit chutegerdeman.com.
SunDown Fund Joins North American Angel Capital Association
Managed by pitch event SunDown RunDown, the SunDown Fund recently joined the national Angel Capital Association. Started in 2014, the SunDown Fund targets very early-stage companies with micro investments of $10,000 to $30,000. The Angel Capital Association is the leading professional and trade association focused on fueling the success of accredited angel investors and portfolio companies in high-growth, early-stage ventures.
For more information, visit sundownrundown.org/vc.asp.
Columbus2020 Named Best in Class at International Economic Development Council’s Annual Conference
The IEDC, a non-profit membership organization serving economic developers, named Columbus 2020 No. 2 Best in Class among the country’s top regional economic development organizations. In just its fourth year of existence, the public-private partnership that leverages Columbus’ strengths to spur economic development, picked up the best in class and a gold, two silvers and three bronze IEDC Excellence in Economic Development awards for various marketing projects and campaigns.
For more information, visit columbusregion.com/Columbus2020.aspx.
