Since 2011 NOCHE – the Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education and Contempo DESIGN + COMMUNICATIONS have presented The Expys, NOCHE’s annual awards program recognizing and celebrating the best-of-the-best in Northeast Ohio’s internship and experiential learning ecosystem. Each year nominations from hundreds of individuals, companies and organizations throughout the region are submitted for the six award categories, which are Best College Advisor, Best Mentor or Supervisor, Best Large Company Internship, Best Small Company Internship, Coolest Internship, and by far the most popular category – Best Intern. Nominations for The Expys 2019 being accepted through December 31, 2018 at www.noche.org/nominate.

The 2018 Female Entrepreneur Summit brought together nearly 300 Northeast Ohio women entrepreneurs and business leaders for a day of learning, inspiration and networking. Now in its 7th year, the summit allowed attendees to engage with successful entrepreneurs, business leaders, dynamic speakers and experts who shared resources, opportunities and personal testimonials. Additionally, the new FES Investment Fund to benefit Northeast Ohio female entrepreneurs was announced to the group.

Anne Richie, as a venture partner, coaches JumpStart’s scale up clients on preparing and executing growth plans. JumpStart Inc. is a Cleveland-based non-profit venture development organization, so I figured Anne would be a great choice to advise me on the creation of the fund. It is also important to note that this fund will provide flexible debt capital with an ability to convert to equity.

The current investment team is comprised of DeLuca Dolan, graduate of Cohort 13, Cleveland, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program; Amy Jenyk, Cohort 17, Cleveland; Donna Heffernan, Cohort 13, Cleveland; and Dr. Venessa Walker, DC, Cohort 8, Miami, Fla. The fund requires a minimum $5,000 investment from each investor. Reach out to Renée DeLuca Dolan any time if you would be interested in joining the investment team.

DeLuca Dolan noted that the fund will be awarded to one or more companies selected by the investors through a Shark Tank-style pitch event, the date of which will be announced soon.