Startup Lakewood Gets Off the Ground With its First 'Startup U' Event

Startup Lakewood — a new non-profit organization in Lakewood geared toward helping businesses get off the ground — is now officially live.

The organization launched its first Startup U event on Tuesday, hosting a panel discussion to give some advice to would-be entrepreneurs considering launching a business in Lakewood.

More than 75 people attended the event, hosted by the .

Startup Lakewood hopes to help people who have ideas for new products or businesses — yet need additional support and resources — to bring those ideas to life. 

The name of Tuesday’s session was appropriately titled “I Have an Idea — Now What?”

Local leaders talked about connecting entrepreneurs to resources in the area.

Included on the panel were Mike Belsito, Startup Lakewood director of ideation; Dru Siley, from the city’s department of planning and development; and Dar Calwell, founder of LaunchHouse — a Northeast Ohio-based business accelerator and incubator.

“The whole purpose of this is to inspire entrepreneurship in the city — to make the city a more entrepreneurially friendly place,” said Belsito. “For me it’s all about ideas. It’s about helping people that have those ideas, take them and turn them into reality." 

Tuesday’s event was just one of many that the organization has scheduled.

Every other week, the group will meet at Bela Dubby for focused meetings to brainstorm business ideas in a program the organization is calling Ideation Sessions. Along with Belsito, special guests and soon-to-be-entrepreneurs will meet to talk.

The group will meet at Virginia Marti College of Art and Design for quarterly Startup U events, featuring speakers and resources for entrepreneurs in Lakewood. 

Startup Lakewood is a collaborative partnership with the city, the , LakewoodAive and Pillars of Lakewood.

“Our future economic vitality depends on our ability to nurture and grow entrepreneurial enterprises,” said Mayor Michael Summers, who was also in attendance. “Startup Lakewood is a valuable resource to help entrepreneurs turn their ideas into viable business opportunity.”

For more information on Startup Lakewood, visit the organization's website.