Columbus is “experiencing a start-up boom” with companies such as Hot Chicken Takeover and Print Syndicate, thanks to local resources that help small businesses establish themselves and fuel growth, CNBC.com reports. The Columbus metro area “ranked in the top 15 nationally for start-up activity on the Kauffman Foundation’s 2015 and 2016 start-up indexes,” according to the article. The nation’s first Small Business Concierge, “a one-stop-shop and point of contact,” assists Columbus entrepreneurs with “everything from finances to actually opening up shop,” and offers its services for free, “an important benefit for cash-strapped start-ups.” Columbus “has a robust loan program as well, in partnership with nonprofit lending organizations including the Economic Community Development Institute and Finance Fund,” said Ryan Schick, Small Business Concierge for the city. A report from VentureOhio, “an organization focused on catalyzing growth in the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem,” showed “total venture capital investments in Ohio start-ups hit $373 million in 2015, up 16 percent from the year prior,” reports CNBC. For more, read the full article.
CNBC says Columbus’s resources make it “a growing mecca” for small businesses
