Always looking for new ways to support area entrepreneurs, the
Greater Cincinnati Venture Association (GCVA) is launching a new program, “
GCVA Recognizes,” to honor young people and fresh ideas in Cincinnati’s startup ecosystem.
Like many things in the startup world, GCVA Recognizes has grown quickly from an idea to a reality. The organization’s leadership team came up with the concept only two months ago, then solidified it a couple weeks later during conversations with
TEDx Cincinnati organizers.
“We really didn’t have anything yet, it just seemed like the right idea and we were interested in figuring out what it might become,” GCVA President Kevin Mackey says.
When talking with TEDx folks about how the two groups could collaborate, GVCA learned about the upcoming TEDx Innovation Alley happy hour event and something clicked.
“We thought it would be really cool if we had this awards thing as their happy hour,” Mackey says.
GCVA wants its “Recognizes” program to not be just another awards show, pointing out that several already exist in the city’s startup and business communities.
Mackey emphasizes that since the recognition will be community-driven, so will the choices about who and what to recognize. Awards could be presented to everything from a blog post to a community dinner.
GCVA collected open nominations in categories like “Most Inspiring CEO” and “Best Pivot,” and the community now gets to vote through June 10 to choose the winners, who will be honored at TEDx Cincinnati’s Innovation Alley happy hour on June 16.
“I’m really enjoying seeing the number of names identified by multiple people,” Mackey says. “It really indicates that we’ve got some strong people and strong companies here.”
Those people and companies deserve recognition, which GCVA is excited to provide. The awards aim to honor the full breadth of the local startup ecosystem, from entrepreneurs to mentors to angel investors — the kind of recognition that can be really helpful to early startups and young entrepreneurs.
“This is about helping each other out,” Mackey says. “At the end of the day, this stuff comes back to community feedback. We’ll see where it goes!”
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