Wheel’s Down: Cincinnati

Cincinnati, start your engines! Innovation is taking center stage as the Queen City races into StartupCincy Week 2019.

The third annual event, which kicked off on October 7 and runs through the 11^th, is a celebration of Greater Cincinnati’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, spotlighting the “innovators, makers, founders, and disrupters” who have put the city on the Fast Future Country startup map.

Founders, future founders, stakeholders, and enthusiasts can gain practical knowledge and strategic insights from business professionals and entrepreneurs who are sharing their expertise all week long. Resources run the gamut from accelerators to incubators to coworking spaces to investors.

The main venue for the free event is Cincy’s “entrepreneurial epicenter,” Union Hall, but there are sessions all over town, with a huge lineup of speakers, including Greg Crawford, president of Miami University, Brian Cobb, chief innovation officer for CVG Airport, Phil Castellini, president and COO for the Cincinnati Reds, and executive life coach Tarita Preston.

Need more proof of Cincy’s startup momentum? Here’s another big event to put on your calendar: this year’s Cintrifuse Annual Meeting, dubbed “Inflection Point: The Moment to Win Is Now.” The event is happening on November 5^th, and it will feature members of the Cintrifuse team, founders, community leaders, and investors in an interactive discussion of Cincy’s progress as “the #1 startup hub in the Midwest,” as well as a look at the “strategic pillars” that are boosting the region’s economic growth.

And when you’re not busy launching your business…

Greater Cincinnati continues to attract top talent for its expanding startup ecosystem, in part because it offers a wealth of cultural and recreational experiences and activities. To wit (aka a short list of random examples):

• The Cincinnati Art museum provides “a diverse, encyclopedic art collection of more than 67,000 works spanning 6,000 years”—along with traveling exhibits each year.
• National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, whose mission is “to reveal stories of freedom’s heroes, from the era of the Underground Railroad to contemporary times” via permanent and temporary exhibits, special events, and educational programs.
• Broadway in Cincinnati presents professional Broadway touring productions. (Coming soon: Jersey Boys, Mean Girls, Hello Dolly!, and Disney’s The Lion King.)
• Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is the second oldest US zoo, renowned for its endangered species and breeding programs.
• BB Riverboats offers sightseeing, lunch, and dinner cruises on the Ohio River, as well as kid-friendly outings and holiday events.

Oh yeah, and let’s not forget sports

• Cincinnati Reds (check out the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum)
• Cincinnati Bengals (well DUH)
• FC Cincinnati (this professional soccer club recently entered MLS)
• Kentucky Speedway (a 20-year tradition of racing)

Cincinnati by the numbers

• Population: 302,605
• Females: 51.9%
• Males: 48.1%
• Median age: 32.4
• Median household income: $36,429
• Median home value: $146,100
• Median rent price: $1,400
• Cost of living: 8% lower than national average
• Unemployment rate: 3.8%