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Release Date: February 2,2021

Thirteen Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses Selected for Mortar at Bounce’s Winter 2021 Cohort

AKRON, OHIO (Feb. 2, 2021) — Bounce Innovation Hub announced its list of small businesses that have been selected for the Winter 2021 MORTAR at Bounce cohort.

MORTAR at Bounce is an accelerator and business development program for existing and emerging entrepreneurs in a non-technology field, with a focus on minorities and women. The program is funded and presented in partnership with GAR Foundation, Burton D. Morgan Foundation, the City of Akron and Rubber City Match, and the Greater Akron Chamber.

Selected participants will enroll in a 15-week program to learn the fundamental elements of business ownership and build a comprehensive business canvas.

“Bounce’s commitment to serving small businesses and entrepreneurs in Northeast Ohio is stronger and more vital than ever,” said Doug Weintraub, CEO of Bounce Innovation Hub. “Our first program was such a success; we have incredible high hopes for this second round of innovators in Akron.”

A primary goal of the MORTAR program, founded in Cincinnati in 2014, is to launch businesses that contribute to local economic development and establish a path to generational sustainability and wealth. It has been credited by Essence Magazine with helping Cincinnati become the fastest-growing economic power in the Midwest for minority small business owners.

MORTAR at Bounce engages small businesses that can help boost the economy in underserved and redeveloping communities.

The selected MORTAR at Bounce Winter 2021 Cohort includes:

Loretta Clayton, owner of Clayton’s Laundry Service and a previous MORTAR program graduate, shared, “I started my own business because I wanted to take control of my future and hold it to the value that it’s worth, which is priceless. I worked at a company for 14 years under constant scrutiny because of the way I looked but I persevered and accomplished many goals in my professional career. I relied on the MORTAR program to help justify all the things I learned in the corporate world and transition them into an entrepreneurship mindset."

Additionally, applications are also open for the Spring 2021 MORTAR at Bounce Cohort. For more information on how to apply, please visit https://bouncehub.org/mortar.