JumpStart closes a high of 15 investments in 2010

The investment arm of Cleveland nonprofit JumpStart Inc. put $3.1 million into 15 early-stage companies last year.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- JumpStart Ventures, which funds nascent Northeast Ohio companies, put $3.1 million into 15 such investments last year.

The investment arm of Cleveland nonprofit JumpStart Inc., JumpStart Ventures made its most recent investments in a medical news service and a start-up company working with very thin, efficient insulation.

A $250,000 commitment from JumpStart will help MedCity Media expand its footprint from Cleveland and Minneapolis/St. Paul to Philadelphia, Penn., and the Raleigh/Durham area of North Carolina. JumpStart also recently provided seed money to Caralon Global, a Cleveland company that is testing a vacuum-insulated panel designed to reduce heat transfer better than traditional fiberglass or polyurethane insulation products.

Since 2004, JumpStart Ventures has made 73 investments totaling nearly $20 million in 52 companies.