JumpStart Inc., a nationally recognized non-profit venture development organization based in Cleveland, announces the creation of a new national initiative, JumpStart America. JumpStart America will focus on building robust public, private and philanthropic partnerships across the country with the goal of aggregating over $2 billion in total funding to create or accelerate regionally-based innovation and entrepreneurship programs. It will also serve as a national center for programmatic best practices and public policies that support high-growth entrepreneurship. These efforts will accelerate the economic impact of 100,000 new and existing firms across the U.S. and create hundreds of thousands of new private sector jobs in coming years.

JumpStart America will be one of the first implementation partners of the newly announced Startup America Partnership, a national non-profit alliance of top entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors, CEOs, university presidents, foundations and other business leaders joining together to dramatically increase the prevalence and success of innovative, high-growth U.S. startups. The Startup America Partnership was announced today by members of the Administration's Cabinet including Gene Sperling, Director of the National Economic Council; U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke;  and Administrator of the Small Business Administration, Karen Gordon Mills.

Founding funders for JumpStart America include The Surdna Foundation and The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

"We have been greatly impressed by the work JumpStart has done to advance and support entreprenureship and economic growth in Ohio, particularly with its emphasis on women and minority-owned businesses," said Phillip Henderson, president of the Surdna Foundation. " With its mission of fostering just and sustainable communities, one of the Surdna Foundation's strategies is to help create and connect people to economic opportunities.  JumpStart is uniquely positioned to bring this project to scale in a way that will make a significant impact in this area."

JumpStart America will be a separate 501(c)3 organization from JumpStart Inc. and will be governed by an independent Board of Directors, comprised of regional and national representatives, which will be announced in the spring of 2011.

"Being selected as one of the first implementation partners of the Startup America Partnership reflects the recognition on the part of national policy makers that the high growth entrepreneurial activity occurring in Northeast Ohio is needed across the country," says JumpStart CEO Ray Leach.  "The outcomes of JumpStart's on-the-ground efforts in Northeast Ohio reflect the results that a collaborative public/ private/philanthropic partnership can have.  This national partnership will be a vehicle for coalescing support behind job creation, and for regions all across the nation to access funding, best practice learnings, and other resources needed to accelerate their region-specific entrepreneurial activity."

More information on the JumpStart America initiative is available at http://www.jumpstartamerica.org/. Information on JumpStart is available at http://www.jumpstartinc.org/ or via Twitter at @jumpstartinc.