FAQs

Q: What is the profile of Rocket Ventures’ target companies?
A: Rocket Ventures’ target startups are early-stage, companies headquartered in or willing to move to one of Northwest Ohio’s 18 counties that have strong potential to become high-growth businesses. Rocket Ventures considers a company to be early-stage if it has $0 to $5 million in current revenues and fewer than 30 employees. High-growth means that the company can reach $30 to $50 million in revenues within five to seven years.

Q: What services does Rocket Ventures provide?
A: Our expert professionals assist clients with:

  • Facilities and site search
  • Financial assistance and funding
  • Training and staffing
  • Commercialization
  • Business assistance and planning
  • Training and staffing
  • Public Relations
  • Patent application
  • Technology innovation

Q: How does Rocket Ventures make the investment decision?
A: RV reviews all business plans that are submitted in our process and selects those companies that have the capability to become an investable high-growth company. Based on a rigorous due diligence process, Rocket Ventures may then begin an investment strategy unique to each company.

Q: Does a company have to pay Rocket Ventures for its services?
A: No. Rocket Ventures provides its services at no charge.

Q: Do you help with the patent or trademark processes?
A: If your business receives a financial investment, such as an Ignite! grant, a portion of that investment may be used to further develop or secure intellectual property, commonly through patent protection.

Q: 

Can a company receive business development assistance and not funding?
A: Yes, if your company is asked to present to Rocket Ventures you will still have access to our business development services. This includes business plan development, sales and marketing assistance, grant writing and more.

Q: How long does the investing process take?
A: As with any investor you will approach, Rocket Ventures’ process decision time frame can vary from one investment to the next. In general, the due diligence process may take as little as two months, or as long as six months.

Q: Does Rocket Ventures focus on any particular types of businesses?
A: Yes. While RV is involved in bringing a variety of new technology companies to the Northwest Ohio region, our main focus is in the following five areas:

  • Information Technology (IT)
  • Biosciences and biotechnology
  • Instruments, Controls, Electronics (ICE)
  • Advanced Manufacturing and Materials
  • Alternative Energies

Q: Rocket Ventures is a part of the Regional Growth Partnership and works with the Launch Program, what does that mean for me as an entrepreneur?
A: Because the Regional Growth Partnership has created a unique model and houses both a venture capital organization (Rocket Ventures) and an Edison Incubator (Launch) in one building, both programs work very closely together to build a foundation for growth and success across our client base. Many Rocket Ventures clients are Launch graduates who utilized Launch’s business incubation services to accelerate their company.

Q: Does Rocket Ventures provide grants?
A: Yes. The Rocket Ventures program is divided into three main elements of services and funding:

  • Enhanced Management Services
    • Provides localized, hands-on operational and business management services to client companies:
    • Market assessment
    • Financial modeling and planning
    • Management expertise
    • Capitalization
    • Technology readiness /intellectual property
    • Marketing and sales
    • Exit strategy development


  • The Ignite! Development Grant
    • Provides funding for client company ramp-up of operations and business-related activities between the imagining and incubating phases of development
    • Specific activities:
      • Planning
      • Procuring
      • Modeling / Demonstrating
      • Validating


  • The Pre-Seed Fund
    • Matches the technology-based business opportunities in Northwest Ohio with appropriate investment capital
    • Provides aid in the commercialization, advancement and acceleration of these early-stage companies’ products/solutions in our three primary phases of development

Consideration is given to client companies that are involved in defined sequential phases involving screening, investigation, financial planning, committee presentations, formalized work plans, such as business investment and implementation.

This commercialization process can be complex, detailed and involved multiple meetings, plans, submission of forms and presentations. A more detailed explanation of this process can be viewed at Rocket Ventures Program.