Resources

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Banks and Financing Assitance

Fifth Third Bank Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Fifth Third operates 17 affiliates in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Florida, and provides a broad array of products and services through four primary businesses: Commercial Banking, Retail Banking, Investment Advisors, and Midwest Payment Systems, the bank's data processing subsidiary. Fifth Third's financial strength continues to be recognized by rating agencies with deposit ratings of AA- and Aa2 from Standard & Poors and Moody's respectively.

Fifth Third offers a broad range of financial services to the start-up and growing companies. Fifth Third Direct is the bank's new on-line banking service which allows our customers to undertake all of their banking transaction on-line. Fifth Third's Corporate Finance Department provides advisory services to companies raising debt and equity capital. Fifth Third has invested tens of millions of dollars in private equity funds designed to provide growth capital for companies operating within Fifth Third's banking territories. For more information, visit www.53.com.

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CPA and Consulting Firms

BKD LLP. BKD, LLP is the dominant regional professional services firm in the Heartland of America. With revenues of approximately $216 million, the firm ranks in the top ten in size among CPA and consulting firms in the United States. The firm's 1,500 personnel, including nearly 200 partners, are located in 26 offices in Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas. BKD is headquartered in Springfield, Missouri.
BKD provides solutions for closely held and publicly traded businesses in the health care, manufacturing, distribution, financial institutions, construction, real estate, retail and other industries; not-for-profit organizations; and governmental entities as well as thousands of individuals.

The mission of BKD is to always strive for excellence in providing services to clients, create rewarding career opportunities and maintain sound professional, business and financial standards. Our firm philosophy underscores our service commitment to clients and assures them that their satisfaction with BKD's services is our goal. For more information, please visit www.bkd.com.

Law Firms

Taft/ Taft, Stettinius & Hollister LLP (TS&H) was founded in 1924 by the merger of two firms, one of which had been practicing law in Cincinnati since 1885. At present, we have 187 attorneys and 30 distinct practice groups. Our firm has offices in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Covington, Kentucky. The diverse clients of the firm include businesses and individuals engaged in manufacturing, banking, finance, insurance, distribution, broadcasting, professional sports, health care, energy, transportation and real estate, as well as the New Economy.

Taft, Stettinius & Hollister established an e-Business Practice Group in 1999. Attorneys in this practice group provide a broad range of legal and advisory services to Internet startup companies as well as "bricks and mortar" companies looking to the Internet to build their businesses. Formed to respond to clients' increasing needs to conduct commerce on the World Wide Web, this group of attorneys assists clients with a wide variety of issues related to the Internet.

TS&H extended its leadership role in 1999 when it initiated, and became, the first corporate sponsor of Main Street Ventures, a Cincinnati-based, nonprofit technology development facilitator for high-tech startups. This nonprofit group provides resources and expertise to new and emerging high-tech businesses. Since its beginning, attorneys at TS&H have provided significant leadership of and service to Main Street Ventures on a pro-bono basis. For more information, visit www.taftlaw.com.

Cors & Bassett, LLC. Cors & Bassett, LLC, a full-service law firm of 46 attorneys, prides itself on building long-term relationships with clients, including start-ups and emerging and established businesses. This is accomplished by gaining a thorough understanding of each client's business and by providing proactive advice as well as solutions to difficult legal and business problems. Our legal services include advice and documentation relating to all aspects of general corporate and business legal services and planning such as: organizational structure, capital formation (including debt, mezzanine and equity financings), tax planning, joint ventures, licensing arrangements, intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, finance, employment matters, public and private offerings of securities, franchising, exit strategies and related matters. Cors & Bassett's attorneys are active in various local and national venture capital, bio-medical and business growth organizations. For more information, visit www.corsbassett.com.

Graydon Head & Ritchey LLP. For more than 130 years, Graydon Head & Ritchey LLP has been creating and implementing legal strategies that maximize clients' opportunities for greater business and personal prosperity. A full service, 67-attorney law firm, GH&R's culture of client service permeates the day-to-day activities of attorneys and staff alike. With its long history and a track record of leadership in new economy organizations such as The Circuit, the Greater Cincinnati Venture Capital Association, BIO/Start, and the Madison Avenue E-Zone, GH&R attorneys are experienced in helping established and emerging companies strategize to ensure continued growth and development. Services of the firm include advice on entity formation, venture/angel/bank financing, shareholder agreements, mergers and acquisitions, stock options, initial public offerings, licensing and distribution, trademarks, patents, Internet and e-commerce activities, dispute resolution, human resources, and estate planning. For more information, visit www.graydon.com.

Wood, Herron & Evans, LLP. Wood, Herron & Evans, LLP is a law firm located in Cincinnati, with a practice committed to aiding clients in the acquisition, development, protection, licensing and enforcement of intellectual property rights. Our attorneys and their well-trained professional support staff understand the value of our clients' intellectual property assets. We focus on in-depth involvement with clients. We anticipate legal issues that might threaten or compromise those assets and when our clients do need assistance with litigation, we are here for them every step of the way. Our experience gives us a seasoned and informed view of technology in business and commerce and of the complex laws which protect innovation. We work closely with our clients to devise strategies for intellectual property acquisition, licensing and protection that fit and enhance their business objectives. For more information, visit www.whepatent.com.

Keating, Muething & Klekamp, P.L.L., founded in 1954, is a service-oriented law firm with approximately 95 lawyers and a support staff of more than 150 people based in Cincinnati, Ohio. We are committed to providing efficient , valuable and cost -conscious counseling.

Our lawyers offer practical advice and time-tested business solutions. We focus on business representation and transactions, commercial finance, labor and employment, employee benefits, private client services, litigation, real estate and bankruptcy related legal services. For 50 years we have contributed to the success of many businesses from small start-up companies and international corporations to non-profit organizations and government entities.

For the past three years, Keating, Muething & Klekamp has been named one of the top three business law firms in the Greater Cincinnati area by Corporate Board Member magazine. Corporate Board Member magazine conducts the survey and bases its findings on a poll of approximately 30,000 directors, general counsel and officers of public companies. Several of our lawyers also consistently appear in Woodward/White, Inc.'s The Best Lawyers in America. Best Lawyers in America is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey of 15,000 leading lawyers throughout the country. For more information, visit www.kmklaw.com.

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Venture Capital Firms

Blue Chip Venture Company. Blue Chip Venture Company is a leading venture capital firm providing capital and business-building assistance to entrepreneurs seeking to build growth companies. Our commitment to our partner companies doesn't end with initial financing - that's only the beginning. Our end-to-end approach to your success includes being an integral part of your strategic planning sessions, key employee recruiting, industry conferences, fund-raising, corporate partnerships, public offerings and more.

Based in Cincinnati, we have over $600 million of capital under management and have invested in over 85 partner companies throughout the United States and Canada. Areas of focus include: enterprise software, technology infrastructure, media and communications and healthcare. www.bcvc.com.

Fort Washington Capital Partners. Fort Washington Capital Partners, LLC is a private equity investment manager based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The firm and its affiliates, including The Western and Southern Life Insurance Company and Fort Washington Investment Advisors, Inc., a registered investment advisor, have been investing in private equity since 1984. We currently manage more than $700 million in private equity commitments and four fund of funds partnerships.

Fort Washington also manages the Tri-State Growth Capital Fund, a $40 million fund of funds that invests in early-stage venture capital partnerships nationally and in the Greater Cincinnati tri-state region. The fund also co-invests directly in early-stage companies alongside its underlying venture capital fund managers. Fort Washington works with venture capital funds and promising emerging companies to facilitate introductions for potential investment.

River Cities Venture Funds. Building on the foundation of its 20+ years of corporate advisory experience, River Cities has a track record of actively assisting portfolio companies after the closing. Beyond simply providing capital, the firm provides access to a collection of intellectual, organizational and financial resources termed the River Cities Venture Building program. The program has several elements:

• Preparation for Success - Ensure that all systems, procedures, and management processes are characteristic of a successful (public) enterprise.
• Close Working Partnerships - Coach and assist in building the enterprise based on the benefit of years of experience with dozens of other companies that have faced similar challenges.
• Organizational Development - Assist in the recruitment of top management through active networking, an in-house resume bank, and referrals from other portfolio companies.
• Corporate Governance - Help identify and recruit new outside corporate and advisory board members to strengthen corporate governance.
• Networking with Other River Cities Companies - Promote commercial or cooperative relationships between portfolio companies to uncover synergies, provide incremental revenue, and efficiently solve problems.
• Strategic Planning - Lead strategic planning events to examine basic assumptions behind current business models and explore alternative approaches to growing the business through scenario analysis, brainstorming and other tools.
• Raising Additional Capital - Plan an integral role in a portfolio company's fundraising activities, from assistance in writing a revised business plan to introductions to trusted venture partners and investment bankers.

For more information visit www.rccf.com.

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Internet and Technology Services

Electronic Art specializes in the development of high-end web based applications, database driven websites, content management systems, ecommerce solutions, kiosk rental, sales, and development. Electronic Art also provides IT services for small to medium businesses in the Greater Cincinnati area.

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Entrepreneur Assistance

Doctor Ebiz e-newsletter. Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, a bona fide authority on internet marketing and ebusiness, publishes this FREE e-newsletter. It's only a 5-minute read, and it's full of good advice based on extensive research and experience. Dr. Wilson also has other publications that are not free, but are good values. To subscribe to Doctor Ebiz visit www.wilsonweb.com.

Inc. Magazine is still the premier magazine for small businesses. As well as magazine articles, the website has permanent content that is practical, sound and well written. See especially the Advice section on the home page.

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Government Entities

Ohio Department of Development is responsible for the creation, retention, and expansion of job opportunities for the State of Ohio. The Department, made up of eight divisions, administers both short- and long-term economic development programs. Other programs assist entrepreneurial and minority business growth, help build healthy communities, and keep the state's businesses competitive in world markets.

Ohio Technology Investment Tax Credit. Through this innovative program, Ohio investors may reduce their state taxes by up to 25 percent of the amount they invest in qualified technology-based Ohio companies.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is a comprehensive source of advice for business and information about government resources. The SBA also operates the Angel Capital Electronic Network, ACE-Net, which can connect new companies with angel financing. www.sba.gov/services/acenet.html.

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Incubators and Accelerators

Bio/Start is the only area incubator that specializes in life science companies.

CBI Cincinnati Business Incubator serves all small business, with a special focus on minority and women-owned companies.

Hamilton County Business Center has operated as a business incubator since 1989. It is also a Small Business Development Company.

Morning Mentoring is an entrepreneurial coaching program that leverages the Queen City Angels, C-Cap, and local professional advisors for the benefit of Greater Cincinnati's entrepreneurs.

Northern Kentucky E-Zone is an incubator for technology businesses, and is located in Covington, Kentucky.

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Management Candidate Resumes

If you are an individual seeking a management-level position in a technology or growth company, or a company looking for management talent for your team, contact us at c-cap@thecircuit.net.