Mark Smith

Mr. Mark Smith is Venture Partner at JumpStart, Inc. and Venture Partner at JumpStart Ventures.
In addition to being a Venture Partner at JumpStart, he is also a principal in Cobalt Group, a nationally recognized private consultancy that is retained by leaders from the private, public and nonprofit sectors to assist with decision-making related to investments in capital projects, research and development, market-based programs, technology initiatives, and growth and sustainability strategies.
Mr. Smith joined JumpStart in 2004.
Prior to that, he served in executive management roles for prominent Cleveland companies including Progressive, the third largest auto insurance provider in the country and Invacare Corporation, the world's leading home medical products provider.
He has since served on the senior management teams of start-up endeavors including DriveLogic in Chicago, which provides internet based supply chain management tools, and insurance software provider ClaimIQ in San Francisco.
Most recently, he co-founded LINGG Productions, a Cleveland based arts promotion and event production company.
He is a board member of the Cleveland Film Society and Cleveland International Film Festival, and has served on the technology advisory board for Red Cross Blood Services of Northern Ohio.
Mr. Smith holds a BS in Mathematics from Michigan State University.