Ája Hardy
(Photo Credit: Ája Hardy)
Name: Ája Hardy
Occupation: Director, gBETA Cleveland Early Stage Accelerator
Favorite Restaurant in Town? Architectural Justice Gallery & Café (Strongsville)
What's something useful, magical, or wonderful about Cleveland? I didn't know about Playhouse Square until I got here and for a musical/play buff like me, that was great to hear and live so close. The fact that I get to see the same shows that I would typically travel to my hometown of Chicago or try to catch them in New York. Now they are within walking distance from me since I live downtown. I have seen 'A Bronx Tale', 'Lion King', and 'Donna Summer' in one season. Now if we can only get the half price tix for certain days/times like New York that would be magical.
Q: Ája, you run the gBeta accelerator here in Cleveland. What is that and how does it differ from Gener8tor?
We are actually a product line of gener8tor, the nationally recognized platform here in the Midwest. gener8tor started with investment accelerators and as our brand increased, more companies came to our door. We wanted to do something more than give those founders that did not make it into our equity program constructive feedback, so we created gBETA. gBETA is a pre-accelerator, a primer for founders to iron out all the kinks before looking for an equity program or going after their seed round. The free, seven week, no equity program prepares the founder for the fast paced world of VC. Whether it be an equity accelerator, raising a seed round, or crafting an IP alpha partnership with a corporation, we want to be their partner through it all.
Q: What is Guided Direction LLC and how did you start that up?
Ha, yes. Guided Direction started with me doing pro-bono consulting to NFPs through Taproot when I had downtime at Deloitte or Huron. Then as my brand and experience increased, I was referred for short paid projects. I gained experience working with non for profits, professional associations, and market research companies. Then I came across an opportunity to work with the public sector through FUSE Corps. When I came here as the first FUSE executive fellow with the City of Cleveland, we were 1099s so Guided has evolved into strategic consulting for public/private partnerships.
Q: How did you end up at gBeta in Cleveland?
After my fellowship, I was prepared to return to industry or take a break. Then I saw the position for the role in LinkedIn. I thought it would be great to help stand up the program here in Cleveland and bring these new concepts to the startup community. It is so much more to it than conducting programming of which I am learning, including exposure to the venture capital industry. I am eager to learn and bring my 17+ years of corporate experience to the mix.
Q: What's the area of entrepreneurship you are most passionate about growing in Northeast Ohio?
I am a public health practitioner with a MPH yet my career has primarily been in HCIT and Venture Tech. I was definitely excited to hear about the latest news on the health tech corridor and investment for technology careers tied with the universities. I would love to help as an adjunct professor to share my academic and real world experience with the students. All of the construction going on with the recent influx of people moving to the MidWest is great for our economy and innovation.
Q: Rumor is that your name originates from the 1977 album Aja by Steely Dan. Can you confirm this rumor? If so, are you a fan of the album?
Ha, yes that is correct. My dad was a college DJ and a real music buff. Both of my parents are into music pretty heavy. I have my name sake album on my iPhone and I actually met them when I had a client in Louisville of all places. The lead singer got a kick out of the story and they were really nice. 'Hey Nineteen' is a great song by the way.
