An entrepreneurial ecosystem: Sears think[box] offers spaces to help startups take flight
Jadon Wyant was drawn to the sixth floor of Sears think[box] for the promise of free coffee. Then a second-year undergraduate student, Wyant discovered his go-to study spot in the quiet, collaborative space.
But it gave him more than just a place to prepare for exams and complete homework; it is where his startup, Sorcea, took root. Now, just months out from his May 2025 graduation from ӰƵ, Wyant still calls Sears think[box] home; except now, he’s on the seventh floor in the incubator space.
Wyant is a prime example of what Sears think[box] is designed to achieve. Floor by floor, the innovation center is intentionally modelled to take an idea from the conception to an early-stage business, giving students, faculty, staff and community members access to all of the resources they need to thrive.
The sixth and seventh floors, in particular, are geared toward helping an idea take flight.
“After deciding to start a company, the sixth and seventh floor staff supported me from idea to validation and customer discovery, all the way up until now, with fundraising and early sales,” said Wyant, who cofounded with his roommate Dale Berkove. “Everyone has been extremely supportive, offering advice, connecting me to resources, and always being willing to set aside their work and listen.”
A place for connections
Officially named the Cloud L. Cray Jr. & Sally Hunter Cray Center for Venture Creation, the sixth floor is a welcoming environment that has everything an aspiring entrepreneur could need. It frequently hosts programming Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship and CWRU LaunchNET and features hoteling spaces to take meetings and large tables for collaboration.
Those curious about entrepreneurship are invited into the space—whether they have an idea or would like to share their skills with those who need them for their venture. The knowledgeable staff in the Cray Center is always ready to make an introduction and get to know those who stop by for a visit.
Entrepreneurship by the numbers
But the space isn’t exclusive to would-be entrepreneurs. As Wyant learned upon his first visit, there’s always a pot of coffee, a refrigerator to store lunch and someone ready to offer support.
“You don’t even have to have an idea,” said Tiffany Cashon, senior director for strategic partnerships and business development. “Even if you’re curious about entrepreneurship, come to this floor. Come to the events. Meet with your friends up here. Do your homework up here. Because just the energy and activity on this floor is important.”
Kathleen White, a third-year student studying mechanical and aerospace engineering, spends nearly every day on the sixth floor. It’s her place to study, to fill time between meetings and classes, and be near friendly faces.
As president of the Case Rocket Team, White spends plenty of time on the fifth floor of Sears think[box], which is project space for student organizations. Being on the sixth floor allows her to be nearby without the pull to get to work.
“As a student, it's been a very important part of my routine for where to go to actually be productive and get work done between classes,” she said. “Most other spaces on that part of campus are too busy for me to be able to focus, and the walk back to my apartment is too far to head back between classes.”
Moving up
The seventh floor of Sears think[box]—the incubator floor—looks visibly different from any other space in the building. As Cashon describes it, that’s where “it gets real scrappy.” That’s because the floor is home to entrepreneurs ready to take their ventures to the next level.
“There is a vibe up there that is very different from the rest of the building because if you think about CLEANR and OpsiClear and Sorcea, they’re getting somewhere,” she said. “They’re heads down. This is their job. To watch these young people right out of school with that much conviction and determination and organization is amazing. It’s my favorite part of my job.”
Sears think[box] provides them with office space and access to all of the building’s other resources, including mentorship, equipment and more. All together, these resources reduce some of the barriers to success entrepreneurs may experience.
For example, a few months ago, the team behind seventh-floor tenant CLEANR needed to film a commercial. Instead of renting a space elsewhere, they constructed a set directly on the seventh floor of Sears think[box].
Cashon said the goal is to always get to “yes” for requests made by the seventh-floor tenants—even when it might seem obscure, such as asking Veale Institute Executive Director Michael Goldberg to run home to get his dogs to appear in promotional materials. The Veale Institute also has an office on the seventh floor with an open door to incubator clients who often stop by to get input on topics ranging from raising capital to networking with CWRU alumni.
Getting to “yes” isn’t exclusively to make the process smoother, though. It’s also to mimic the reality of growing a venture. Businesses on the seventh floor also have a safe place to fail.
“I'm a big believer in saying yes and it helps first and foremost because we learn best when we make mistakes—and when you say yes to something, you're bound to make a mistake,” said Mindy Baierl, senior director of the Veale Institute.
The seventh-floor incubator space is home to five tenants:
- : Develops optical imaging technology to be used by surgeons and pathologists.
- : Provides hyper-personalized skincare recommendations to users.
- : Drives improvements to healthcare through practical automation and integration.
- : Offers filters for washing machines to prevent microplastics from entering the environment.
- : Streamlines the path from prototype to product for medical devices.
The entrepreneurial ecosystem at Sears think[box] effectively guides entrepreneurs through each stage of their venture. The impact was recently demonstrated at the Greater Cleveland Partnership's 19th Annual Best of Tech Awards when several ventures supported by the Sears think[box] earned recognition in the "Early Stage/Tech Start-Ups" category.
“When I toured CWRU as a high school student, they promised that Sears think[box], floor-by-floor, provides all of the resources students need to start a business,” Wyant said. “Sears think[box] delivered on this promise, and I honestly wouldn't have started a company after graduation without the Sears think[box] floor six and seven staff and resources they provided.”
