About us
Help Me Startup is a global platform and coaching service for startup entrepreneurs to test their early stage ideas. Help Me Startup will score your idea and help you fill in the gaps in your plans. We provide a free draft pdf plan as part of our service. Help Me Startup was designed to enable entrepreneurs with an idea in their head, to get it on paper. To collaborate with experience and successful startup coaches to build out and strengthen their idea, and to gain friends, family, and angel support and eventual investment.
Help Me Startup is designed for the entrepreneur, and especially for those have never pursued or received outside investment. We are totally focused on getting an idea from the entrepreneur’s head into a plan that can be communicated to those close to you. The coaching team has experience from initial idea through exit but has chosen to focus on the idea stage due to most of the tools out there are for the investor, not the entrepreneur. The Help Me Startup platform has already scored dozens of ideas for entrepreneurs and is a proven idea-stage tool.
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Help Me Startup was launched in 2017 by Gary Ross and Nathan Romano and is privately held. We have been in your shoes, running startup companies as CEO’s and have been successful getting investment, and getting to first contracts and revenue! Now we can help you do it too!
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Our vision
Gary Ross, CEO, talks about the vision of Help Me Startup and how it helps entrepreneurs get their new startup ideas into a plan and moving forward!
Meet The Team
Gary Ross, Co-Founder and CEO
Gary Ross is a dual threat startup entrepreneur - having himself successfully started up companies and invested in companies. He has had success leading the growth of software, technology and service businesses as a division President in a global Fortune 500 company, leading two smaller family-owned businesses (one to private equity exit), and has successfully launched three startup companies, including gaining outside investment.
Gary graduated with honors from Kent State University with a degree in Mathematics and achieved his MBA from The Ohio State University with a focus on International Business. In addition to completing a 2-year relocation assignment in Europe, Gary has successfully planned and implemented 15 acquisitions, integrations, and exits - in the U.S. and abroad - and has received an international business alumni recognition award from The Ohio State University.
In 2017, Gary released his first book, The Growth Cube, which outlines his formula for business success: A 6-dimensional strategy and execution process that will unlock the growth potential of your business - and you as a leader!
Nathan Romano, Co-Founder and CTO
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Nathan Romano is a technology deliverer. He has built technology and helped launch 5 different startup companies. He is currently leading a technology development company with a focus on building a team of experienced and self-motivated web application architects who absolutely love building sites and software.
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Nathan is highly skilled at screening technology projects and technology people, and loves working on challenging and rewarding opportunities where innovation and perfection are required to exceed customer expectations.
In addition to developing technology within his own companies, Nathan is a technical advisor to many CEO’s in the startup community.
Brett Thornton, Legal Advisor and Customer Resource
Brett has worked as counsel for global corporate clients in a wide range of industries as well as startup companies and private equity groups. A resourceful facilitator for emerging businesses, Brett helps young entrepreneurs with the multitude of formation, growth and business operational issues confronting early stage companies, such as capitalization, fundraising, third-party vendor relationships, contractual agreement review, securities law and due diligence.
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Assisting clients through all stages, Brett connects entrepreneurs with proven industry leaders to help establish their business profile, advises as companies expand and works to ensure owners exit on their own terms.
Brett attended The George Washington University Law School (J.D., 2001) and the Ohio State University (B.S., 1997). He has been recognized with Ohio Super Lawyers® Rising Stars Edition, 2006, 2009-2013, 2015 and is active in community and board leadership activities.