Startups + VC
Silicon Valley has coffee-shop density; Ohio has isolated excellence. This new curated network aims to fix that by concentrating operators who have scaled from $1M to $100M+ ARR, creating a high-stakes "brain trust" across Ohio and beyond.
Artificial Intelligence
With nearly 200,000 new businesses filed in the Buckeye State in 2025 and only 5% of workers considered AI fluent, Google's free certificate program arrives at a pivotal moment for Ohio's booming — but underskilled — small business economy.
Research
The state's flagship university posted a 6% year-over-year jump in R&D expenditures for fiscal year 2025, fueled by rising federal grants, a 10% surge in industry-sponsored research, and deepening ties with partners like Honda and Starlab Space.
Ratmir Timashev is funding dedicated sales teams for 100 of the world’s best B2B software startups — built and paid for in Columbus — with a target of 2,000 new tech workers in the city within five years.
One year after Palmer Luckey promised to bring "hyperscale" defense manufacturing to central Ohio, the vision is becoming concrete reality. Arsenal-1's first autonomous jets will roll off the line by Q2—a timeline that would've been impossible just a decade ago.
The new $60M fund is backed by nearly 1,000 Midwest industrial owners and aims to modernize America’s legacy sectors. Heartland flips the VC script by using factory bosses as investors, giving startups built-in customers to solve the region's labor gap.
Ohio’s future isn’t just a concept—it has names. We narrowed triple-digit submissions to the top 25 innovators 35 and under. From AI to medtech and beyond, these leaders are bridging the gap between legacy strength and the digital frontier. Meet the 2025 class defining Ohio’s next chapter.
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Ohio’s economic stability, multibillion-dollar infrastructure investments, and a culture that values profit over hype are fueling tech leaders’ optimism. With strengths in quantum computing and a collaborative B2B environment, the state is built for durable, real-world innovation.
SUSE plans to open source the Cincinnati-built platform and fold it into its edge computing portfolio — a major exit for one of Ohio's longest-running IoT startups backed by CincyTech and Steve Case's Rise of the Rest fund.
The Solon-based manufacturer — the only Western module vendor serving both IoT and automotive — closed a $30M Series B as federal regulations force OEMs to cut Chinese connectivity components from their supply chains.
State of Ohio technology leader Jade Moyer is modernizing legacy systems to ensure government services are reliable and intuitive for Ohioans in crisis. By streamlining the state’s tech stack and implementing AI-driven solutions, she is transforming bureaucracy into a strategic engine.
The Columbus-based welding AI company signed an MOU with HII, the nation's largest military shipbuilder, to bring autonomous welding to Navy shipyards. It's the second shipbuilding deal in a week for the startup, which has raised more than $300 million to modernize American manufacturing.
Forget the AI hype cycle. Ohio’s tech leaders are moving toward implementation, focusing on agentic workflows, energy infrastructure, and applied AI in regulated industries. From manufacturing to healthcare, the focus is on ROI and high-stakes deployment. Discover what’s next for the ecosystem.
Erebor Bank just became the first newly chartered national bank of Trump's second term — with $635 million in VC capital to finance defense-tech and hard tech, from a headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. It's the biggest bet yet on a post-SVB banking landscape.
Vixiv CEO Aaron Chow uses machine learning to automate lattice generation, creating parts that are simultaneously lighter and stronger. His Cincinnati-based technology bridges the gap between design and production, helping manufacturers optimize components and solve the skills gap.
The Columbus-based welding AI company is bringing its tech to the shipyard floor through a new collaboration with Saronic, the autonomous vessel maker that's betting software-led manufacturing can crack the U.S. shipbuilding capacity problem.
Ratmir Timashev is funding dedicated sales teams for 100 of the world’s best B2B software startups — built and paid for in Columbus — with a target of 2,000 new tech workers in the city within five years.
Deloitte’s Braden Thompson highlights Ohio as a public sector leader in future-proofing digital architecture. By migrating legacy systems to the cloud and utilizing human-centered design, the state has transformed the OHID platform into an award-winning portal serving 8 million residents.
Four OhioX leaders name the tech trend that will shape Ohio most over the next 18 months. Their answers all point to one theme: AI's real impact won't come from the technology itself — but from how organizations deploy it.
