As we have seen recently with the city of Columbus and Cleveland, no local government is immune from the threat of cyberattacks. Now, Ohio is taking a proactive step in safeguarding its local governments against these ever-evolving cyber threats. Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted have announced a $7 million grant program through CyberOhio, aimed at enhancing the cybersecurity infrastructure of local government entities across the state.

Announced this week, Ohio's second innovation hub, Dayton's onMain Innovation Hub, will serve as a center for collaboration among the Dayton region’s government, academia, and private industry leaders.

A new trade group is helping to connect venture capital professionals in the Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes Venture Capital Association (GLVCA) announced its launch in August as a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering VC firms and supporting a thriving network.

NeuroTherapia, Inc., a clinical-stage company and Cleveland Clinic Innovations portfolio company, has raised $12.3 million in a Series B funding round led by Cleveland Clinic. The company, which focuses on developing therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, is using the funding primarily for the continued clinical development of NTRX-07, an orally available cannabinoid receptor agonist, for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

The Midwest Pediatric Device Consortium (MPDC) fall grant cycle is now open and includes an initial application due August 31, 2024. In this cycle, applicants can request grants ranging from $10,000 to $250,000. Most awards will be between $10,000 and $50,000.

Columbus-based HubiFi, an advanced financial intelligence and revenue recognition solution, has raised $2.5 million in seed funding to build a foundational team with a focus on product and engineering and add to the team with CPA and accounting expertise.

Cincinnati’s BrandRank.AI, a pioneer in generative AI-based brand search analytics, has raised $1.2 million in venture seed and angel funding to accelerate technology development, onboard a scalable sales organization, and build support infrastructure.

Ohio’s capital budget recently granted Blue Abyss a one-time investment of $1.8 million to support the development of its extreme environment research center in Brook Park, Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted, along with members of the Ohio General Assembly, announced the investment contained in House Bill 2 on June 28th.

The NSF recently awarded the University of Toledo nearly $1 million to support Experiential Learning Opportunities in Mechatronics, providing high school students hands-on learning and mentorship focused on electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing.

The Ohio Grants Alliance, a statewide collaborator and advocate for those seeking federal grants, has facilitated 11 competitive grant opportunities with awards totaling over $4.8 billion since its founding in January 2023.

Blue Abyss is opening the largest-ever extreme environment training center in the city of Brook Park, Ohio. CEO John Vickers recently announced that the company purchased 12 acres of land next to the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, near the NASA Glenn Research Center to house the facility.

Ohio is now one of the first states in the country to offer residents the ability to have their drivers license on their phone. This launch is the latest in Ohio’s commitment to being at the forefront of technological innovation. Yesterday, at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted unveiled the technology and showcased how Ohioans can now use their phone to present IDs at TSA checkpoints.

Cleveland Clinic, IBM, and the Hartree Centre have announced an innovative collaboration to use artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing to advance healthcare and biomedical science. “This partnership will play an important role in advancing research into the use of cutting-edge computation in healthcare and life sciences,” said Alessandro Curioni, IBM Fellow and Director, IBM Research Zurich.

This summer Ohio celebrates the 50th anniversary of Transportation Research Center Inc., one of the state’s most impactful technological and economic landmarks. At TRC Ohio’s sprawling 4,500-acre proving grounds in Logan and Union counties, nearly 500 skilled engineers and other specialists have built an impressive 50-year track record, helping to make today’s cars, trucks and highways safer and more efficient, writes President and CEO Brett Roubinek.

With Gen-Z-like dexterity, the buoys of the Smart Lake Erie Watershed can text you real-time reports on weather, water, and wind conditions. All you have to do is ask. This initiative is part of the Cleveland Water Alliance’s goal to make Lake Erie the largest digitally connected freshwater body in the world. The buoys, though, maintain the demeanor of Dragnet’s Sergeant Joe Friday: just the facts. No emojis allowed.  

Ohio is among eight states receiving a combined $1.7 billion in grants to boost electric vehicle manufacturing. The Energy Department grants will go to General Motors and Stellantis, among other automakers, and cover a broad range of the supply chain, from electric motorcycles to school buses and heavy-duty commercial truck batteries.

The 4th annual Healthcare Capital Markets and Innovation Summit (HCMIS) took place in downtown Columbus, Ohio, June 5-6. Over 300 healthcare leaders, innovators, dealmakers, and adjacent professionals attended the event hosted by Lawrence, Evans & Co., LLC.

On Monday, Ohio officials announced the creation of the Glass Innovation Hub, led by the Northwest Ohio Innovation Consortium. This is the first of several Ohio Innovation Hubs.

Fresh off of Scheduler AI’s $2 million raise from Drive Capital, bringing total fundraising to $2.8 million, Maddie Bell spoke with OhioTechNews.com about their vision to create the world's first fully autonomous meeting orchestration platform designed to instantly connect the right people at the right time for the right reasons.

Three former employees of renowned augmented reality (AR) company Magic Leap have raised $2 million to build their own AR business with headquarters in Ohio. Founded in 2021, Trace builds location-based branded AR experiences and counts among its customers Qualcomm, Telefónica, T-Mobile, and Lenovo. The company is led by “boomerang” founder Greg Tran, who spent time in Miami and San Francisco before returning to Columbus. Tran talked with OhioTechNews.com about what they’re building, why Ohio, and how they managed to land funding from a wide range of investors.