Cincinnati takes center stage this week as Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit kicks off, celebrating Ohio’s growing reputation as a hub for innovation and talent. Brought to the Buckeye State by JobsOhio, the event is set to showcase a new generation of entrepreneurs, disruptors, and leaders from diverse industries. Young leaders from across the country will gather in the Queen City to network, collaborate, and celebrate their impact across sectors like tech, finance, healthcare, and social impact.

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.

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.

A husband-and-wife team from Cincinnati has raised $2.8 million in a seed round led by Columbus-based Drive Capital to scale its AI-powered scheduling services. Maddie Bell, co-founder and CEO, along with husband Mike Bell, co-founder and CTO, are building Scheduler AI to help businesses and customers connect.

CincyAI Week, a three-day event dedicated to exploring and advancing artificial intelligence in the Greater Cincinnati area, begins today with a sell out crowd. Organizers expect over 1,000 attendees from across Southwest Ohio and beyond.

CinRx Pharma, a Cincinnati-based biotech company focused on high-impact medicines, announced on May 30 the close of a $73 million raise, bringing its total raise to $176 million. CinRx Pharma relies on multiple subsidiaries to research and develop treatments for cardiovascular, metabolic, and gastrointestinal conditions. This raise allows CinRx to further develop its existing portfolio programs to address high-profile medical needs.

A Cincinnati initiative is now underway hoping to make a big impact on the world. PeaceRise, an international competition designed to create solutions in the field of PeaceTech, kicked off last week at 1819 Innovation Hub on the campus of the University of Cincinnati.

Cincinnati-based EdTech platform Abre has raised $24 million in a Series A round to help K-12 schools centralize and make sense of siloed data. Abre's software serves as a one-stop-shop for data around social-emotional well-being, enrollment, attendance, intervention, academic performance, and more.

Cloverleaf, a Cincinnati-based provider of automated coaching technology, has raised $7.3 million in a Series A extension. Cloverleaf says it will use the new funding to extend its core automated coaching solution into even more areas of professional development, bringing out the best in workers and teams.

A Cincinnati startup says artificial intelligence is changing the way brands need to manage their reputations online. BrandRank.AI is helping businesses protect and grow their brands as generative AI upends the $200 billion search engine market, influencing brand perception in key areas like trust, sustainability, product performance, supply chain integrity, and service.

Cincinnati InsurTech Coterie has raised $27 million in an oversubscribed round, bringing its total funding to more than $102 million. Powered by data-backed underwriting, Coterie enables independent agents and brokers to write small business insurance in less than one minute. The company saw revenue growth of over 200% in 2023.

The University of Cincinnati received a record $314 million in research awards in 2023, a 17% increase from a year earlier, the school announced in February. Thanks to what it says are new innovations across its colleges, UC has doubled research awards since 2018.

Enable Injections, the leading medical technology company behind the enFuse wearable technology, is expanding manufacturing operations with a new facility in the Cincinnati suburb of Springdale. The company also is investing in its corporate headquarters in the nearby suburb of Evendale and plans to double headcount over the next 10 years.

Ohio’s reputation as a fintech hub is growing stronger thanks to a new global headquarters investment. Worldpay, one of the largest payment processors in the world, will reestablish its global headquarters in Cincinnati, bringing more than 500 new jobs and $56 million in associated payroll.