With support from a $6.95 million grant from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University are leading the Midwest Pediatric Device Consortium (MPDC) - the first of its kind in the Midwest. And this week the MPDC announced its first grant recipients, which came from over 40 applications, working to advance pediatric medical devices into clinical use.

Columbus-based RWX has raised a $7 million seed round and launched Mint, a Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) platform. RWX was founded by Tommy Graves and Dan Manges, who was the CTO of Root, a technology-powered car insurance carrier, which he co-founded in 2015 and took public in 2020 via an IPO. Graves was a senior engineering manager at Root.

Columbus-based Drive Capital has announced a strategic investment of at least $750 million in future fund commitments while also selling a minority stake in its management company. Drive says the commitment by Collective Global and Collective Global Asset Owners will advance its ability to invest in world-class technology companies across its target market in the “Driveway”, a $12 trillion region in North America between the Hudson River and the Rocky Mountains.

November 30, 2022 is a day that sent shockwaves through businesses, schools, and governments alike. It was the day OpenAI launched ChatGPT to the public. It took just five days for ChatGPT to break one million users and a revolution was born. Since then, the State of Ohio, led by Lt. Governor Jon Husted, has been at the forefront of leveraging AI to drive innovation, efficiency, and responsible adoption across government and education.

Ohio has a long and rich history in aerospace. The first wave ushered in the birth of aviation with the Wright Brothers. The second wave was space exploration with NASA Glenn leading the way. The third wave, called advanced air mobility (AAM), is now being championed in Ohio with innovations in digitization, design, and manufacturing of AAM vehicles, and new concepts for air traffic management to support this new system of aerial transportation, writes Dr. Edie Williams of Parallax Advanced Research.

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.

Champ Titles Inc., a Cleveland-based provider of digital vehicle title and registration services, has raised an $18 million Series C round, bringing its total fundraising to more than $45 million. Founded in 2018, Champ provides SaaS-based solutions that require no upfront cost, utilize a pay-as-you-transact model, can be launched quickly, and are continuously improved.

In just six years, Women in Analytics has gone from an Ohio State University student’s idea to a national organization supporting a community of about 8,000 data enthusiasts. And its flagship DataConnect conference is now drawing attendees from around the world to Columbus.

While residents around the state are gearing up to view Ohio’s historic solar eclipse on Monday, OhioX member AT&T is meticulously planning to ensure everyone stays connected. AT&T says the eclipse itself will have no direct operational impact on its wireless network and that it is prepared to handle more traffic than ever as customers share their solar eclipse moments.

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.

Last year, Google announced it was building two new data centers in Columbus and in Lancaster, adding to its facility in New Albany. The tech giant said the expansion would inject another $1.7 billion into its three Ohio data center campuses, building on its more than $2 billion investment in the state since breaking ground in New Albany in 2019.

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.

Intel Corporation announced it will receive up to $8.5 billion in direct funding through the CHIPS and Science Act, including for the company’s new semiconductor factories in Ohio. Overseen by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the CHIPS Act funding aims to increase U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and R&D capabilities.

JumpStart, northeast Ohio’s venture development organization, is introducing new support services for entrepreneurs, including new accelerators for software and HealthTech startups. The three-month accelerator for HealthTech provides a deep dive into regulatory, clinical, reimbursement, and commercialization strategies.

Cleveland’s Pandata, a fully bootstrapped startup that helps organizations design and build machine learning and AI solutions, is being acquired by Atlanta-based Further, a data, cloud, and AI company focused on helping make sense of raw data.

The Ohio Angel Collective (OAC) has accomplished a lot following its launch in October 2023, including completing four deals and introducing a unique subscription model for investors. The highlights so far include more than 125 members across Ohio and 13 states, more than 150 startups engaged, and four deals funded with a fifth on the way. OAC hopes to hit 16 total deals in 2024.

With a string of major fundraising announcements, product developments, and new facility debuts, Columbus is shaping into a force in the biotechnology space. In fact, it’s among the nation’s fastest-growing biotech hubs, says Eddie Pauline, president and CEO of Ohio Life Sciences, a trade group for biotech, pharmaceutical, gene therapy, and academic organizations.

Creating an electric motorcycle company is a big undertaking in and of itself, but LAND Energy has bigger aspirations. The Cleveland company sees its swappable smart batteries as the broader innovation guiding the trajectory of the business.

Redi Health, a Columbus-based provider of digital pharma support to patients with chronic health conditions, has raised $14 million in a Series B round. Redi bridges the gap between consumer technology and clinical health and support, engaging patients with medication reminders, symptom management, diet and nutrition advice, weight and activity tracking, and health literacy and education.