AI, Alzheimer’s, and At-Home Tests: Ohio awards $1.1 million in tech grants

The Ohio Third Frontier Commission has approved more than $1.1 million in funding to accelerate early-stage medical and scientific technologies through the Technology Validation and Start-up Fund (TVSF).

TVSF helps startups validate technologies from Ohio research institutions and bring them to market faster. Funds support prototyping, testing, and early commercialization.

Why it matters

From Alzheimer’s therapies to AI tools for small businesses, the grants are helping Ohio researchers and entrepreneurs bring life-changing innovations to market faster—while supporting commercialization at the local level.

The Breakdown

Six companies received funding to advance institution-licensed technologies and support product development, market research, and pilot testing.

Awarded projects include:

Airelon (Lewis Center)

$200,000 to commercialize an AI tool that automatically sorts documents for small businesses and local governments. The tech is licensed from the U.S. Navy.

Auxilium Health (Cleveland)

$200,000 to bring to market a wound dressing that prevents diabetic foot ulcer infections without antibiotics. Licensed from the University of Akron Research Foundation.

Recall Therapeutics (Beachwood)

$193,000 to commercialize a gene therapy aimed at restoring memory in Alzheimer’s patients using asprosin. Licensed from University Hospitals.

RNA Nanotherapeutics (Mason)

$200,000 to advance a next-gen RNA therapy targeting breast cancer resistance. Licensed from the University of Cincinnati.

Visano Theranostics (Fairview Park)

$170,000 for imaging tech using nanobubbles that increase the accuracy of prostate cancer biopsies. Licensed from Case Western Reserve University.

WhichFoodsR (Solon)

$200,000 to support development of an at-home test for IBD patients that tracks intestinal inflammation and syncs with a companion app. Licensed from Case Western Reserve University.

What’s next

The next round of TVSF funding opens July 25 at 10:00 a.m. More info at development.ohio.gov/TVSF.