Swiss cyber startup Saporo establishes U.S. base in Columbus via OH.io deal
The Lausanne-based preemptive identity security company is expanding into North America as the first international portfolio addition for Ratmir Timashev’s venture platform. Under the partnership, local operators will run stateside marketing and sales from Central Ohio.
Swiss-based cybersecurity startup Saporo is expanding into North America and has selected Columbus as its U.S. base of operations. The move marks the first international portfolio addition for OH.io, the newly launched Columbus performance venture platform founded by Ratmir Timashev.
Why it matters
Enterprise security is shifting from reactive incident response to proactive exposure management. Identity has become the primary exploit vector in corporate breaches. Saporo's tech flags hidden attack paths and lateral movement risks before malicious actors can weaponize them.
The GTM strategy
The partnership splits operational duties cleanly between Europe and the Midwest to anchor Saporo’s North American expansion.
- The American Engine: OH.io will embed seasoned go-to-market operators directly into the North American operation to spearhead U.S. and Canadian sales, marketing, and demand generation.
- The Swiss Core: Saporo’s founding team in Lausanne remains focused on product development, engineering, and European operations.
"OH.io is designed to help start-ups like Saporo build the go-to-market motion and scale their revenue in the U.S. market," said Timashev.
"North America has the largest concentration of complex identity environments in the world, and entering this market with the right operational partner is imperative for us," says Olivier Eyries, Co-founder and CEO of Saporo. "OH.io brings the GTM expertise, the network, and the shared-risk model that allows our team to stay focused on what we do best."
Driving the deal
The deal materialized after a 20-hour commute from Switzerland to Central Ohio by Saporo's leadership. Beyond the technology, OH.io leaders point to an incoming expansion of Saporo's enterprise capabilities.
"They haven’t even released the product I’m most excited about. More on that soon," noted Alex Husted, Partner at OH.io, via LinkedIn, adding that the Columbus team will join Saporo’s annual retreat at Lake Geneva in the coming weeks to align operational strategies.
The larger opportunity
The addition tracks directly with the broader playbook laid out by OH.io founder Ratmir Timashev. Backed by a $100 million personal investment from the Veeam Software co-founder, the performance venture operates on a revenue-share model rather than traditional equity, fully funding and absorbing the go-to-market payroll risks for scaling startups.
By using an embedded operational model instead of traditional VC check-writing, OH.io is positioning Columbus as the primary commercial landing pad for European business software looking to capture the North American enterprise market.
The Saporo partnership solidifies the vision Timashev detailed earlier this month during a fireside chat at the 5th Annual Ohio Tech Summit: a five-year target to anchor 100 high-growth software and AI startups in Central Ohio, projecting the creation of roughly 2,000 regional technology jobs.
The bottom line
This isn't just a win for one cybersecurity company; it’s proof-of-concept for a new model of economic development designed to import global tech talent directly into Ohio.
