Startups + VC
Eligible orders from the Kettering restaurant can now arrive by drone at addresses within about three miles, including parts of Oakwood and Centerville. Dayton-based Dexa runs flights seven days a week from 4 to 8 p.m., depending on weather and eligibility.
Capital + Deals
The Cincinnati technology services company is adding managed disaster recovery, ransomware recovery, and a Tier III data center in Maryland through the deal, which follows a new chief technology officer and the launch of its Forge Agents AI platform earlier this month.
Workforce + Education
A statewide coalition is moving quickly to turn aerospace expertise, defense infrastructure and higher-education partnerships into a formal bid for a proposed federal academy intended to develop the nation’s next generation of space leaders.
Artificial Intelligence
The partnership with Google Public Sector will bring a dedicated on-campus space, advanced AI and computing resources, and new student research opportunities to Ohio State’s West Campus.
Startups + VC
Dexa was picked for TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield 200 and pitches at Disrupt in San Francisco next month. Most of the cohort sells software. Dexa builds aircraft, holds an FAA air carrier certificate and flies commercial deliveries out of Dayton.
Startups + VC
The 10-week program pairs emerging dual-use companies with defense buyers, mentors and investors, running from mid-September through mid-November and closing with a Demo Day. At least three of the 10 selected companies are Ohio-based, two with roots at the Air Force Research Laboratory.
Columbus
The Columbus digital commerce consultancy spent four years scaling inside COhatch's Polaris and Westerville locations. Now roughly 225 people strong and a two-time Inc. 5000 honoree, Aries has taken its own suite at Easton Town Center, steps from the retail clients it serves.
Artificial Intelligence
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is the first participant in the Airports AI Alliance's Open Innovation Programme, working with Columbia University researchers and INRIX to model vehicle movement across a campus the size of a small city.
Spotlights
The Findlay managed service provider launched days before 9/11, when national carriers were skipping over northwest Ohio and the community decided to build its own network. Twenty-five years and six or seven reinventions later, it runs cybersecurity out of a former Defense Department bunker.
Startups + VC
The Cincinnati company measures what ChatGPT, Claude and other answer engines say about roughly 100 brands, and co-founder Pete Blackshaw says market share no longer predicts what the models recommend. New capital will fund an industry-by-industry expansion.
Statewide Roundups
More than 200 people registered for the first Ohio Tech Night: SF, bringing founders, investors, and operators together as Ohio State expands its Bay Area presence and companies like Upstart and Path Robotics show how the two ecosystems are already increasingly connected.
Energy
The funding will expand year-round electric-bill aid, raise grants to as much as $500 and broaden eligibility for qualifying AEP Ohio customers. The initiative connects Ohio’s fast-growing data-center footprint with direct support for households facing utility-payment challenges.