Advanced Manufacturing
The Columbus-based welding AI company signed an MOU with HII, the nation's largest military shipbuilder, to bring autonomous welding to Navy shipyards. It's the second shipbuilding deal in a week for the startup, which has raised more than $300 million to modernize American manufacturing.
Financial Services
Erebor Bank just became the first newly chartered national bank of Trump's second term — with $635 million in VC capital to finance defense-tech and hard tech, from a headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. It's the biggest bet yet on a post-SVB banking landscape.
Advanced Manufacturing
The Columbus-based welding AI company is bringing its tech to the shipyard floor through a new collaboration with Saronic, the autonomous vessel maker that's betting software-led manufacturing can crack the U.S. shipbuilding capacity problem.
Startups + VC
Ratmir Timashev is funding dedicated sales teams for 100 of the world’s best B2B software startups — built and paid for in Columbus — with a target of 2,000 new tech workers in the city within five years.
Advanced Manufacturing
Congress approved $9.5M in federal funding for Columbus State's Ohio Center for Advanced Technologies, completing a $60M financing package for the 100,000 sq. ft. facility. OCAT will train workers in advanced manufacturing, biotech, and IT as employer demand surges across central Ohio.
Statewide Roundups
Ohio's transformation from potential to performance is accelerating. From a $4.35B fintech challenger to autonomous jets shipping this spring, here's what happened across the state in recent weeks—featuring the founders and leaders building the future in the Heartland.
Spotlights
As Area Vice President at Expedient, Keith Steele leads the firm's top-performing team across Columbus and Cincinnati. Under his leadership, the region has achieved record growth, helping Ohio enterprises modernize their operations via advanced cloud, AI, and data center services.
Advanced Manufacturing
One year after Palmer Luckey promised to bring "hyperscale" defense manufacturing to central Ohio, the vision is becoming concrete reality. Arsenal-1's first autonomous jets will roll off the line by Q2—a timeline that would've been impossible just a decade ago.
Advanced Manufacturing
Forget the pilots and the custom hardware. Anduril’s AI Grand Prix is a high-stakes software battle for a $500,000 purse and a seat at the defense giant. With identical drones and zero human control, the global pursuit of autonomous perfection culminates in Ohio this November.
Spotlights
Path Robotics CEO Andrew Lonsberry utilizes Obsidian, a proprietary AI model, to power autonomous welding cells. By bringing physical AI to factory floors, his Columbus-based firm solves critical labor shortages and enables manufacturers to produce at four times the standard productivity.
Startups + VC
The new $60M fund is backed by nearly 1,000 Midwest industrial owners and aims to modernize America’s legacy sectors. Heartland flips the VC script by using factory bosses as investors, giving startups built-in customers to solve the region's labor gap.
Spotlights
JPMorgan Chase product designer Omari Hitson leads a global community of 400 experts to scale spatial computing and XR programs. As President of the VR/AR Association’s Ohio chapter, he is building a "Concept-to-Production Pipeline" to turn the state into a global hub for immersive tech.