Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship
Kara Trott speaking to a group of students

Inside Startups

Whether you're just curious about entrepreneurship or already building a venture, this series offers an inside look at building startups

Join us each week for candid conversations with entrepreneurs about the practical realities of starting and growing a business. Through guest speakers, applied learning, and discussion, students will gain practical skills, explore entrepreneurial thinking, and build meaningful connections within Ohio State’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The series is ideal for students who are curious about entrepreneurship, considering starting a business, or preparing for more intensive venture-building programs. Students may also take the series as a one-credit-hour course that counts toward the Entrepreneurship minor.

Event dates: Wednesdays

Time: 12:45pm - 1:45pm

Location: Student Entrepreneurs' Center, 1636 N High St.

Fall 2026 Schedule and Speaker Line-Up

August 26 - Inside the Founder’s Decision
Why founders take the leap and what they wish they had known before starting.
Guest Speaker: Matt Golis

September 2 - Inside the Co-Founder Relationship
How founders choose partners, divide responsibilities, build trust, and work through disagreements.
Guest Speakers: Dr. Lakshmi Dasi and Sean McKibben, Dasi Simulations

September 9 - Inside the First Sale
How startups find their earliest customers, set a price, close the deal, and earn repeat business.
Guest Speaker: Brandon Pickworth, Pickworth GTM

September 16 - Inside the Breakthrough
The experiments, relationships, early wins, and turning points that help a startup gain traction.
Guest Speaker: To be announced

September 23 - Inside the Founder Network
How founders develop meaningful relationships with peers, mentors, investors, and influential connectors.
Guest Speaker: To be announced

September 30 - Inside Different Industries
How the experience of building a startup changes across industries and business models.
Guest Speaker: John Lowe, Blake Compton, Walker Evans

October 7 - Inside the AI Startup Landscape
How AI is changing what founders can build, how quickly they can build it, and where new opportunities are emerging.
Guest Speaker: Jared Worley

October 14 - Inside the Startup Systems
The essential tools, processes, and operating systems founders put in place to launch and run a growing company.
Guest Speaker: Lori Wengerd

October 21 - Inside the First Hire
How founders know when they are ready to hire and choose the right person to join an early-stage company.
Guest Speaker: To be announced

October 28 - Inside the Fundraise
How founders decide whether to raise money, prepare for investors, and navigate the fundraising process.
Guest Speaker: Steve Werman

November 4 - Inside the Boardroom
How founders select advisors and board members, manage those relationships, and respond to outside guidance.
Guest Speaker: Tim Keenan

November 18 - Inside the Hardest Moments
How founders handle uncertainty, pressure, conflict, and the moments that test their commitment.
Guest Speaker: To be announced

December 2 - Inside the Pivot and What Comes Next
What happens when a plan does not work, how founders decide whether to pivot, close, or begin again, and how companies and founders move into their next stage.
Guest Speaker: To be announced