Ten members of the Ohio State University's President's Buckeye Accelerator cohort recently embarked on a transformative trip to Washington, D.C. The group connected with the local startup ecosystem, gaining valuable insights from founders, industry leaders, and policymakers in the nation's capital.
Ohio State alumnus Mark Rothman generously funded the trip, planned for October 10–13 during the students' fall break. This is the second accelerator cohort to benefit from his support.
The President's Buckeye Accelerator annually supports six student-led ventures through entrepreneurial skill-building, mentorship community, and funding with a structured process. This year, representatives from these six businesses joined the trip:
- Apiary Systems – Tom Cooney (College of Engineering), Ritvik Rao (College of Engineering)
- Almara – Hari Kasi (College of Engineering), Kuppan Subramanian (College of Arts and Sciences)
- BioBuddy – Chris Egasti (Fisher College of Business)
- CorrSuite – Kush Dalal (Alumni), Sean Schnautz (College of Engineering)
- Forged Amputee Wellness – Andy Hundley (Fisher College of Business)
- Youth for STEM Equity – Lucky Dhir (College of Arts and Sciences), Kavya Jayanthi (Fisher College of Business)
Keenan Center staff members Ashley Lippincott and Adithya Ramaswami accompanied the group. Ramaswami, an executive in residence at the Keenan Center and the co-founder of ParaWave, brought additional expertise to the experience as an alumnus of the President's Buckeye Accelerator program.
A Platform for Building Connections
The Washington, D.C., trip aimed to provide the cohort with more opportunities to build a productive, impactful network and deepen their understanding of resources essential to entrepreneurial success.
"The D.C. trip helps cohort members build an ecosystem and expand their professional network to help them identify and find the resources needed to make their business successful," said Cheryl Turnbull, senior director of the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship. "We see them become more poised as they advance through our programming, and by the time they participate in the D.C. trip, they can talk about their business goals very intelligently."
Sean Schnautz, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student and co-founder of CorrSuite, emphasized the trip's focus on building meaningful relationships.
"A trip devoted to student entrepreneurs was a really neat experience," Schnautz said. "It helped me realize how many people are connected to Ohio State. I think having continued trips like this is helpful to expand our perspectives outside of the accelerator cohort and see how what we're working on connects on a larger scale."
Learning from Leaders
For Kayva Jayanthi, a third-year business administration student and chief learning officer of Youth for STEM Equity, meeting Heather Nickerson, CEO and co-founder of Artifcts, during a session at The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., was a standout moment.
"The experience of meeting her, especially being a woman and seeing how she has grown her company and navigated professional experiences, really resonated with me. It showed me how much opportunity there is in D.C. to become an impactful leader," said Jayanthi.
Nickerson shared advice on embracing change and seeking new opportunities, which left a lasting impression on Jayanthi.
Additional trip highlights included meetings with Anna Palmer, CEO of Punchbowl News; Tony Subketkaew, counsel at CVS Health; staff members from Ohio State Government Affairs; and Representative Jim Jordan's office.
Derrick Brent, deputy director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, also hosted group for an afternoon at the USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.
Fostering Cohort Collaboration
Both Jayanthi and Schanutz valued the opportunity to strengthen bonds within their accelerator cohort during the trip.
"I previously didn't seek out the opportunity to network with everyone, and this trip was the perfect chance to do that," Jayanthi said. "I learned about the other amazing organizations they are building and gained insight from that."
Looking Ahead: Expanding Opportunities
Building on the success of this initiative, the Keenan Center recently launched Buckeye Connections, a program designed to broaden student entrepreneurs' networks further. The inaugural trip to Silicon Valley is now accepting applications through December 13.
This continued investment in networking opportunities ensures that Buckeye entrepreneurs are equipped to thrive, creating meaningful ventures with the power to make a global impact.