Supporting the Startup

A successful startup company requires innovative technology, adequate capital, and an experienced business leader. The Keenan Center team helps entrepreneurs identify attractive technologies that need the entrepreneur's particular experience and domain expertise. In addition, the Keenan Center can offer helpful introductions to potential corporate partners and market allies, as well as provide networking, idea generation, and educational opportunities to entrepreneurs and their team members.

A growing number of entrepreneurs are connecting with and licensing technology from Ohio State because of the combination of technology, capital and resource support from inside and outside of the university. 

Capital  

Access to capital plays a major role in successfully maturing university technologies. Learn more about capital resources available for startups based from Ohio State technologies or learn more about raising capital more broadly.

Talent

Creating a startup involves forming the right team that can work together to accomplish the startup’s goals. At a high level, forming a talented startup team typically involves some combination of business and technical skills and other job functions that may be specific to each particular startup’s success. Learn more about resources available for startups based from Ohio State technologies. 

Venture Development 

Facilitates matching up entrepreneurs and technology leaders, guide the establishment of solid business plans and milestones, and offer resources and support that can accelerate technology commercialization. Before the startup is commercialized, venture development assists homing in on potential business models, identify and validate business assumptions, and progress technology so that it is ready for the market.

Corporate Opportunities and Introductions 

Occasionally, corporations provide opportunities to university inventors that enable access to capital, technology development, or other resources. Our office compiles these resources and distributes them to academic departments and faculty members programmatically. Corporate opportunities may include innovation challenges, training, workshops, accelerators, technology feedback and more. 

Startup Leader Events 

As part of the Buckeye Executive Network, startup leaders have the opportunity to participate in several events throughout the course of the year. The bi-annual startup leader dinner provides the chance to share best practices, create a community and foster growth of university startups. Our technology and company showcase events also provide a chance for entrepreneurs, investors and inventors to interact, connect, and preview Ohio State’s startup portfolio. Inventors and entrepreneurs present brief overviews of their technologies or startup, followed by networking with capital providers, potential customers and talent. 

Rev1 Ventures 

We partner with Rev1 Ventures, a startup studio on Ohio State’s campus that offers capital and strategic services to help startup companies scale. Rev1 aligns innovators and founders with corporate and research partners to access customers and markets, helping entrepreneurs build great companies. Rev1 has $90MM in capital under management, providing a capital continuum from corporate and community partners, as well as the Ohio Third Frontier. Rev1 has been named fourth Most Active Seed Investor in the U.S., according to PitchBook. Learn more about Rev1 Ventures.