UC Venture Lab brings NKU regional talent to Cincinnati Innovation District®

UC’s Venture Lab startup accelerator at the 1819 Innovation Hub graduated 10 new startup teams on March 9, one of which hails from Northern Kentucky University (NKU) — a key indicator that the CID is embracing a wider reach for talent in the region.

NKU joins other local universities also selecting teams to join the UC Venture Lab program including Xavier University, University of Dayton, Wright State University and Cincinnati State, all representing novel talent from around the region.

“As a major research university, the University of Cincinnati is delighted to be a boundary spanner that sparks innovation across our region,” says UC President Neville G. Pinto. “This kind of collaboration is a win-win for our Tri-state community and builds momentum for even greater impact.”

New institutional partnerships not only increase the talent and resource availability across the region but also help nurture new locally based enterprise.

“The Cincinnati Innovation District and the University of Cincinnati’s commitment to empowering our region on both sides of the river, is a shared passion between us,” said NKU President Ashish Vaidya. “This is an excellent example of regional collaboration that uplifts entrepreneurship and innovation to new heights. I am pleased that we can leverage our collective talent and resources to further accelerate economic growth and catalyze a more prosperous and equitable ecosystem for the region.”

As part of the Venture Lab’s latest cohort — graduating 10 new startup teams on the afternoon of March 9 — novel business ideas are not only reaching beyond UC, but are proving to make an impact on equity and inclusion issues that currently affect so many people. The impact of both Innovation and equity and inclusion are strong tenets of UC's Next Lives Here strategic direction.

One such collaborative initiative connects college students who have become housing insecure to available living accommodations, food and clothing. Inspired by a top-grade student who lost financing and housing in her junior year, UC associate professor of history Holly McGee took advantage of the virtual collaborative format to extend her “Pathways to Success” project beyond UC. Teaming with faculty at Xavier University and Cincinnati State gives McGee the opportunity to work closely for this unique housing niche with both the county and the state. Their multi-collaborative efforts help to not only serve a wider population but also to become a successful model for other institutions.

Reaching even wider, the Venture Lab startup out of nearby Northern Kentucky University (NKU) takes a broad regional collaboration one step further.

“As a single mom with a full-time job in Lexington, I would have never been able to come this far with my idea if UC’s Venture Lab was not virtually accessible,” says Haley Andes, NKU alum who got her start through an NKU incubator. “Grant Hoffman in UC’s Venture Lab approached my mentors at NKU about fitting novel startups here in Kentucky with a collaboration in Cincinnati — and the rest is history.”

The potential to connect startups like the “SolePurpose” initiative with the right technical app designers, cloud-based software platforms, shoe manufacturers and business personnel are even greater now through the Venture Lab’s virtual format that can successfully match new talent with professional entrepreneurs in residence anywhere, says David Zellen, UC assistant director of startups.

“It is incredibly important for the economic growth of the entire region that our postsecondary institutions take a leading role in growing and attracting world-class talent,” says Gene Kirchner, senior vice president and chief operating officer, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. “Creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship are key ingredients to global competitiveness. We applaud the collaboration that is taking place between the University of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky University in support of innovative entrepreneurs like Haley Andes. This is exactly the type of investment needed to fuel a vibrant regional economy.” 

At the pre-accelerator graduation ceremony, each Venture Lab team demonstrates their novel business plans — from the output of their seven-week curriculum based program — to a virtual audience that is open to the public, including interested professionals from around the state and region.

Since its inception, the Venture Lab has graduated 147 teams and has launched just under 50 startups to date. "One of our teams just closed a $4 million seed round on their Series-A raise," says Grant Hoffman, UC director of startups.

Matching the right professionals to bright new ideas locally and beyond increases the opportunities to provide industries with their most precious commodity right now — talent, adds Hoffman. 

“When you think about the landscape we’re living in today, it’s all about reach, speed and the ability to quickly solve problems,” adds David J. Adams, first chief innovation officer for the University of Cincinnati, and architect for the Cincinnati Innovation District®. “As a public institution, and burgeoning innovation district, the ability to reach across the region to access resources, talent and collaborate to find solutions to today’s economic and social problems is an initiative we feel strongly about as a model to the state and region.”

• View UC Venture Lab’s March 9 graduation 

• More about UC Venture Lab’s Cohort 13 

• Learn more about UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub 


Featured image at top: Grant Hoffman, UC director of startups, engages with Haley Andes from University of Northern Kentucky about her startup collaboration at UC’s Venture Lab Cohort #13 graduation. photo/provided