Microsoft expands its presence at UC

The world’s AI leader has more than doubled its footprint inside UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub with a new 2,700-square-foot space. It’s a bold investment that signals Microsoft’s commitment to Southwest Ohio and to the student talent powering UC’s momentum. From Bearcat-led AI training sessions to everyday relationship-building with students, faculty and community partners, Microsoft is betting big on UC.

By expanding at UC, Microsoft is contributing to the school’s “Next Lives Here” vision, which already shows up in classrooms, labs and research teams across campus. Nowhere is that energy more concentrated than inside UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub, the beating heart of Cincinnati’s innovation economy.

At 1819, startup founders can trade ideas with undergrads. Those students can also find co-ops, internships and full-time roles while employers discover fresh talent. It’s a rare ecosystem where invention, education and industry collide, and it’s exactly why 1819 is essential to the future of innovation in Cincinnati.

Microsoft first joined 1819 in December 2024 and now holds nearly 3,700 square feet of usable space. It stands shoulder-to-shoulder with major players like Procter & Gamble, U.S. Bank and Great American Insurance Group, plus a list of startups and venture capital firms that give the building its creative pulse.

To develop the next wave of tech leaders at UC, Microsoft will use its expanded space for hands-on AI training workshops, customer meetings and AI envisioning sessions. With its existing 1,000-square-foot area on the second floor and the new 2,700-square-foot collaboration space on the fourth, the company now has room to build, experiment and partner at a whole new scale.

The benefits run both ways. By anchoring itself inside 1819, Microsoft leaders gain on-demand access to Cincinnati’s largest makerspace, immersive learning sessions on workforce development and process improvement and a direct line to the region’s brightest students.

As Microsoft expands its role in the Cincinnati Innovation District, UC students and local innovators stand to win, whether through workshops by Microsoft student ambassadors or sessions exploring the future of AI. The company’s deepening presence at 1819 is more than an investment; it’s fuel for Southwest Ohio’s entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems.

Featured image at top: Microsoft's crowded new space. Photo/Mary Dwyer