Top 4 Columbus Startups to Watch in 2026
Columbus, Ohio is home to a growing number of companies across various industries. The city's business landscape includes everything from financial services to e-commerce support.
Among its top companies is Veeam Software, a data management firm that has raised $2.5 billion. Other notable startups include the e-commerce returns platform Loop and the financial services company Strive Asset Management.
Below is our list of 4 Columbus startups worth keeping an eye on.
Failory's Top 4 Picks
Veeam Software offers a single platform for data protection, management, and recovery across diverse IT systems. Their solutions provide data resilience for organizations running cloud, virtual, and physical workloads.
| Year Founded | 2006 |
| Founders | Andrei Baronov, Ratmir Timashev |
| Funding Amount | $2.5B |
| Startup Size | Major Organization (1,001-5,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Corporate Round |
| Top Investors | TPG, Temasek Holdings, Insight Partners, Microsoft, Neuberger Berman |
Strive Asset Management offers a range of Exchange-Traded Funds guided by a philosophy of business excellence. The firm actively engages with companies in its portfolios to advocate for maximizing shareholder value over pursuing political or social agendas.
| Year Founded | 2022 |
| Founders | Anson Frericks, Vivek Ramaswamy |
| Funding Amount | $50M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | Founders Fund, Flex Capital, Narya Capital, Cantor Fitzgerald, Joe Lonsdale |
Loop builds a returns platform that helps Shopify brands automate their post-purchase experience. Their software is designed to turn returns into exchanges, helping merchants retain revenue and build customer loyalty.
| Year Founded | 2017 |
| Founders | Brandon Schmidt, Chris Pinchot, Chris Pinchot, Dustin Tevis, Jonathan Poma, Kyle Hency, Steve Kemper |
| Funding Amount | $125.5M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | Ridge Ventures, FirstMark, Lerer Hippeau, Peterson Ventures, M25 |
River operates a client-focused financial platform dedicated entirely to Bitcoin. They enable users to securely buy, sell, and store the asset, while also offering advanced services like Bitcoin mining and Lightning Network payments.
| Year Founded | 2019 |
| Founders | Alexander Leishman, Andrew Benson |
| Funding Amount | $52.7M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | Valor Equity Partners, Craft Ventures, Slow Ventures, M13, Castle Island Ventures |
