Top 23 Ohio Startups to Watch in 2026
Ohio's startup landscape features a diverse mix of industries, from financial technology to logistics. Companies are spread across cities like Columbus, Cleveland, and Canton.
The ecosystem includes major players like Veeam Software, which has secured $2.5 billion in funding. Other notable companies like Splash Financial and TradingView highlight the state's strength in the financial sector.
Below is our list of 23 Ohio startups worth keeping an eye on.
Failory's Top 10 Picks
Veeam builds a single platform for data protection and ransomware recovery across cloud, virtual, and physical environments. Their solutions provide modern data resilience, helping businesses keep their data safe and always available.
| 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 investment funds built on a philosophy of prioritizing excellence over politics. The firm uses its position as a shareholder to influence companies to focus on maximizing value rather than advancing social or political 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 post-purchase platform that helps Shopify brands transform returns into exchanges. Their software automates the returns process, helping merchants retain revenue and reduce reverse logistics costs.
| 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 |
Splash Financial runs an AI-enabled lending marketplace that connects borrowers with a network of partner lenders. Their platform helps people shop for and compare rates on financial products, from student loan refinancing to personal loans.
| Year Founded | 2013 |
| Founders | Steven Muszynski |
| Funding Amount | $130.9M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series C |
| Top Investors | Curql, Firebolt Ventures, Citi Ventures, DST Global, First Tech Federal Credit Union |
TradingView operates a popular charting platform and social network for traders and investors. The service gives users access to advanced analysis tools and a community to share and discover trading ideas.
| Year Founded | 2011 |
| Founders | Andrew Kirillov, Denis Globa, Konstantin Ivanov, Stan Bokov |
| Funding Amount | $388.8M |
| Startup Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series C |
| Top Investors | Insight Partners, Techstars, Tiger Global Management, Right Side Capital Management, Akkadian Ventures |
truQ connects businesses and individuals across Africa to the closest available logistics vehicle in real time. Their platform provides on-demand solutions for a range of needs, from small deliveries to large-scale moving.
| Year Founded | 2020 |
| Founders | Foluso Ojo, Isaac Chikutukutu, Williams Fatayo |
| Funding Amount | $1M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Grant |
| Top Investors | Techstars, Google for Startups, EXPERT DOJO, Ajim Capital, FINCA Ventures |
Flexjet provides access to private jets through its fractional ownership, leasing, and jet card programs. This model gives customers the benefits of a private aircraft without the complexities and commitment of whole ownership.
| Year Founded | 1995 |
| Founders | — |
| Funding Amount | $800M |
| Startup Size | Major Organization (1,001-5,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Private Equity |
| Top Investors | L Catterton, KSL Capital Partners, Resilience Capital Partners, J. Safra Sarasin |
Society Brands acquires and scales e-commerce native brands through its shared technology and operational platform. They build an ecosystem that keeps founders involved, providing the resources and community to help their businesses grow.
| Year Founded | 2020 |
| Founders | Christopher Cutter, James Gilbert, Justin Sirpilla, Michael Sirpilla, Shawn Dougherty |
| Funding Amount | $247.6M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Grant |
| Top Investors | Callais Capital, Gullane Capital Partners, JobsOhio, North Coast Ventures, i80 Group |
Pitz creates vertical AI software specifically for the automotive aftermarket industry. The SaaS platform provides technical support and machine learning tools to service and repair businesses.
| Year Founded | 2025 |
| Founders | Natalia Salcedo Franco |
| Funding Amount | $2M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Pre-Seed |
| Top Investors | Amplifica Capital |
Binary Defense offers managed cybersecurity solutions to help businesses monitor, detect, and respond to threats. Their team specializes in services like Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and operating as a Security Operations Center (SOC) for their clients.
| Year Founded | 2014 |
| Founders | David Kennedy, Mike Valentine |
| Funding Amount | $36M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Private Equity |
| Top Investors | Invictus Growth Partners |
13 Additional Ohio Startups Worth Following
Those top 10 companies are just a small part of the bigger picture in Ohio. Founders are building in all sorts of fields, from healthcare and real estate to AI and crypto.
Some are just getting started, while others have been growing for years. Here’s a look at the rest of the startups shaping the state's ecosystem.
| Startup | Industry | Year Founded | Amount Raised | Last Funding Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Pantomath | Analytics | 2022 | $48M | Series B |
 PatientPoint | Healthcare | 1987 | $140M | Private Equity |
 MRI Software | Real Estate | 1971 | $16M | Debt Financing |
 Keyfactor | Enterprise | 2001 | $211.9M | Private Equity |
 The Ridge Ohio | Healthcare | 2011 | $18M | Venture Round |
 Park Place Technologies | Hardware | 1991 | $2B | Debt Financing |
 River | Crypto | 2019 | $52.7M | Series B |
 CrossCountry Mortgage | Fintech | 2003 | $1.3B | Debt Financing |
 Express Wash Concepts | Mobility | 2018 | $150M | Debt Financing |
 SEI | Analytics | 1992 | $725.1k | Undisclosed |
 ChainGPT | AI | 2022 | $400k | Seed |
 Rise | Crypto | 2019 | $10.1M | Series A |
 Tembo | AI | 2022 | $20.5M | Series A |
