TGO and AOIA Expand Founder Connections at Ohio VC Fest 2026

Two Southeast Ohio investor groups coordinated founder meetings and strengthened relationships across the statewide startup ecosystem.

Ohio's startup community is stronger when investors, founders, and regional partners connect. At Ohio VC Fest 2026, TechGrowth Ohio (TGO) and the Athens Ohio Investment Alliance (AOIA) put that principle into action, coordinating their efforts to meet a wider range of entrepreneurs and build relationships with innovation leaders from across the state.

Held September 29-30 at the Huntington Convention Center in Cleveland, the JumpStart-hosted event brought together more than 900 registered attendees, including over 400 founders and 140 investors. The gathering offered a concentrated opportunity to share ideas, explore investment opportunities, and strengthen Ohio's entrepreneurial network.

Coordinating meetings to reach more founders

A key part of the event was its one-on-one meeting program, which connected founders with investors for focused, 20-minute conversations. Rather than meeting the same companies, TGO and AOIA divided their schedules across different founder meetings. That coordination allowed the two investor groups to cover more ground, hear from a broader selection of entrepreneurs, and make better use of their time at the event.

For the founders, the conversations created opportunities to introduce their businesses and connect with investors who understand the challenges of building and scaling companies. For TGO and AOIA, the meetings provided firsthand exposure to emerging ideas, business models, and potential future relationships.

Southeast Ohio represented

TGO's attending Entrepreneurs-in-Residence were Karen Davis, Ron Lachey, Rob Painter, and Karen Sullivan. TGO staff members Jessica Kopelwitz, Emmah Thuo, and Kasielle Caroll also attended, along with Andrew Weems, PhD, a TGO-affiliated startup founder.

AOIA was represented by Niell Lane, Karoline Lane, and Geoffrey Morgan. Together, the two groups brought complementary investor and entrepreneurial perspectives to conversations with founders and statewide partners.

Relationships beyond the scheduled meetings

The event's keynote presentations, panel discussions, and networking opportunities extended the value of the one-on-one meetings. Those exchanges helped attendees compare perspectives, reconnect with colleagues, and develop relationships that can support entrepreneurs well beyond the event itself.

For TGO and AOIA, showing up together was about more than increasing the number of meetings. It was a chance to make Southeast Ohio part of statewide conversations about startup growth, strengthen ties across the investment community, and demonstrate how collaboration can create more opportunities for emerging businesses.

A statewide network starts with connections

Supporting an entrepreneur often takes a network: access to experienced guidance, capital, strategic introductions, and people willing to share what they know. Ohio VC Fest gave TGO and AOIA a chance to contribute to that network while learning from founders and partners across Ohio.

By coordinating their efforts and investing time in meaningful conversations, the two groups reinforced a shared commitment to helping promising companies move forward-and to keeping Southeast Ohio connected to the broader innovation economy.

Interested in growing a startup or learning more about TGO? Explore TechGrowth Ohio's entrepreneurial resources and investment network.