18 VCs capitalizing Ohio startups across Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati in 2026

Ohio closed $2.1B across 180+ deals in 2025. Most capital went to healthcare IT, manufacturing tech, and logistics. The three-city split matters - Cleveland does healthcare and manufacturing, Columbus does insurance and logistics, Cincinnati does consumer and B2B SaaS. You won't raise here without understanding which city fits your sector. Drive I-71 and meet investors in all three cities if you're serious.

Quick list

Why Ohio makes sense for certain founders

Ohio raised $2.1B in 2025 but that's split across three distinct cities. Columbus leads with $980M mostly in insurtech and logistics tech - Nationwide, Root, and the logistics cluster around Rickenbacker pull deals there. Cleveland did $720M concentrated in healthcare IT and manufacturing tech around Cleveland Clinic and the industrial base. Cincinnati closed $400M in B2B SaaS and consumer, smaller rounds but profitable business models.

Average seed round in Ohio is $1.8M, about 60% of SF but your burn rate is 40% of SF. Most Ohio investors want revenue before Series A. They're not betting on TAM and growth rates like coastal VCs. Columbus has the most capital but Cleveland has the most experienced healthcare investors. Cincinnati has the smallest ecosystem but the strongest corporate connections through P&G and Kroger.

Ohio investors typically take 6-8 weeks from first meeting to term sheet. That's slower than SF, faster than most of the Midwest. Follow-on capital exists through Series B if you're in the right sector, but most Series C rounds need coastal lead investors.

Picking the right Ohio investor

City matters more than you think. Cleveland investors understand healthcare IT and manufacturing. Columbus investors know insurtech and supply chain. Cincinnati investors get consumer brands and B2B SaaS selling to enterprises. Don't pitch a DTC brand to Cleveland Clinic's fund.

Portfolio companies show real focus. If they've never funded a company in your sector in your city, you're probably not a fit. Ohio investors have tight theses because they can't spray and pray with smaller fund sizes. Check if they've backed companies selling to the same enterprise buyers you're targeting.

Check sizes are conservative. Seed rounds are $1-3M, Series A is $4-8M. Ohio investors don't lead $15M Series As unless you're already doing $10M ARR. Most funds write $500K-$2M initial checks and reserve 1-2x for follow-ons. If you need $5M+ for your seed, you'll need a coastal co-investor.

Corporate connections are the real value. Ohio investors can intro you to Cleveland Clinic, OhioHealth, Nationwide, Cardinal Health, Kroger, P&G, Fifth Third Bank. That's what you're paying for with lower valuations. A warm intro to Cleveland Clinic's CIO is worth more than $500K in some cases.

Share your deck through Ellty with trackable links. You'll see which Ohio investors actually open your financials versus just taking meetings. Ohio VCs are polite but move slowly on passes. Analytics tell you who's serious. Your investor outreach strategy should mix warm intros, LinkedIn nuance, and cold emails that actually convert.

Follow-on capacity varies wildly. Drive, Rev1, and JumpStart can back you through Series B. Most angels and smaller funds tap out after seed. Ask about their reserve strategy before taking their money or you'll be fundraising again in 12 months with a mixed Ohio cap table that scares coastal Series A investors.

How to find and approach Ohio investors

Research local deals on Ohio-focused sites. Check Crain's Cleveland, Columbus Business First, and Cincinnati Business Courier for weekly deal announcements. Crunchbase misses 30% of Ohio deals because local VCs don't always submit data. Follow VentureOhio on Twitter for real-time funding news.

Leverage TechColumbus, BioEnterprise, and Cintrifuse. These aren't just accelerators, they're the networks. TechColumbus runs the Columbus startup week. BioEnterprise connects Cleveland health tech to the Clinic. Cintrifuse has P&G and Kroger on speed dial. Get introduced through these organizations, not cold emails.

Build relationships at Ohio events first. Investors here don't fund strangers. Attend Tech Elevator demo days in Cleveland, Ohio State's Keenan Center events in Columbus, and 1819 Innovation Hub events in Cincinnati. Venture for America hosts monthly meetups in all three cities. Show up for six months before you fundraise.

Share your pitch deck with Ellty tracking. Upload your deck and create unique links for each Ohio investor. You'll see exactly which slides they view and how long they spend on your unit economics. Ohio investors focus heavily on CAC and LTV - if they're skipping those slides, you've got a problem.

Join Ohio-specific founder groups. The Residency in Cleveland, The Junto in Columbus, and Cintrifuse Uptech in Cincinnati. Ohio founders share honest investor feedback here. You'll learn which funds actually respond and which are tire-kicking.

Connect with portfolio founders in your city. Ohio's small enough that you can message any founder on a VC's portfolio page and probably get a response. Ask them how long diligence took, whether the investor helped with intros, and if they'd take their money again. Cleveland and Columbus founders are usually direct about this.

Set up an Ellty data room before meetings. Ohio investors ask for financial models, cap tables, and customer contracts earlier than coastal VCs. Have everything ready in one place with view tracking. You'll see which partners are reviewing your materials and which are waiting for their Monday partnership meeting.

Understand Ohio's relationship-driven pace. Deals here close in 8-12 weeks on average. Investors want 3-4 meetings, reference calls with your customers, and background checks on your team. This isn't SF where you get a term sheet after two pitch meetings. Plan accordingly.

Ohio-specific considerations

Ohio investors prefer capital-efficient businesses over blitzscaling. If you're burning $400K/month pre-revenue, you'll struggle here. They want to see a path to $1M ARR before Series A and profitability within 36 months. Manufacturing tech and healthcare IT get funded more easily than consumer social apps.

The three-city split means you'll probably need to pitch investors in all three metros. Drive time between cities is 2-3 hours. Block full days for Cleveland trips, don't try to do morning in Columbus and afternoon in Cleveland. Ohio investors expect in-person meetings for first and second pitches. Zoom follow-ups are fine but closing happens face-to-face.

18 top investors in Ohio

1. Drive Capital

Columbus-based fund that's backed Root Insurance, Olive, and Updox. They're the largest Ohio-focused VC and the first call for Series A in Columbus.

• Recent Deals: Root Insurance $100M Series D (Columbus, 2025), Branch Insurance $60M Series C (Columbus, 2025), Ware2Go $25M Series B (Columbus, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Chris Olsen LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: insurtech, logistics, healthcare IT, fintech
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: 150 E Gay St, Columbus
• Website: drive.capital

2. JumpStart

Cleveland's most active early-stage investor with 150+ portfolio companies. Strong healthcare IT network through Cleveland Clinic relationships.

• Recent Deals: Abeona Therapeutics $40M Series C (Cleveland, 2025), Soter Analytics $8M Series A (Cleveland, 2025), VitalTech $4M seed (Cleveland, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Ray Leach LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: healthcare IT, manufacturing tech, B2B SaaS, medical devices
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A
• Office Location: 6701 Carnegie Ave, Cleveland
• Website: jumpstartinc.org

3. CincyTech

Cincinnati's seed-stage fund that backed Astronomer and Roadtrippers early. They're your first institutional check in Cincinnati.

• Recent Deals: Astronomer $213M Series C (Cincinnati, 2025), Interapt $20M Series B (Cincinnati, 2025), Chirpn $3M seed (Cincinnati, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Mike Venerable LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, consumer tech, healthcare IT
• Stage Focus: pre-seed, seed, Series A
• Office Location: 312 Walnut St, Cincinnati
• Website: cincytech.com

4. Rev1 Ventures

Columbus innovation center with $150M+ under management. They're connected to every major Columbus enterprise.

• Recent Deals: Olive AI $51M Series H (Columbus, 2025), Root Insurance Series participation (Columbus, 2025), Aware360 $22M Series B (Columbus, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Tom Walker LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: healthcare IT, insurtech, logistics, enterprise software
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: 1275 Kinnear Rd, Columbus
• Website: rev1ventures.com

5. NCT Ventures

Cleveland Clinic's venture fund with direct access to hospital systems and physician networks. Your competitive advantage if you're selling to hospitals.

• Recent Deals: Integrated Medical Sensors $15M Series B (Cleveland, 2025), VitalTech $8M Series A (Cleveland, 2025), Orca Health $6M Series A (Cleveland, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Halle Tecco LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: digital health, medical devices, healthcare IT, diagnostics
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: 9500 Euclid Ave, Cleveland
• Website: nctventures.com

6. Vine Street Ventures

Cincinnati-based seed fund focused on B2B SaaS companies selling to Midwest enterprises. Practical investors who care about sales velocity.

• Recent Deals: Interapt $20M Series B (Cincinnati, 2025), Astronomer Series participation (Cincinnati, 2025), Roadtrippers $18M Series B (Cincinnati, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Dave Knox LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, enterprise software, marketing tech
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A
• Office Location: 312 Walnut St, Cincinnati
• Website: vinestreetventures.com

7. North Coast Ventures

Cleveland manufacturing and industrial tech investors with deep connections to Lincoln Electric and Parker Hannifin.

• Recent Deals: Lincoln Electric portfolio companies (Cleveland, 2025), Soter Analytics $8M Series A (Cleveland, 2025), Advanced Manufacturing $5M seed (Cleveland, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Gary Mueller LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: manufacturing tech, industrial IoT, supply chain, automation
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A
• Office Location: 1360 E 9th St, Cleveland
• Website: northcoastvc.com

8. Ohio Innovation Fund

State-backed fund that co-invests with other Ohio VCs. They help bridge rounds and provide follow-on capital when coastal investors hesitate.

• Recent Deals: Multiple Ohio co-investments (Statewide, 2025), Follow-on rounds for 12 portfolio companies (Statewide, 2025)
• LinkedIn: Melissa Szymanski LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: sector-agnostic, follows lead investors
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: 41 S High St, Columbus
• Website: ohioinnovationfund.com

9. Queen City Angels

Cincinnati's largest angel group with 60+ members writing $50K-$250K checks. Your first money if you're pre-seed in Cincinnati.

• Recent Deals: 18 seed investments in Cincinnati (Cincinnati, 2025), Chirpn $3M seed participation (Cincinnati, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Tim Schigel LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, consumer tech, healthcare IT
• Stage Focus: pre-seed, seed
• Office Location: 312 Walnut St, Cincinnati
• Website: queencityangels.com

10. Zane Venture Fund

Ohio State alumni fund that's backed 40+ Central Ohio companies. Strong recruiting network through OSU connections.

• Recent Deals: Multiple Columbus seed rounds (Columbus, 2025), 8 Ohio State spinouts (Columbus, 2024-2025)
• LinkedIn: Brian Klapper LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: enterprise software, healthcare IT, consumer tech
• Stage Focus: pre-seed, seed
• Office Location: 1804 N High St, Columbus
• Website: zaneventurefund.com

11. Cintrifuse

Cincinnati's startup catalyst with $60M fund plus connections to P&G, Kroger, and Fifth Third Bank. They're a network play.

• Recent Deals: Astronomer Series participation (Cincinnati, 2025), 12 Cincinnati seed rounds (Cincinnati, 2025)
• LinkedIn: Pete Blackshaw LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: consumer brands, retail tech, B2B SaaS, CPG
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A
• Office Location: 431 E 4th St, Cincinnati
• Website: cintrifuse.com

12. Great North Labs

Cleveland-based fund run by Lean Startup Machine founders. They prefer technical founding teams building for enterprise buyers.

• Recent Deals: Multiple Cleveland B2B SaaS (Cleveland, 2025), Enterprise software seed rounds (Cleveland, 2024-2025)
• LinkedIn: Trevor Owens LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, enterprise software, dev tools
• Stage Focus: pre-seed, seed
• Office Location: 1360 E 9th St, Cleveland
• Website: greatnorthlabs.com

13. Osborn Capital

Cleveland family office that's backed manufacturing automation and supply chain tech for 20+ years. Patient capital.

• Recent Deals: Soter Analytics $8M Series A participation (Cleveland, 2025), Manufacturing automation deals (Cleveland, 2024-2025)
• LinkedIn: Tim Osborn LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: manufacturing tech, supply chain, industrial automation
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: 1360 E 9th St, Cleveland
• Website: osborncapital.com

14. Hyland Ventures

Hyland Software's corporate VC arm investing in content services and workflow automation. Strategic value if you integrate with their platform.

• Recent Deals: Multiple content management investments (Cleveland, 2025), Workflow automation seed rounds (Cleveland, 2024-2025)
• LinkedIn: Bill Priemer LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: content services, workflow automation, document management, enterprise software
• Stage Focus: seed, Series A
• Office Location: 28500 Clemens Rd, Westlake
• Website: hyland.com/ventures

15. Endeavor

Recently opened Cincinnati office and now backing Ohio companies. They bring coastal capital and network to Ohio deals.

• Recent Deals: Astronomer $213M Series C co-lead (Cincinnati, 2025), Multiple Midwest growth rounds (2024-2025)
• LinkedIn: Ryan Hallett LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, fintech, healthcare IT, logistics
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: 312 Walnut St, Cincinnati
• Website: endeavor.com

16. M25

Chicago-based but very active in Columbus with fast decisions compared to typical Ohio pace. They're your bridge to Midwest capital.

• Recent Deals: Multiple Columbus seed rounds (Columbus, 2025), Ohio portfolio companies (2024-2025)
• LinkedIn: Mike Asem LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, marketplaces, fintech, logistics
• Stage Focus: pre-seed, seed
• Office Location: Active in Columbus (Chicago-based)
• Website: m25.vc

17. Mutual Capital Partners

Cincinnati-based growth equity firm writing $10-50M checks. Your Series B and Series C option without leaving Ohio.

• Recent Deals: Multiple growth rounds in Ohio (Statewide, 2025), Later-stage manufacturing and healthcare deals (2024-2025)
• LinkedIn: Bryan Pearce LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: manufacturing, healthcare, B2B SaaS, business services
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, growth
• Office Location: 8044 Montgomery Rd, Cincinnati
• Website: mutualcapital.com

18. North Coast Angel Fund

Cleveland's organized angel group writing $50K-$150K checks for pre-seed healthcare and B2B SaaS. Good first money in Cleveland.

• Recent Deals: 15 Cleveland seed investments (Cleveland, 2025), Healthcare IT pre-seed rounds (Cleveland, 2024-2025)
• LinkedIn: Multiple partners
• Sector Focus: healthcare IT, B2B SaaS, medical devices
• Stage Focus: pre-seed, seed
• Office Location: 6701 Carnegie Ave, Cleveland
• Website: northcoastangelfund.org

Start tracking your Ohio investor outreach

These 18 investors closed 180+ Ohio deals in 2025-2026. Before you drive I-71 to pitch all three cities, set up proper tracking so you know who's actually interested.

Upload your deck to Ellty and create a unique link for each Ohio investor. You'll see exactly which slides they view and how long they spend on your financials versus your team page. Ohio-based founders often find local investors spend 3x longer on unit economics than market size compared to coastal VCs. If a Cleveland investor opens your deck but skips the competitive landscape section, they probably already know your space.

When Ohio investors ask for more materials after your second or third meeting, share an Ellty data room instead of messy email attachments. Your cap table, financial model, customer contracts, and Ohio incorporation docs in one secure place with view analytics. You'll know which partners reviewed everything before Monday's partnership meeting and which are still on the fence.

Common questions

Do I need to be based in Ohio to raise from Ohio investors?

No, but you should have a plan to spend time here. Most Ohio investors prefer local companies because they can help more with enterprise intros and board meetings. If you're out of state, expect them to ask why you're not raising in your own market. Have a good answer about Ohio-specific advantages for your business.

How does Ohio compare to Chicago or SF for fundraising?

Less capital but lower burn rates and better corporate access. Ohio has $2.1B annually versus Chicago's $4B and SF's $50B+. But you'll burn half as much in Columbus as SF. Ohio's advantage is direct access to Fortune 500 buyers - Cleveland Clinic, Nationwide, Kroger, P&G. You'll get enterprise pilots here that take 18 months in SF.

What's the average seed round size in Ohio?

$1.8M in Ohio versus $3.5M in SF. Ohio investors write smaller checks but expect less dilution. Most seed rounds are $1-3M with $4-6M pre-money valuations. If you need $5M+ for seed, you'll need to bring in a coastal co-investor. Drive Capital and Rev1 can lead larger rounds but they're exceptions.

Should I raise locally or go straight to SF?

Depends on your sector and capital needs. If you're healthcare IT in Cleveland or insurtech in Columbus, raise locally first. Ohio investors will connect you to enterprise buyers that validate your product. If you're consumer social or need to burn $500K/month, go straight to SF. Ohio investors won't fund that burn rate.

Do Ohio investors expect in-person meetings?

Yes for first and second meetings. Third meeting and beyond can be Zoom. Ohio's not as relationship-driven as the South but more than SF. Budget 8-12 weeks from first meeting to term sheet with 3-4 meetings minimum. You'll drive to their office, not them to yours. Block full days for trips between Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati.

What industries get funded most in Ohio?

Healthcare IT in Cleveland ($720M in 2025), insurtech and logistics in Columbus ($980M), B2B SaaS and consumer brands in Cincinnati ($400M). Manufacturing tech gets funded across all three cities. Consumer social and marketplace businesses struggle here unless you're showing strong Midwest traction. Ohio investors want to see businesses selling to Ohio enterprises.

How long does due diligence take in Ohio?

6-8 weeks on average. Ohio investors move slower than SF (2-3 weeks) but faster than most Midwest markets (10-12 weeks). They'll do reference calls with your customers, background checks on founders, and financial model deep dives. Have your Ellty data room ready with everything they'll request - saves 2-3 weeks in the process.