Ohio has affordable costs of doing business and reasonable taxes. These factors make it a good state for startups. There's also venture capital available from VC firms that have successful track records.
We also recommend checking out our full list of the top venture capital firms.
Best Venture Capital Firms in Ohio
1. Rev1V Ventures
- Location: Columbus, OH
- Industries: Advanced Materials, Manufacturing, Media, Enterprise Software, Data Analytics, Insurance Technologies, Financial Technologies, Internet of Things, Food Technologies, Agricultural Technologies, Alternative Energy, Digital Health, Life Sciences
- Stage: Concept, Early Stage, Early Growth
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Brand Thunder, Cape Analytics, Oris Intelligence, Mavenview, RapChat
Rev1 Ventures makes investments where technological innovation drives growth. The firm prioritizes early-stage companies, including ones that are pre-revenue. Companies can be located throughout the Midwest.
2. Kassel Equity Group
- Location: Dublin, OH
- Industries: Industry Agnostic
- Stage: Late Stage, Established
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Undisclosed
Kassel Equity Group is heavily involved in real estate but also has a private equity division. The private equity team looks for businesses that are in the midst of transition and is particularly interested in family businesses with challenging/no succession plans. Businesses should have annual revenue of $5 million–$50 million and must be headquartered in the Midwest or Southeast.
3. Edgewater Capital
- Location: Cleveland, OH
- Industries: Specialty Industrials, Life Science, Advanced Materials, Specialty Chemicals
- Stage: Early Stage, Late Stage, Growth
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Chemtec International, Pure Wafer, Altamira Material Solutions, AmeriWater, DanChem
Edgewater Capital Partners invests in carve-out and owner-operator situations. The firm targets companies with EBITDA below $25 million and revenue below $100 million. Most companies have a high cost of failure, high unit economics, and technical selling process.
4. RC Capital
- Location: Cincinnati, OH
- Industries: Healthcare Services, Medical Devices, Healthcare IT
- Stage: Early Stage, Late Stage, Growth
- Notable Portfolio Companies: OnCall Staffing, BardyDx, Bolder Surgical, Spineology, TissueTech
RC Capital invests across the healthcare sector. Its portfolio includes commercial-stage medical device manufacturers, healthcare services in established and emerging markets, and healthcare IT providers. Most companies are in the lower-middle market.
5. Primus Capital
- Location: Cleveland, OH
- Industries: Healthcare, Software, Technology
- Stage: Growth
- Notable Portfolio Companies: American Institute, Bloomfire, ClearCompany, Encore Discovery Solutions Hayes
Primus Capital Partners is involved with healthcare and technology companies, including software and technology services. The firm is currently developing its ninth fund. It's interested in companies with values up to $250 million and intends to hold for three to seven years. The firm considers American and Canadian companies.
