J Schwan

You need to be paying attention to Ohio tech. Here are some recent headlines... - SoftBank revealed as buyer of Foxconn’s Lordstown plant in $375 million deal for AI server and data center pivot—reports - JobsOhio launches major relocation incentive to attract STEM and tech talent (h/t JP Nauseef, Kristina Clouse, David Brewster) - The O.H.I.O. Fund celebrates $238 million first-year milestone, fueling Ohio’s next economy (h/t Ray Leach, Mark Kvamme, Jeffrey Stern, Mike Venerable) - Pantomath raises $30 million Series B to power the future of enterprise data operations - Ohio invests $7 million in Miami University to launch statewide quantum computing institute (h/t Beena Sukumaran, Randi Thomas, Colleen Bush) - Cleveland startup Beacon launches to pay you for referrals (h/t Rob Reznick) - New Ohio Angel Fund, 71/70 Angels closes inaugural round, bets early on AI and data privacy startups (h/t Rev1 Ventures, Melinda Gloriosa) - Ohio puts $7.1 million behind student career tech pathways - Third annual Ohio VC Fest returns to Cleveland in September with star speakers, global pitch competition (h/t JumpStart Inc., Lorne Novick, Nicki Hubbard) - AI Meets Gene Therapy: AlignAI, Andelyn Biosciences collaborate to enable AI safely (h/t Rehgan Bleile (Avon), Bryan Holmes) - Out of the Lab, Into the Office: How SkillSpout Is making AI adoption safe, structured, and accessible (h/t Melanie McGee) - Tyler Technologies acquires Columbus-based Emergency Networking - Joby Aviation’s new defense partnership could expand impact of Dayton facility - State funding now open to help Ohio innovators commercialize new tech (h/t Lydia Mihalik) - Bridging business and tech: How Nick Enger is scaling Advanced Technology Consulting (ATC) from Southwest Ohio to nationwide reach - @vessel launches new Studio Fund to build the Midwest’s next great startups (h/t Will Zell, Patrick Klein) - AI, Alzheimer’s, and At-Home Tests: Ohio awards $1.1 million in tech grants - $4 million boost for Ohio’s hard tech startups: Advanced Manufacturing Fund launches phase two (h/t MAGNET: The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network) - Smart Parks and Strategic Tech: How Anthony Joy is digitally transforming Cleveland Metroparks - Joby Aviation ramps up in Dayton with plans to build 500 flying taxis a year - Record $9.9 million awarded in latest round of TechCred, boosting Ohio’s workforce -- Link to each story in the comments. Follow OhioX, Ohio Tech News, and Ohio Tech Events for more tech news and events.

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Who knew Milwaukee was the M&A capital? Back-to-back interviews here, and the insights didn’t disappoint. I sat down with Jennifer Miller, Senior Director of Corporate Development at Oshkosh Corporation, to talk about Corporate Ventures 2.0—what’s changing, what’s next, and how big companies and startups can actually make deals work. We hit both sides of the table: ➡️ What startups should know before partnering with large corporations ➡️ How to manage and share IP without slowing everything down ➡️ Smarter deal structures that set both sides up for success If you’re building or scaling a corporate ventures program, this one’s worth a listen. Dropping soon on M&A Science. #BuyerLedMA #MAScience #MergersAndAcquisitions #CorpDev #CorporateVentures

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AI can make connections that humans miss, and surface consensus that already exists, but is drowned out by the loudest 5%. Yasmin Green shared about how Bowling Green KY put Jigsaw’s Sensemaker tool built on Google’s Gemini model to work to analyze thousands of resident ideas and millions of reactions. Jigsaw's tool is open-source that other municipalities can use and worth checking out. From the Aspen Digital's Shared Future AI Forum. Vivian Schiller Vilas Dhar

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📅 Today at revAlation Chicago, we’re unveiling Alation Agent Builder— enabling you to build accurate, configurable, governed, metadata-aware agents. Prototypes are easy. Accuracy and trust are hard. Especially with structured data, where even a small error in a query or filter can break trust. Agent Builder helps teams: 🚀 Reach 90%+ accuracy before deployment with built-in evaluation tools 🛠️ Build agents with no code and prebuilt templates 🤝 Connect to 100+ data sources and apps 🏢 JLL is already using it to power intelligent lease decisions with trusted data (and they're speaking at revAlation today!). https://lnkd.in/g58AeF7u

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Episode 2 is live 🚨: Jim Bethea, Chief Investment Officer at the University of Iowa - How a $1.6b endowment CIO (and former tire factory worker) thinks about risk and assesses emerging managers. 1. We dig into Jim's unique career path from engineer to investment, his strategies for portfolio allocation, and the importance of understanding risk. 2. His valuable insights for emerging managers looking to connect with institutional investors and emphasizes the significance of building genuine relationships - with all stakeholders. 3. Lessons on loss, team building, and the evolving role of consultants in the investment landscape. 🎧 Where you can listen… Spotify Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/ehQh3f9Z Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/efRTuGyu

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Chicago's tech acceleration is the engine for the entire Midwest. We recently shared some bold predictions for the Chicago tech scene through 2035, but our vision is regional. Chicago's growth in areas like AI and Quantum are set to drive the entire Heartland ecosystem. In StartMidwest, I dive deeper into how this happens and what other cities can learn from our model of corporate-startup collaboration. Take quantum, anchored by massive investments like the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park. This will have an impact far beyond Chicago’s city limits—it'll be a Midwest magnet for deep tech talent and capital. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gRqpK8wD

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Chicago's startup scene is heating up! 🎊Starbridge (AI govtech) raised $42M led by David Sacks' Craft Ventures 🥳Zerohash (crypto) closed $104M Coinflow's CEO made it clear: "You can raise a large Series A in Chicago. You don't have to move to SF." With 213 early-stage rounds in just 3 quarters and $3B+ annual VC, the #7 US tech hub is proving you can build billion-dollar companies in the Midwest...

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