Ohio has awarded more than $600,000 in state funding to healthtech startups emerging from the University of Cincinnati’s Venture Lab, reinforcing Cincinnati’s growing reputation as a Midwest hub for healthcare innovation.
The funding supports companies developing technologies in artificial intelligence, augmented reality and advanced manufacturing. The startups operate through the University of Cincinnati’s 1819 Innovation Hub, which has become a key platform for turning research and clinical ideas into venture-backed businesses.
The awards include multiple grants from Ohio’s Technology Validation and Startup Fund (TVSF) and the Entrepreneurial Services Provider (ESP) program. The initiatives aim to help early-stage technologies move from research environments into commercial markets.
Among the recipients is Meteora3D, which received a $200,000 TVSF grant to advance its automated 3D printing technology for producing patient-specific anatomical models used by surgeons to plan complex procedures. The system was developed and prototyped using resources at the 1819 Innovation Hub’s makerspace.
Qualz.ai also secured a $200,000 TVSF grant for its artificial intelligence platform designed to automate qualitative research. The platform conducts voice interviews, transcribes responses and analyzes results to generate insights that would traditionally require weeks of manual analysis.
Qure Industries received a $200,000 TVSF grant to support QureXR, an AI-powered copilot designed for scientists and engineers working in high-precision environments. The system uses augmented reality interfaces and connected sensors to monitor procedures in real time, provide contextual guidance and log activity automatically.
EmpathEQ received a $40,000 grant through Ohio’s Entrepreneurial Services Provider program to expand its simulation platform that helps healthcare professionals strengthen communication and empathy skills through interactive video-based training scenarios.
The funding reflects the continued expansion of Cincinnati’s life sciences ecosystem, supported by institutions including the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Through the 1819 Innovation Hub and its Venture Lab accelerator, faculty, researchers and clinicians are increasingly able to commercialize healthcare technologies and launch startups that aim to improve patient outcomes and healthcare delivery.
KEY QUOTES
“Our 5X print speed and automation differentiate us from current offerings. Our technology is the only solution that can offer timely 3D-printed anatomical models to surgeons in highly time-sensitive procedures.”
Prashanth Ravi, Founder Of Meteora3D And Assistant Professor, University Of Cincinnati College Of Medicine
“The Venture Lab makes UC a playground for entrepreneurs and innovators to deploy their ideas and products in real environments and get real feedback, fast.”
Shahryar Qureshi, Founder, QureXR
“Historically, opportunities … have been limited by the availability and cost of live actors, faculty time and simulation center availability. EmpathEQ expands access to these practice moments by providing realistic, video-based simulations that allow learners to repeatedly engage in difficult conversations they might otherwise encounter only once – or not at all – during training.”
“The Venture Lab provided a structured, high-quality environment to pressure-test our strategy, sharpen our value proposition and better understand how to build a scalable company. We gained clarity, credibility and momentum.”
Jon Monahan, Co-Founder Of EmpathEQ
