Attend ShowOHI/O
Thurs, Apr 16th, Time: 4:30 PM
Celebrate Ohio State tech entrepreneurs creating an impact.
Event Information
Join us for an exclusive evening dedicated to showcasing groundbreaking technologies cultivated by the brilliant minds of Ohio State’s faculty, students, and alumni! ShowOHI/O is more than a networking event—it’s a celebration of innovation, entrepreneurship, and the vibrant tech coming from Buckeye Nation.
Free Hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served.
Schedule Overview
| Event | Time |
|---|---|
| Tabling Setup | 4:00 PM |
| Doors Open | 4:30 PM |
| Tabling Period | 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM |
| Opening Comments & Presenters | 5:30 PM – 6:15 PM |
| Pitch Competition | 6:15 PM – 8:00 PM |
| Closing Speaker | 8:10 PM – 8:20 PM |
| Awards and Closing Remarks | 8:20 PM – 8:30 PM |
Pitch Judges
Panel Speakers
Closing Speaker
About Our Presenters
The Pitch Competition
At the heart of ShowOHI/O is our Pitch Competition, where ideas get real exposure, real feedback, and real opportunities from a high-impact audience. The top five selected teams receive personalized pitch coaching from seasoned mentors and the chance to present live on stage in front of companies and compete for prize money.
Two Ways to Participate:
ShowOHI/O offers two ways to get involved, and participants can choose one or both.
- Pitch Competition: Selected teams take the stage to share their story, spark excitement, and rally support for their idea. Pitch teams also receive a showcase table at the event.
- Showcase Table: Participants can host a table in a career fair-style setting, engaging directly with attendees without competing in the pitch competition.
Applications for ShowOHI/O 2026 are now closed. Stay tuned for next year’s event and be the first to know when applications open!
Meet Our Presenters
Explore the Showcase
| Startup | Description |
|---|---|
| HomeCut AI | An application for people who cut their own hair at home, using AI to help them achieve better results. |
| Coachable | A digital playbook and team management tool for coaches to create and distribute plays remotely. |
| Almeda | An automated content creation tool that lets creators generate professional clips during live streams and upload them instantly. |
| SCR | A simulation-based training platform that replaces passive videos with interactive learning experiences. |
| OpenReads | A decentralized reading platform built on the AT Protocol. |
| ADaPT Labs | Mentor-guided product teams helping developers gain experience while building digital solutions for small businesses. |
| Nbgroup | An iOS app that answers users’ daily questions based on their zodiac sign and date of birth. |
| PopIn | A web app for OSU students to quickly create, discover, and join short-notice campus events. |
| VenueLink | A marketplace connecting student organizations with local venues for events and rentals. |
| Distill | A Chrome extension that compresses AI prompts by ~50%, improving speed and efficiency while maintaining accuracy. |
| Silver Point | A real-time local price comparison engine showing nearby deals, availability, and crowdsourced pricing data. |
| R4M (LearnBox) | An offline, voice-first educational assistant that answers spoken questions using local AI with no internet required. |
| Mango | An AI platform that matches startup founders with relevant investors and automates outreach. |
| NavOn | A mobile app using computer vision to provide real-time navigation for visually impaired users. |
| Soar AI (Tectum) | Automates quoting and administrative workflows for fabrication firms by turning internal knowledge into a searchable system. |
| ResearchConnect | A platform that streamlines research discovery, applications, and faculty-student matching in universities. |
| TwinStream AI | Synthetic data generation for niche AI domains. |
| UniBazzar | A campus-only platform for students to exchange items and services with nearby peers. |
| LazyAgent | A local-first tool for running and managing isolated AI coding workspaces with reproducible environments. |
| Volunteer Verify | A platform for tracking, verifying, and exporting student volunteer hours through a secure digital workflow. |
| Team PairUp | A platform that matches users with companions for real-world events based on shared interests and availability. |
| Apex Vision | AI-powered basketball analytics that turn game footage into actionable insights. |
| Arrvo | An AI-powered presentation training tool that simulates audiences and provides feedback and questions. |
| Potluck | A platform to create, store, and share recipes with friends and family. |
| TheoHealth | An AI-driven health platform connecting patients, caregivers, and clinicians through structured, continuous health insights. |
| Trayce | A personal knowledge graph that connects your files and conversations to enhance AI interactions while preserving privacy. |
| Optimap | Optimap is a machine learning based traffic and noise congestion analyzer with built in predictive analytics seeking to empower decision making. |
| Pchz | The video-first pitch platform where builders get seen, recruiters find real talent, and investors discover what is next. |
| Brandline | An AI-powered tool that analyzes design files against brand guidelines, automatically flagging issues and delivering annotated, actionable feedback before client review. |
| MobilePantry | MobilePantry is a nonprofit online produce market that buys surplus and cosmetically imperfect fruits and vegetables from distributors at deep discounts, then delivers them to your door at 30-50% below grocery store prices. Every order funds subsidized boxes for food-insecure families in Columbus. |
| SimVive | SimVive is an interactive EMS simulation platform that lets EMTs practice real emergency calls online and receive structured, scored feedback. |
About Our Mentors
Mentors at ShowOHI/O play a vital role in supporting student teams as they refine their early-stage startup ideas and sharpen their pitches throughout the competition. Working one-on-one with a team, mentors bring valuable real-world insight from the startup industry and help students validate ideas, strengthen their storytelling, and build confidence.
Beyond individual teams, mentorship helps foster a stronger entrepreneurial culture at Ohio State and contributes to the growth of the broader startup community across Ohio.
What Mentorship Looks Like
Each mentor is paired one-on-one with a student team in the weeks leading up to the Pitch Competition. Mentors meet with their team at least twice during the preparation period, staying connected as students develop and rehearse their pitches. Mentor attendance at ShowOHI/O is encouraged but not required.
Applications for this year have closed, but if you’re interested in mentoring at a future ShowOHI/O, stay tuned for next year’s application!
Resource Tables
ShowOHI/O invites a variety of organizations from the community to host resource tables that may be of interest to entrepreneurs and event
attendees. If you are interested in hosting a resource table, please email us at hackathon@osu.edu.
2026 Resource Tables
Awards
Best Pitch
$1000
(Selected by panel of judges)
Buckeye Choice
$500
(Selected by event attendees)
Sponsors
