University of Cincinnati
05/18/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/18/2026 15:25
Fire Awards spotlight innovation ecosystem at UC 1819 Innovation Hub
Fire Awards spotlight innovation ecosystem at UC 1819 Innovation Hub
The stage where Cincinnati's startup future takes shape
7 minute read May 18, 2026 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share on Reddit Print Story Like
The Cincinnati startup scene lights up each year at the Cincinnati Business Courier's Fire Awards, one of the region's most visible celebrations of innovation, entrepreneurship and economic momentum.
Hosted at the University of Cincinnati's 1819 Innovation Hub, the event takes on added meaning. Located in one of the city's most active startup ecosystems, the Cincinnati Innovation District, 1819 is the engine that powers ideas to be built, funded and scaled.
Ryan Hays, UC's executive vice president and chief innovation and strategy officer, welcomes Tom Demeropolis, Editor-in-Chief, Cincinnati Business Courier. Photo/Greg Glevicky
The Fire Awards, often aligned with Cincy Inno programming, recognize the "fuel" driving the region's innovation economy: founders, startups, investors and corporate partners pushing new ideas. The awards ceremony spotlights companies and individuals making a measurable impact across technology, healthcare, consumer products, venture capital and beyond.
Held annually, the Fire Awards highlight not just success stories, but the broader innovation ecosystem that makes those successes possible. Categories typically include:
- Startup of the Year
- Disruptor
- Best overall tech
- Healthcare/healthtech
- Venture capital and funders
- Retail/consumer packaged goods
City of talent
Finalists in each category represented some of Greater Cincinnati's most promising early-stage and scaling companies, demonstrating strong product-market fit, rapid growth and outsize potential to reshape their industries.
For example, the top vote-getter for Startup of the Year was Lyceum AI, a corporate training program designed to better engage employees and offer a true understanding of concepts rather than mere completion. Oxford, Ohio-based Lyceum was acquired by Perceptyx in early March.
The Fire Awards program "celebrates the trailblazers and visionaries fueling innovation and shaping the future of the community," while spotlighting the growing concentration of startups within Cincinnati's innovation ecosystem. And the pipeline of innovators shows no signs of slowing.
These jackets are RED hot
Ryan Hays assists one of the category winners, Russ Hamer, CEO and co-founder of Lyceum AI, with his new FIRE red jacket. Photo/Greg Glevicky.
In a region where talent retention and startup growth are critical, the Fire Awards serve several important roles: visibility for companies early in their growth journeys, validation for founders and teams building high-risk, high-impact ventures and increased community alignment, reinforcing Cincinnati as a growing hub for technology and entrepreneurship.
Across recent Fire Awards cycles, roughly one-third of finalists have been connected to UC or its innovation programs, underscoring the university's growing role as a startup engine.
Noteworthy 1819 startups
The 1819 Innovation Hub plays a central role in supporting many startups recognized across the Fire Awards categories. 1819's mission is clear:
To elevate the region by turning ideas into technologies and products that people can directly benefit from.
The building serves as a launchpad where innovation goes beyond the drawing board and gets built, funded and deployed.
Through the Venture Lab Accelerator programs and 1819's innovation ecosystem, the Hub has helped launch and scale companies across healthcare, AI, sustainability and advanced manufacturing. Startup ventures emerging from or supported by 1819 include:
- ยทClean Earth Rovers: Advancing ocean and environmental cleanup technologies through robotics innovation
- Airtrek Robotics: Developing automation solutions with real-world applications in safety and logistics
- Sensory Robotics: Enabling industry robots to safely perceive and interact with humans
- Meteora3D: Transforming surgical planning with advanced 3D modeling tools for healthcare providers
- Sense Neuro Diagnostics: Neurotechnology startup building tools that translate brain and nervous system signals into lifesaving, actionable data
- Cooler Keg: Beverage startup that's going international, recently signing a deal in Australia
- Band Connect: Health platform enabling physical therapists to virtually recreate the in-clinic experience for patients at home
Two additional 1819-backed startups were recently recognized by Cintrifuse as finalists at the inaugural StartupCincy Awards: TissuTrak and its founder Amelia Wares, an undergraduate biomedical engineering student in the College of Engineering and Applied Science, and Motiv co-founders Jaden Walton and Noelle Scheper, students at UC's Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
The event celebrated founders, startups and small businesses as well as ecosystem leaders shaping Greater Cincinnati's entrepreneurial future. These startups reflect the breadth of innovation across the region's ecosystem, from AI, healthtech and sports innovation to robotics.
Everything under one roof for startup success
1819 Innovation Hub building. Photo/Greg Glevicky.
At the center of this momentum is the UC Venture Lab, housed within the 1819 Innovation Hub. The Venture Lab provides founders with structured support to move ideas from concept to commercialization through mentorship, access to funding and hands-on programming.
Startups in the Venture Lab Accelerator benefit from an integrated ecosystem that includes:
- Entrepreneurs-in-residence and subject matter experts
- Startup coaching and venture development support
- Access to corporate partners and investors
- Prototyping and designing resources through the UC Ground Floor Makerspace
The 1819 Innovation Hub itself functions as a fully integrated innovation environment, bringing startups, industry leaders, researchers and students together under one roof. It includes one of the largest makerspaces in the region with 12,000 square feet of advanced equipment you can check out, allowing founders to design, build and test physical products on-site.
What's UC's startup differentiator?
Startup founders from the Venture Lab Accelerator program meet with their mentors, entrepreneurs in residence. Photo/Greg Glevicky.
What sets the 1819 ecosystem apart is that it's one of the largest university innovation hubs in the Midwest and the only accelerator directly connected to a university.
Designed as a centralized commercialization engine that powers the CID, it gives founders access to academic research, student talent and industry partnerships that few other programs can replicate.
The UC 1819 Innovation Hub is a purpose-built, four-floor, 120,000-square-foot innovation hub embedded in the Cincinnati Innovation District. Everything a startup needs for success is found in one space that physically co-locates startups, corporates, researchers and students.
It includes:
- Venture Lab startup accelerator and funding pipeline
- UC Ground Floor Makerspace prototyping facility
- Learning Lab, Technology Transfer and corporate innovation space
- Dedicated coworking area, event spaces and partner offices
The mission of the 1819 ecosystem is clear: To elevate the region by turning ideas into technologies and products that directly benefit people.
As the University of Cincinnati describes it, 1819 is designed to be "a place where breakthrough ideas evolve into real-world impact that strengthens the broader community and economy."
Hosting the Cincinnati Business Courier Fire Awards at the 1819 Innovation Hub reinforces a broader message: Cincinnati's innovation economy is not theoretical; it's actively being built in spaces designed for speed, collaboration and execution.
Do you have an idea for a startup? Apply here.
Cover image: Greg Glevicky
Next Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
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University of Cincinnati published this content on May 18, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 18, 2026 at 21:25 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]