The Ohio Third Frontier Commission on Thursday, Dec. 6, announced it approved a total of $3.15 million in awards to boost entrepreneurs and technology startups statewide — nearly $1 million of which went to recipients in Cuyahoga and Summit counties.
The largest single award went to NextTech Inc. in Toledo, which received a $2 million grant to provide entrepreneurs with resources including mentorship by veteran entrepreneurs and industry professionals; access to investors and capital; help with recruiting talent; incubators providing co-working spaces; and accelerators guiding entrepreneur teams through a three-month business “boot camp.”
Here are the recipients from Cuyahoga and Summit counties:
• Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland was awarded $500,000 for the Case Western Reserve University Technology Validation and Start-up Fund.
• CollaMedix Inc. in Shaker Heights was awarded $150,000 to test and manufacture a new collagen technology used to hold together and provide structural support to tissue.
• Electrionic Systems Inc. of Hudson was awarded $150,000 to configure and test a potassium sensor using an electrochemical technique.
• Hedgemon Inc. in Akron was awarded $150,000 to prototype football helmets fitted with its impact-protection liner inspired by hedgehog quills.
• Agile Ultrasonics Corp. in Columbus was awarded $100,000 to buy equipment that will allow the company to scale a prototype that processes composite materials.
• MAFAZO LLC (Ignyte Assurance Platform) in Dayton was awarded $100,000 to develop and integrate cybersecurity technology from the Air Force Research Laboratory to improve data collection and analysis.