Ask an Ohio-based founder to list their funding options and you will usually hear four or five. Between grants, accelerators, angel syndicates, seed funds and other sources of early-stage capital, founders have a lot more to choose from than they may realize, and many options are non-dilutive too.

These funding sources span state agencies, universities, hospital systems, regional nonprofits, private funds and federal programs, and each comes with its own requirements. Some are open only to companies in a specific set of counties. Some require a university license, a certification, a certain level of revenue or a particular sector. Others are open to any Ohio founder and simply are not well known.

Even the most experienced founders are likely not aware of every opportunity at their disposal, which is why we built The Ohio Funding Navigator. It is a directory of meaningful sources of early-stage capital we’ve identified across the state. Filter by the type of funding, your current stage, your region, your sector and whether a program was designed specifically for founders like you. Every entry tells you what the source provides and, just as usefully, what it requires, so you can rule things out quickly and focus on the ones that are the best fit. Our recommendation is for founders to start with money that costs them no equity, then work outward from there.

If you have questions about any of the sources listed, or you are not sure which ones fit your company, get in touch. We are glad to help you narrow your search.