Fast Company ranking spotlights Cincinnati's innovation "cheat code"
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Sensory Robotics CEO and cofounder Mark Gagas works with one of his company's inventions inside the 1819 Innovation Hub. Photo: Courtesy of 1819 Innovation Hub
University of Cincinnati's 1819 Innovation Hub ranks No. 23 on Fast Company's 2026 list of the country's Best Workplaces for Innovators.
Why it matters: It's another national accolade Cincinnati can tout as it competes for businesses and talent.
- The recognition comes after CNBC named Ohio the nation's top state for business this summer, adding to the Queen City's pitch that companies don't have to head to the coasts to find talent, research, capital and customers.
The intrigue: 1819 is the highest-ranked educational institution among Fast Company's 100 honorees, finishing ahead of companies like GE Appliances, Siemens and Morgan Stanley.
State of play: The hub, which opened in 2018, brings UC researchers and students together with startups and major corporations to turn big ideas and research into businesses.
- Nearly 60 startups have received funding through its Venture Lab accelerator, collectively attracting more than $70 million in investment, according to UC.
Case in point: Sensory Robotics chose to move into 1819 last year as it worked to scale technology allowing industrial robots to safely operate around people without traditional cages or barriers.
- COO Mark Gagas says the company wanted more than office space. At 1819, it can tap UC students and researchers while working alongside potential corporate partners.
- "Microsoft is below us. Kinetic Vision, Procter & Gamble's upstairs. Kroger's right across the hall," Gagas says of his 1819 workspace.
The big picture: The region also includes the Cincinnati Innovation District, which Fast Company called the "Midwest's (No. 1) hub for entrepreneurs."
- There's also startup network Cintrifuse and a concentration of major companies that can become customers, partners and investors.
What they're saying: "The best minds in technology and life sciences are attracted to Cincinnati and the surrounding region because of its culture of innovation," Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine recently told Axios.
- He says partnerships built through the Innovation District are "setting the region apart as a go-to place for entrepreneurs."
The bottom line: Cincinnati's concentration of major companies — including P&G, GE Aerospace, Cintas and Great American — gives startups potential customers and early adopters practically in their backyard.
- "It's kind of like … a cheat code being here," Gagas says. "We have the ability and the access to things that not a lot of companies do."