Center for Software Innovation: A catalyst for digital builders

If entrepreneur Ratmir Timashev ’96 MS puts his heart into an opportunity, he dreams big. So, when he and his wife, Angela, made a $110 million donation—the largest in Ohio State history—to establish the Center for Software Innovation, the idea was not just to help entrepreneurs thrive; it was to make Central Ohio the world’s next technological epicenter.

The center has drawn plenty of excitement in its first 19 months as Executive Director Shereen Agrawal builds out multiple new opportunities and links up with existing ones for students, faculty, businesses and the Columbus community. Four interlocking pillars guide the program: learning, career development, community engagement and entrepreneurship.

Techstars Columbus Powered by The Ohio State University, led by managing director Tim Grace, is a core piece of the center’s entrepreneurship pillar. Twice a year, the Columbus program (there are 29 Techstars programs worldwide) brings 12 early-stage software entrepreneurs from around the world to Ohio State for a 13-week mentorship and accelerator program. The program presents workshops, brings in tech leaders to offer advice and helps the entrepreneurs learn best practices. At the end of the training, each entrepreneur presents a pitch to investors.

Each startup also receives $120,000 from Techstars Columbus. “What we want to do is to grow and solidify Columbus and Ohio State as a place that attracts early-stage tech companies, to be the destination for people who want to be part of the software industry,” Grace says. “The minute I started this job (in September 2023), I had 150 emails from folks in Central Ohio who wanted to help and so far, we’ve had 250 mentors, the majority from Ohio. We are becoming a place that people can use as a uniter of people and ideas.”

Dami Sonoiki, co-founder and CEO of Cuvris, was among the fall 2024 Techstars Columbus cohort. His company, which originated in Canada and now calls Columbus home, automates communications between health care providers and insurance companies using artificial intelligence. “I wouldn’t have thought of coming to Columbus if it were not for Techstars,” says Sonoiki, who has worked in software technology for nearly two decades. “Techstars helped us refine our market and learn who we should be targeting, and the staff introduced us to investors so we could begin fundraising conversations.”

Grace hopes that Techstars Columbus entrepreneurs will evangelize about the opportunities at Ohio State and in Central Ohio. And he hopes that more alumni will get excited about helping companies in the program. “Anyone who does will have a team eager to take them up on their offer,” he says.

That’s also true for alumni interested in hiring Ohio State students for internships through the Center for Software Innovation, Agrawal says. The Wexner Medical Center already plans to hire interns interested in health technology through a new center program that begins this summer. “We are seeing amazing engagement from our alumni and excited for more. There’s immense opportunity to be part of the learning and also open career opportunities for this incredible talent,” Agrawal says. “Industry experience is extremely important, and this center is about preparing the next generation of digital leaders to create and lead in technology.”

The center also has partnered with the College of Engineering and the Fisher College of Business to create an honors program focused on the intersection of software and product development. Development of other classes and programs is in flight, including a new Introduction to Startups class offered this spring through the College of Engineering, Agrawal says.

As part of its community building mission, the center held its second annual one-day summit, Construct I/O, in October for digital builders—students, faculty, entrepreneurs, investors, government employees and other educators. “The purpose is to create a hands-on experience, getting people with similar mindsets together to learn the latest in how products are being built and launched and to hone their skills,” Agrawal says.

For Ratmir Timashev, who was recruited to Ohio State as a student from his home country of Russia, the center’s first 19 months are the beginning of his dream: creating an environment and program that helps grow the world’s next digital innovators and leaders.

Why we give: Ratmir & Angela Timashev

“Giving $110 million to establish the Center for Software Innovation at Ohio State is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the entire Columbus ecosystem,” says Ratmir Timashev ’96 MS. “We envision creating a flywheel, where we give opportunities to students and faculty so they can do something meaningful. And after they’re successful, they return to Columbus and do the same as we have.” 

Angela Timashev echoes those thoughts. “We want people to dream big, and we are hoping this gift will inspire students and faculty and community leaders to pursue great opportunities. We are so grateful that we can provide this. We believe in the power of the individual, and we believe philanthropy can create an environment for other people to thrive. We are from Columbus; it was our first home, so where better to do this than Columbus?” 

For Ratmir, it’s a chance to elevate the university that believed in him and brought him to the United States. “The supportive network at Ohio State allowed me to accomplish what I have. Now, we can help make it the best university in the country—the one everyone looks up to, the university of the future. I invite all OSU alumni and Columbus partners to commit to hiring Buckeye students, come speak on campus and continue being active in this ecosystem.” 

Ratmir was a young scientist when he came to Ohio State from Russia on a scholarship. He planned to get his PhD but left after getting his master’s in 1996 to start a software management business in response to the rise in e-commerce. Since then, he’s built and sold two software companies in Columbus and made major donations to Ohio State through the Timashev Family Foundation. He and Angela met on campus. 

Globally recognized as an entrepreneur and technologist, Ratmir wants the Center for Software Innovation to modernize OSU’s curriculum, spur careers through internships, involve the greater Columbus community and make Central Ohio the world’s next technology hotbed.    

“Our philosophy of philanthropy is very simple: ‘Right time, right place, brilliant project,’ which is the same theory I have for business success,” Ratmir says. “We believe Ohio State is a great institution with great traditions and great people.  This is the right time for this center, which we hope will become a brilliant product. This is the perfect place to build a new hub for the digital economy, and software is where everything will happen. Before, kids thought being successful meant going to work someplace like Wall Street, but these days to be successful you look for a job in technology.” 

Illustrations by Michael Hoeweler