What is OSEIN? It’s Buckeyes backing Buckeyes

Being an Ohio State alum comes with plenty of perks, and one of the newest is the opportunity to help university-connected entrepreneurs bring their innovations to life. Just a year old, the Ohio State Early Investor Network links alums and Ohio State staff with Buckeye enthusiasts who want to fund startups. “With more than 600,000 living alumni, we have the capacity to make a real impact in the world of startups and entrepreneurs,” says network director Mandy Mallott ’12 MA, ’12 JD.

Here’s how it works: Mallott and an advisory council review each applicant, and the network investment committee recommends which ones should pitch to individual investors who join the network. After the pitch, investors decide if, and how much, to invest in a company.

DASI Simulations in Dublin, Ohio, is one of the first two companies funded. “The network’s been our knight in shining armor,” says CEO Teri Sirset. DASI creates AI-powered, individualized simulations of heart anatomy to help cardiologists successfully treat or operate on patients. Heart-valve researcher Lakshmi Dasi came up with the concept when he was a bioengineer at Ohio State. He and Sirset co-founded the company in 2019 after a chance encounter at a medical conference when Dasi visited Sirset’s booth, and they hit it off because of their Buckeye connections. Sirset’s father and daughter are Ohio State alums, and she says she was “born and raised a Buckeye.”

With FDA approval for two products and commercial contracts with nearly 20 structural heart centers, DASI is racing to expand its products to health care facilities nationwide. “This money helps us continue into the future,” Sirset says.

Cindi Englefield ’79 helped develop the Ohio State Early Investor Network and is an avid supporter and network investor. “There’s so much innovation coming out of Ohio State, and sometimes they need an angel investor to start scaling, to get some traction,” says Englefield, who has co-founded another investor group, Accelerating Angels. “I’m very impressed with the companies so far, and I’m excited to help other alumni see the value of investing their money here.”

OSEIN is a collaboration between The Ohio State University Alumni Association and the university’s Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge (ERIK). “If you are an innovator, it is an exciting time to be at Ohio State. Our faculty, students and staff are creating new solutions for some of the biggest challenges facing our world,” says Peter Mohler, executive vice president for ERIK. “This platform is an opportunity to partner with our innovators to move ideas to accelerate the transition of an idea to the market. And with this program, you’re rooting for a member of your own Buckeye family.”

Other launch pads

Here are three more Ohio State programs that help entrepreneurs accelerate their fledgling businesses.

Techstars Columbus

Twice a year, Techstars Columbus Powered by The Ohio State University selects early-stage entrepreneurs to receive funding, training and mentorship from top experts to refine their product, customer and market strategy. The effort is supported by the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge and the Center for Software Innovation.

President’s Buckeye Accelerator

This program awards $50,000 grants to six teams of student entrepreneurs each spring and provides a year of coaching and mentoring. The Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship administers the accelerator.

Best of Student Startups

BOSS is a seven-week program that gives students feedback on their entrepreneurial ideas from business leaders and potential customers. The winner of an end-of-the-program competition receives $20,000 in funding through the Joan & Chester Luby Microgrant Prize Program in addition to a direct ticket to the finale of the President’s Buckeye Accelerator.