It was announced last week that LaunchHouse – Ohio’s first hardware accelerator – is now accepting applications to fill its class set to begin this upcoming fall. With a $200,000 grant from the Ohio Third Frontier ONEFund, LaunchHouse is looking to invest in ten broad-based tech startups that focus on hardware/robotics and support user interface technologies. The LaunchHouse Accelerator (LHX) program will begin on September 29 and will run for 16 weeks.
Initially created for investments in IT companies, LauncHouse has expanded into hardware, software, consumer products, and the Internet of Things (IoT). While this is the program’s third year in operation, this upcoming fall session will be the first time that an accelerator in Ohio will focus on early-stage hardware startups.
Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the accelerator will provide the startups with access to mentors and advisors from organizations like Cleveland State University Monte Ahuja College of Business, Jumpstart, NASA John H. Glenn Research Center, and NorTech. At the end of the LHX program, startups will pitch and demo to investors, potential clients, fellow entrepreneurs, and the public.
Applications to the program will be accepted until July 12. From there, the top 30 companies will be invited to 2DAYdiscovery, a customer-focused and metric-driven process aimed at narrowing down the ten participants. All interested startups should apply here.