VC Fest in Ohio returns for fourth year, coinciding with Cleveland Tech Week.

JumpStart VC Fest returns to the Huntington Convention Center in downtown Cleveland on September 29 and 30. Previously known as Ohio VC Fest, the event aims to draw founders, investors, and corporate leaders from across Ohio as well as the rest of the country. Now in its fourth year, the two-day event - hosted by Cleveland nonprofit JumpStart - expects to bring together nearly one thousand participants for panels, startup showcases, and curated founder-investor matchmaking.

The event takes place alongside Cleveland Tech Week, a broader network of events spanning September 26th to October 3rd. 

The headline speaker for the VC Fest is Euclid, Ohio native and two-time Ohio Mr. Football, Robert Smith. Smith played his 7-year NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings before building a second act as a sports media analyst, author, and entrepreneur. He is now the founder of Fan Huddle, a digital health and well-being platform, and will close the event on September 30 with a keynote on competition, resilience, and building a company.

The event has grown steadily since its launch. Last year's edition, which included a regional final for the Startup World Cup, drew more than 800 participants according to organizers - including 298 founders and 110 investors - and facilitated more than 550 curated one-on-one meetings. 

Cleveland Tech Week meanwhile has close to 40 separate sessions taking place over eight days. These run the gamut of AI & Data training, a Future of work session, a ‘Pitch-Prov’ event with advice from improvisation experts, manufacturing perspectives and networking opportunities including a VC and incubator panel in a cocktail bar. The week begins with a Welcome Ceremony and drinks on Sunday, September 27th. "I've traveled the country to other conferences and tech weeks," said Founder of Cleveland Tech Week, McKelvey Packard. “I've seen what these types of initiatives can bring to local ecosystems and cities, and wanted to bring that momentum here.”

Both events arrive at a point when the region could use some momentum: Ohio's startup funding fell 85% year-on-year in Q2 even as national totals surged, while the Midwest is generally receiving a lower proportion of national dollars during the AI surge. All of which makes a concentrated dealmaking push in Cleveland well timed.

‍

The themes running through VC Fest 2026 in Ohio

The first day of the VC Fest is built around AI and frontier innovation. 

The agenda aims to move past the hype with sessions on how enduring AI companies get built, the rise of agentic AI, and how legacy industries are adopting frontier technology. These include "The New American Industrial Economy" with speakers from Marathon Petroleum and Nationwide, and "The AI Equalizer," a panel featuring former Groq CTO Dinesh Maheshwari among others on why the next wave of innovation won't be built only in Silicon Valley. 

Day two shifts to healthtech and the broader innovation ecosystem. "The Connected Health Ecosystem" brings together speakers from Humana, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, and University Hospitals to examine how the Midwest is shaping connected healthcare, while "The Innovation Flywheel" looks at what happens when corporations, startups, and capital work together. Smith's closing keynote caps the second day.

JumpStart CEO Lorne Novick will deliver the opening welcome. "Whether you're raising a round, looking for your next investment or just trying to understand where founders and funders are seeing opportunity, VC Fest is about creating the conversations and connections that move businesses and our region forward," said Novick.

‍

Matchmaking remains the centerpiece

The programming also includes a signature feature of the event: curated one-on-one Venture Connections, Investor Connections, and Corporate Connections that pair founders and investors for targeted meetings based on stage, sector, and capital needs. Founders and investors who want to participate must register by Monday, September 7 to be considered for curated matchmaking.

Tickets are priced at $199 for founders and general attendees and $399 for investors and corporate attendees (although we’ve some discount codes to share - see below!), with matchmaking included in founder and investor tickets. 

Registration is open at OhioVCFest.com.

‍

StartMidwest is a media partner of this year's Ohio VC Fest. Our co-founder Philippe Vella will be a panelist, and we have discount codes to share with readers via our weekly newsletter, so make sure you sign up before then if you're planning to make the trip to Cleveland or check back for the edition on August 29th via this link.

‍