On October 24, an event at the University of Cincinnati's 1819 Innovation Hub is pegged to do more than just talk shop about sports innovation—it's set to be a networking nexus for some of the most inventive minds in the game. Jeff Berding, president and co-CEO of FC Cincinnati, is the main event as the keynote speaker for the Founders+Funders 2025 Summit. Berding, as the man who has been there since Cincinnati's kick-off in soccer, is expected to deliver practical wisdom on building something bigger than a sports team: a community catalyst.
The Founders+Funders Summit is designed to be a dynamic interchange, a huddle of sorts between the crème de la crème of founders, investors, and thought leaders. Its mission? To foster tight-knit ties between industry and academia. This year, the Summit puts the spotlight on sports design innovation, it punches above its weight class with an impressive lineup that includes UC alumni—sports-centric entrepreneurs Geoff Baldwin and Bruce Miller are among the headliners, according to the University of Cincinnati's news release.
This isn't your usual prim-and-proper conference, where speakers pontificate from behind podiums and attendees nod in polite agreement. Founders+Funders shreds that playbook, choosing instead to get real with sessions that are about as hands-on as it gets—getting down to the nuts and bolts of innovation in a way that resonates and sticks. From success stories to growth pains, it's all on the agenda, delivering strategic insight with a personal touch.
UC doesn't just talk a big game about collaboration; it's got the facilities to back it. The Venture Lab, part of the 1819 Innovation Hub, serves as a launchpad for fledgling founders with its trio of accelerator programs. If that wasn't enough, the UC Ground Floor Makerspace hands creators the keys to a veritable playground of tech: think CNC machines, waterjet cutters, 3D printers, and the like. It's a boon for those fine-tuning capstone projects or piecing together their next big thing—a testament to the university's commitment to propelling Ohio's talent and economy forward, as noted by UC's own press release.
With this event, UC takes its entrepreneurial spirit from the classroom to the real world, knitting together faculty, students, alumni, and regional partners. It's all about strengthening those critical connections, creating a robust network that promises to keep Ohio playing strong in the competitive economic field.
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