Columbus just scored a new player in the cybersecurity wars, as Saporo, a Swiss cyber startup, picks the city as its North American launch pad through a partnership with OH.io, the performance‑venture platform backed by Ratmir Timashev. Under the deal, Columbus‑based teams will run Saporo’s U.S. sales, marketing and demand generation while engineers in Lausanne stay locked in on product and research. The move makes Saporo the first international company to plug directly into OH.io’s Columbus engine.
As reported by Columbus Business First, the May 29 announcement marks Saporo’s formal jump into the U.S. market at a time when identity attacks are drawing increased attention. The outlet noted that Saporo becomes OH.io’s sixth portfolio company and will lean on local operators to speed up its North American push.
How the partnership will work
OH.io says it will drop seasoned go‑to‑market operators directly into Saporo’s North American operation, according to a press release reported by SecureITWorld. Those Columbus‑based teams will handle sales, marketing and demand generation so Saporo can stay focused on engineering and product development. OH.io partner Alex Husted and founder Ratmir Timashev are quoted saying the model is designed to let founders obsess over the technology while OH.io builds the commercial motion from Columbus.
OH.io's Columbus play
OH.io has been openly pitching Columbus as a commercial launchpad and has set a high‑octane goal: bring 100 AI and software companies to the city and staff their U.S. sales teams locally, Ohio Tech News reports. The strategy pairs the Timashev‑funded venture’s revenue engine, branded "The Grid," with local talent and office space to help founders reach North American customers faster than they might on their own.
About Saporo
Saporo, founded in Lausanne in 2021 by Olivier and Guillaume Eyries and Dr. Eric Blavier, builds a graph‑native identity security platform that maps attack paths across hybrid identity systems, according to the company’s own description. The startup raised a €7 million Series A in December 2025 as it prepared to scale across Europe and pursue selective expansion in the United States, based on Saporo’s press materials. Profiles such as Crunchbase list Guillaume Eyries in the San Jose, California, area, hinting at part of the company’s existing U.S. footprint.
Local reaction and questions
The timing is notable. OH.io is still facing governance questions after a spring lawsuit involving former executives and Timashev, coverage that raised doubts about the venture’s management and execution pace, as detailed in ousted OH.io chiefs sue founder Ratmir Timashev in April. Local economic development watchers, along with OH.io’s own team, will be tracking whether the Saporo deal quickly turns into on‑the‑ground hiring and visible office activity in Columbus over the coming months.
OH.io and Saporo say the partnership is meant to give U.S. and Canadian organizations access to Saporo’s platform while the startup continues to scale its product work in Europe, according to the release reported by SecureITWorld. Company spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for further comment, and the partners have not yet disclosed detailed hiring timelines or specific Columbus office locations.
