By 1808Delaware
Tech entrepreneur Ratmir Timashev is making a significant bet on Columbus, injecting over $100 million into a new initiative aimed at transforming the city into a global hub for B2B software and AI startups. This ambitious plan, spearheaded by OH.io, seeks to attract 100 startups worldwide, establishing their U.S. commercial operations in Columbus and providing them with dedicated sales and go-to-market teams.
The initiative, if successful, is bound to impact The North business corridor and Delaware County.
The Vision Behind OH.io
Ratmir Timashev, the co-founder of the multi-billion dollar company Veeam Software, believes that the primary reason B2B software startups fail is not product-related, but rather a deficiency in sales execution. OH.io is designed to address this by providing a “Revenue-as-a-Service” model. Participating startups will have their U.S. commercial efforts based in Columbus, supported by sales and go-to-market teams employed and paid by OH.io. This approach allows startups to scale their revenue without diluting their equity.
A Proven Track Record
Timashev’s commitment to Columbus extends beyond this new initiative. He previously donated $110 million to Ohio State University to establish the Center for Software Innovation, the largest gift in the university’s history. His personal journey, from an immigrant graduate student at Ohio State to a successful tech billionaire, serves as an inspiration and a testament to the potential of building major companies from Columbus.
Jeff Schumann, co-founder of OH.io and a successful entrepreneur himself, brings operational expertise. Having co-founded Aware, an AI-powered contextual intelligence platform that was acquired for a significant sum, Schumann understands the challenges of building a sales engine from the ground up. He emphasizes that OH.io offers startups access to what he calls “the best non-dilutive capital you’ll ever get: revenue.”
How the Engine Works
OH.io will recruit approximately 20 B2B SaaS and AI-enabled software startups annually from around the globe. For each selected company, OH.io will build and embed a dedicated U.S.-based team of 10 to 20 sales and go-to-market professionals in Columbus. These OH.io employees will be responsible for prospecting, conducting demos, and closing deals. The initiative covers salaries, benefits, and operational costs for an initial multi-year period, earning a return through a revenue share. This model aims to absorb early-stage risk for founders, aligning incentives around revenue growth.
Why Columbus?
Columbus’s demographic representativeness makes it an ideal test market for products and services, a logic that Schumann believes applies equally to enterprise software. Furthermore, the cost of operating a sales team in Columbus is significantly lower than in major tech hubs like San Francisco or New York, allowing OH.io’s capital to be stretched further. The initiative also plans to foster a stronger ecosystem through “The Grid,” a planned innovation hub, and by hosting a major technology conference designed to attract talent and investment to the city.
The Future Outlook
With two companies already signed up and significant interest from international ventures, OH.io is set to launch aggressively. The long-term goal is to embed approximately 2,000 new technology workers in Columbus over five years, anchoring companies and talent through a robust revenue engine rather than traditional incentives. Timashev and Schumann envision OH.io as the catalyst for Columbus to become America’s next technology capital.
