"This study is one of the first of its kind in the United States and will be watched across the country.” — Kelly Cohen, University of Cincinnati
Today’s issue:
October 20, 2020
INNOVATION U
UC to study drone economics 
Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Creative + Brand
Drones could soon be flying organs to recipients or providing air taxi service. That might be far off, but the University of Cincinnati is conducting an economic study that examines the viability of such tasks.
Students in UC’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Lab, which is a part of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science, will help conduct the study. The students will focus on the economic impact of drones on the region’s air mobility and unmanned air traffic control systems.
The drones will perform tasks for the Ohio Department of Transportation’s DriveOhio initiative, which focuses on using advanced methods for mobility.
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INNOVATORS PODCAST
Data driving decisions from appliance repair to brand colors 
How does data keep your refrigerator from breaking down on you? Can data select the best colors for your company logo?
You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, or wherever else you get your podcasts.
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NKU launches varsity esports program 
NKU Esports (courtesy NKU)
Esports is coming to Northern Kentucky University as a varsity sports program. The program starts this fall and will compete in the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), the nation’s largest varsity esports league. The team will compete in NACE’s Rocket League, an arcade-style game that blends soccer and “vehicular mayhem.”
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1819 Innovation Hub graduation day The University of Cincinnati’s Venture Lab at the 1819 Innovation Hub held its cohort 11 Pre-Accelerator Graduation Day on Sept. 29. The presentations were held remotely but featured each of the 16 startups.
The seven-week pre-accelerator helps budding entrepreneurs think out their ideas. On graduation day, they got to pitch to a (virtual, in this case) room of entrepreneurs-in-residence, who helped them plan and compete for additional funding.
During the graduation, entrepreneur Samantha Boch told her story. Being her family’s nurse, she helped manage her grandmother’s care during the last couple of decades of her life. This made her wonder how other families manage this care without a nurse in their family. Enter My Family Nurse, which will allow users to connect with nurse caregivers in their area to help navigate care.
Another startup, The Portable Classroom, uses AI and facial recognition to improve the remote learning experience. Isaiah Dicristoforo talked about the platform and how it can help in both high school and college settings. They are hoping to scale their business further by finding developers, investors, and conducting market research.
Click here to read about all the graduating teams. Share this story.
ON OUR RADAR 
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SUPPORTING STARTUPS
StartupCincy Week: October 27-30 StartupCincy Week is back for the 4th straight year, but this year it’s going virtual. The event will happen October 27-30.
Cintrifuse Vice President of External Communications Eric Weissmann said that since the event is virtual the content will be more disciplined and focused. Instead of holding as many events as possible, the days will be focused on specific content areas or “content tracks.”
The first day, Tuesday, includes the annual Cintrifuse meeting in the morning, with the afternoon focused on Supply Chain Management.
Wednesday’s content track is Growth, presented by Main Street Ventures, and will feature entrepreneurs and founders who have scaled their businesses even during uncertain times.
Thursday morning will be a “Show and Tell” presented by the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. The afternoon session will be all FinTech, sponsored by The University of Cincinnati Center for Entrepreneurship, with the presentations culminating in a pitch competition presented by Fifth Third Bank and Western & Southern Financial Group.
The final day will be HealthTech in the morning, sponsored by CincyTech. The afternoon session will be “Making the Leap,” geared toward entrepreneurs still thinking about starting a business. This session will be sponsored by Queen City Angels. Share this story.
MORTAR gets PayPal grant Cincinnati’s MORTAR is one of 20 recipients of a PayPal grant for Black-owned businesses. The grants are meant to help businesses impacted by COVID-19. The grants total $5 million and are part of PayPal’s commitment of $530 million to Black-owned businesses. Mortar plans on using the grants to help support Black entrepreneurs.
“MORTAR will use the grant to support our entrepreneurship training and support programs for Black entrepreneurs here in Cincinnati and throughout the Midwest,” said Mortar Development Manager Vic Mullins.
The grants are meant to help those in Black- and minority-owned communities and to fight for economic and financial equality. Mortar is the only recipient in Ohio.
“MORTAR is thrilled to partner with an amazing organization like PayPal,” Mullins said. “PayPal has long provided an essential e-commerce service to entrepreneurs and to be chosen as a beneficiary of this grant means that we can continue to help the dreamers and doers become successful business owners.” Share this story.
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AROUND THE REGION With 
We hope you enjoy these headlines from the latest issue of Flyover Future, chronicling innovation throughout the Midwest. If you'd like to subscribe to Flyover Future, click here.
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