Ohio State Opens 7,000-Square-Foot BuildX Hub for Student Startups

Ohio State University opened a dedicated workspace for student entrepreneurs on Wednesday night, aiming to produce 100 investable startups every year by 2030. The new BuildX initiative targets the gap between a student idea and a functioning company, with goals to increase investment in Ohio and expand the local startup ecosystem.

The facility occupies a 7,000-square-foot space inside Pomerene Hall. Shereen Agrawal, the associate vice president for student innovation and entrepreneurship, described the area as a dedicated environment where student builders can work, learn, and connect. Trevor Brown, the interim executive vice president and provost, called the location magical. He cited neuroscience research suggesting that open, airy spaces encourage innovation and creative possibility.

Brown emphasized that entrepreneurship requires more than just trial and error. He stated that combining existing knowledge about what works with hands-on experimentation and mentorship accelerates the movement from concept to proof of concept. "When you combine that with experimentation and hands-on activity, people working together, often with mentors and their instructors, you can get acceleration of ideas from concept into proof of concept and into implementation, in a much faster way because you have a place where that can occur," Brown said.

The initiative includes a new curriculum beginning in spring 2027. Students will have access to two new three-credit-hour BuildX startup labs in addition to the existing Intro to Software Startups course. One lab serves students validating a problem and developing an initial solution, while the second supports teams ready to build and launch their ventures.

Tim Keenan, an Ohio State alum and founder of the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, said the program connects students with like-minded peers and opens doors for collaboration across disciplines. "You’ll also find people in the room that think like you. They want to start a business. They don't know how," Keenan said. "So, we’ll train you on how. Business students that can do the revenue model, technologists that can write the code, engineers that can structure it."

Participating teams will have the chance to enter the BuildX Accelerator. Selected groups will receive $15,000 in funding, embedded founder coaching, and access to investors. The program concludes with a Demo Day, where founders present their business ideas to potential backers.

Keenan told attendees that the available resources are a major opportunity. "The last thing I want to tell you is that you’ve been given the greatest opportunity that you’ll probably ever face," he said. "All these resources are here to help you, and frankly, the only thing an opportunity needs is for you to take action."