A Cincinnati startup building the world’s "smartest, safest and fastest" pedestrian walkways has been crowned the winner of a new contest that aims to pair entrepreneurs with top statewide business mentors.
Beltways, which is building high-capacity, last-mile pedestrian walkways for airport customers and more, was declared the winner of OhioXcelerate. The virtual pitch feedback program was conceived earlier this year by Alloy Growth Lab, a Norwood-based incubator and startup catalyst; Queen City Angels, a Cincinnati-based capital investment firm; and OhioX, a Columbus-based tech-focused nonprofit membership group.
The victory comes with a prize package valued at more than $6,000, including memberships to OhioX, co-working space Cohatch, Alloy Growth Lab and a $2,500 law services package.
The company was selected for the program out of a pool of highly competitive applicants, organizers said. In total, three startups from across the state were chosen as finalists. Beltways competed against Cleveland’s Cocoon Technologies, a software company building tech solutions to improve public safety and policing; and Vitruvian, based in Columbus, which is building concrete 3D-printed homes.
OhioXcelerate called each team dynamic and innovative. Beltways’s victory, a release said, “symbolizes the promising future of Ohio's startup landscape.”
"The teams in this inaugural competition are future-forward visionaries, and their products are disruptors in their respective industries," Brian Tibbs, an Alloy Growth Lab mentor, said in a release. "The competition was close, with Beltways edging out the win by less than two points.”
Beltways, co-founded by Matine Yuksel, was born in Silicon Valley in 2020. The company moved to Iowa in 2021 as Yuksel built the first prototypes. He relocated to Cincinnati last year to start commercialization efforts.
The company said its interchangeable modules mean its pedestrian walkways can be assembled above-ground – meaning its systems can be deploy anywhere in days with minimal construction.
Customers include airports, venues, universities and downtowns.
"We appreciate the invaluable advice, support and connections from the diverse group of mentors pulled together by OhioX, Alloy Growth Lab and Queen City Angels, all of whom continue to be exceptional facilitators of our company’s growth," Yuksel said.
The goal of the OhioXcelerate is to provide opportunities for startups to accelerate their growth and connect with experienced mentors – who are considered experienced experts in their field – and entrepreneurial support networks.
Due to the overwhelming success of the inaugural event, organizers said the plan is to host another edition in the fall of 2023 or the spring of 2024.
