Tanya Conrath

The Athens Ohio Investment Alliance (AOIA) is a private investment fund formed to positively impact the greater Athens Ohio Region, defined as Athens Ohio and the adjacent and nearby counties in the Appalachian Ohio River Valley. The mission of AOIA is to support the development of sustainable, profitable businesses capable of providing a return to member investors, to serve as a catalyst to connect resources across the region to build successful businesses, and to enhance wealth creation of the people employed by the companies that receive investment from AOIA. The fund is led, designed, and funded by local investors, who assist in identifying, evaluating, and placing private investments. The fund will directly increase the economic growth and performance of the greater Athens Ohio Region and will collectively improve the economic sustainability and prosperity of its residents. The Appalachian Investors Alliance (AIA) are the technical advisors who facilitated the fund formation process and now administer the fund.

The Athens Ohio Investment Alliance (AOIA) is a private investment fund formed to positively impact the greater Athens Ohio Region, defined as Athens Ohio and the adjacent and nearby counties in the Appalachian Ohio River Valley. The mission of AOIA is to support the development of sustainable, profitable businesses capable of providing a return to member investors, to serve as a catalyst to connect resources across the region to build successful businesses, and to enhance wealth creation of the people employed by the companies that receive investment from AOIA. The fund is led, designed, and funded by local investors, who assist in identifying, evaluating, and placing private investments. The fund will directly increase the economic growth and performance of the greater Athens Ohio Region and will collectively improve the economic sustainability and prosperity of its residents. The Appalachian Investors Alliance (AIA) are the technical advisors who facilitated the fund formation process and now administer the fund.

The Innovation Center provides valuable business incubation resources to fuel the economy in Athens, Ohio and the surrounding region. Created in 1983, the Ohio University Innovation Center was the first university-based business incubator in the State of Ohio and just the 12th in the United States. The current 36,000 square foot facility opened in 2003. In 2019, the center was awarded the Randall M. Whaley Incubator of the Year, the highest honor bestowed each year by the International Business Innovation Association. The center was recognized as a Top University Business Incubator in North America by UBI Global, an organization that benchmarks business incubators and accelerators around the world. In 2015, the program was ranked #8 in the North American region and #3 in the United States. The center has also received Rural Incubator of the Year from InBIA in 2019 and 2022. The Innovation Center provides a considerable range of resources including, but not limited to, the following: -Areas for professional use including office space, adaptable labs, and meeting spaces, all leased at competitive rates; -Flexible space and lease options intended to allow companies room to expand; -Access to a network of domain experts, business coaching, regulatory affairs coaching, and accounting assistance; -Shared access to exclusive office equipment that small business teams can access for printing, copying, faxing, scanning, high-speed Internet, remote conferencing, and more; - Shared access to extensive lab equipment and assistance from a lab director; -Secure, 24-hour key card access Innovation Center clients also benefit from access to the centers extensive list of business and economic partners.