RedHawk50 class of 2024 introduced, celebrated at Cincinnati's Music Hall
The top 50 private companies founded or led by Miamians were announced Friday.
RedHawk50 class of 2024 introduced, celebrated at Cincinnati's Music Hall
The 2024 RedHawk50 – the 50 fastest-growing private companies around the world founded or led by former students of Miami University – were announced and celebrated at Cincinnati’s Music Hall on Friday.
Started last year, the program plays an important role in identifying, engaging, and celebrating accomplished Miamians in business, while serving as a vehicle for Miami graduates and former students to pass lessons learned to the next generation of Miami entrepreneurs.
This year’s list includes founders or leaders who graduated from more than a dozen different Miami University degree programs. The ranking of awardees is determined based on their compound annual growth rate over three years: 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Some facts about this year’s honorees:
- Half are new to the RedHawk50 list.
- Among the 13 industries on this year’s list, software companies make up the largest percentage of companies (18%), followed by corporate services (12%), real estate, finance, and manufacturing (10% each).
- Half of the companies honored are in Ohio -- 11 in Cincinnati -- while the other half are spread among a dozen states.
- This year’s honorees have had a combined income of nearly $5.5 billion and employ more than 7,100 people.
“Cincinnati’s strong representation on this year’s RedHawk50 list underscores the powerful synergy between Miami University and the StartupCincy ecosystem. The deep connections, talent pipeline, and strong alumni community make it clear that Miami entrepreneurs are not only building successful companies but also driving innovation and economic growth right here in Cincinnati and beyond,” Farmer School dean Jenny Darroch said.
The top spot this year went to COHatch, a company offering coworking spaces, private offices, meeting rooms, and event locations started by founder and chief executive officer Matt Davis, a 1999 Engineering grad. COHatch was No. 9 last year, and Davis said then that he hoped to win this year.
“I think it's a reflection of where we've come from, all the struggles you go through as an entrepreneur. This is just a celebratory moment with your whole entire team, to kind of sit back and realize all the hard work is really doing something and being recognized,” he said.
This year’s honorees are:
- COHatch
- TEX Tickets
- Carolina Signs and Wonders
- Innago
- Steno
- Harborside Health (Principle Valuation, LLC)
- EverLights Inc.
- ASCH LLC
- Foxen
- Hidden Harbor Capital Partners
- AiFi
- Source Intelligence
- FC Cincinnati
- SPR Therapeutics
- Kruger & Hodges Attorneys at Law
- HOMEstretch
- Fire Rover, LLC
- Cleveland Kitchen Co.
- Semify LLC
- Bridge Industries, LLC
- Manning Contracting, LLC
- BEET Inc.
- Coastal Ridge Real Estate Partners
- Rooted Grounds Coffee Company, LLC
- Envision Horizons
- The Article One Group
- ĕleeo brands
- Somich & Associates CPAs
- Source Technologies, LLC
- Kay-Twelve
- PowerApps911
- Saucy Brew Works
- Verdant Commercial Capital, LLC
- Robyn Gobbel LLC
- Impact Advisors
- Orazen Extruded Polymers
- Slapfish
- One Florida Bank
- Featurespace™
- Mugsy
- Vandalia Rental
- Momentum Beverage Team
- Textbook Painting
- Capital Square
- Arrive Logistics
- Align
- Agility Cable
- Interlink Cloud Advisors
- Kinettix, Inc
- No Laying Up
“It’s so humbling. And it’s a moment to sit back and say, ‘Wow, look what we achieved as a team, not as individuals.’ But it's full circle for me graduating from Miami along the way to be here, ASCH LLC co-founder and 1988 Marketing graduate Connie Aschinger said. “It’s so motivating and inspirational to see the success that other graduates have achieved.”
The RedHawk50 program was created by the John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship at the Farmer School of Business. The institute is a past winner of the Nasdaq Center of Entrepreneurial Excellence Award as the top entrepreneurship program and institute worldwide, won the Model Program Award from the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) last year, has earned a “Top 10” ranking among public schools in The Princeton Review® and Entrepreneur Magazine annual ranking of the Top 50 Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Programs in the world for 17 consecutive years, and is currently ranked as the No.8 program in the world and No. 5 among public institutions.
“I really, truly believe that students that take entrepreneurship and learn from our faculty and staff really know a couple of things when they get finished. They really know themselves. They understand how they're driven and their mission and purpose in life. They know how to grow themselves in this experience, taking on a problem that nobody else has solved yet. They write a business plan, and they pitch it in front of professionals, and take the criticism and refine it and keep going,” Miami University president Gregory Crawford said. “And they really know how to connect themselves. They connect themselves to an amazing ecosystem that comes back to Miami. I know many of you are mentors, and so we're really grateful for that.”
1976 Architecture alumnus Jim Dooling won awards for two companies, Align and Agility Cable, which were ranked 46th and 47th respectively. “I just appreciate the fact that the Farmer School does such an amazing job on getting everyone together to inspire everyone to do more. It's a passionate thing. Being an entrepreneur is passionate, that's what it's all about. You might have a good idea, but you need to think about how you take that idea and form it into a business,” he said. “It's a blast.”
“I think there's no better university to prepare you for something and to set you out to find your purpose,” Davis said.
