The O.H.I.O. Fund Report

With Cleveland poised to recognize October 13 as Bernie Kosar Day, we’re especially excited to share this episode of The O.H.I.O. Fund Report featuring Bernie Kosar — legendary Cleveland Browns quarterback, Youngstown native, entrepreneur, investor, and one of the most beloved figures in Cleveland sports history. The timing feels especially meaningful. Cleveland City Council has introduced a resolution designating October 13 — 41 years to the day after Bernie’s first regular-season start for the Browns — as Bernie Kosar Day. We’re proud to share this conversation in advance of that recognition. Growing up in Youngstown during the collapse of the region’s steel economy, Bernie developed an intense fear of failure and determination to find a way forward. That mentality ultimately carried him from an improbable childhood dream to quarterbacking the Cleveland Browns — but it would also be tested repeatedly long after his playing career ended. In this vulnerable conversation, Bernie reflects openly on the highs and lows that followed: business and entrepreneurship, bankruptcy, addiction, mental and physical health challenges, and ultimately the liver transplant that gave him another chance at life. Throughout our conversation, Bernie returns to a lesson he learned from Jimmy Johnson: somehow, someway, figure out a way to make a play. It became more than a football philosophy. It became a way of approaching failure, recovery, business, health, and life itself. We also discuss why Bernie has continued to choose Ohio throughout his life — from deliberately finding his way home to play for the Browns, to his optimism today about the state’s economic future and the opportunity to help raise Ohio’s collective ambition. That connection to place makes the city’s upcoming recognition of Bernie especially fitting. ——— For more on The O.H.I.O. Fund: check out & subscribe to future content @ www.theohiofund.com ——— LINKS: https://x.com/BernieKosarQB?lang=en https://www.instagram.com/berniekosarofficial/?hl=en ——— The guest's participation is for informational purposes only and should not be considered an endorsement of the firm or any investment product. The guest has not been compensated for their participation.

What does it mean to actually bet on Ohio—not simply out of civic pride, but because the economics make it a compelling place to invest? This episode of The O.H.I.O. Fund Report features our founding partner Jill Meyer in a conversation originally published on The Working Lunch with Jack Crumley. Jill shares the thesis behind The O.H.I.O. Fund: bringing private Ohio capital together to invest in growing Ohio companies, real estate, and infrastructure—and helping more of the value created by that growth remain in the state. She also explains why The O.H.I.O. Fund takes a multi-asset approach, why the people behind a business matter as much as the idea itself, and how stronger connections among Ohio’s cities, investors, founders, and operators can compound the state’s economic growth. The conversation ranges from Ohio 4.0 and the next chapter of the state’s economy to reshoring, advanced manufacturing, AI, and companies like 1872 and Remote Vans. Underneath it all is a simple challenge from Jill: stop apologizing for being in Ohio, recognize the world-class innovation already happening here, and find a way to lean in. ——— For more on The O.H.I.O. Fund: check out & subscribe to future content @ www.theohiofund.com ——— LINKS: Originally Aired: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xlm-dGbzOk

What does it take for AI to matter inside a real operating business? Not as a demo, not as a dashboard, and not as a generic productivity tool — but as something that answers calls, reduces clicks, quotes freight, improves service, and helps people spend more time doing the work that actually moves the business forward. Today on The O.H.I.O. Fund Report, we’re setting the stage for a conversation led by Mark Kvamme — co-founder, CEO, and CIO of The O.H.I.O. Fund — with Peter Coratola., founder and CEO of EASE Logistics, and Andy Jenks, co-founder of JAKIB.ai. Together, they unpack one of the clearest examples we’ve seen of applied AI in Ohio: a service-heavy logistics business navigating a difficult freight market, partnering with an AI company to start small, solve real operational bottlenecks, and eventually build Amy — an AI layer embedded directly into how EASE works. They discuss track-and-trace calls, customer service, quoting, user adoption, CEO-level ownership, and why AI at its best may be less about replacing people and more about multiplying their output. So please enjoy this conversation with Mark Kvamme, Peter Coratola, and Andy Jenks. ——— For more on The O.H.I.O. Fund: check out & subscribe to future content @ www.theohiofund.com ——— LINKS: https://easelogistics.com/ https://www.jakib.ai/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-coratola-jr https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajenks/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/markkvamme/

This episode of The O.H.I.O. Fund Report features Anna Dey — a multi-unit, multi-brand franchise entrepreneur based in Northeast Ohio. Anna has spent the past decade building a portfolio of franchise businesses across Ohio, operating across brands including Anytime Fitness, Clean Eatz, Smoothie King, The Vitamin Shoppe, Barrio Tacos + Tequila, and goGLOW. Along the way, she’s developed a unique perspective on franchising as a path to entrepreneurship and today works with aspiring entrepreneurs through The franSPOT, helping others navigate the process of becoming franchise owners. Alongside her for-profit work, Anna is also the founder of 24 in 24 — an endurance running event that has raised over $3 million for children battling life-threatening illnesses across Ohio. In our conversation, we discuss: Anna’s path from first-time franchisee to multi-brand operator How the franchise model actually works — and why it’s often misunderstood The tradeoffs of scaling across multiple brands vs. focusing on one What separates strong franchise operators from the rest Building teams, delegating, and evolving as an entrepreneur The story behind 24 in 24 — and how it became a community institution ——— For more on The O.H.I.O. Fund: check out & subscribe to future content @ www.theohiofund.com ——— LINKS: https://thefranspot.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/annamdey/

Ken Sobel — Co-founder and CEO of Hyperframe. Ken is a repeat founder and engineer whose path into construction followed an earlier startup journey through Y Combinator and an acquisition by Visa. With Hyperframe, he’s taken a first-principles approach to one of the most fundamental components of construction — steel framing — reimagining a process that’s been slow, manual, and largely unchanged for decades, and redesigning it into a snap-together framing system that’s faster, safer, and far more efficient. After years of development and real-world validation, the company has achieved strong product-market fit and is now scaling manufacturing. That journey led Ken and his team to relocate Hyperframe from California to Ohio, where they are building their first large-scale production facility. In our conversation, we discuss: Ken’s path from startup founder to construction entrepreneur Why construction remains slow, manual, and resistant to change The insight behind Hyperframe — redesigning building products themselves What it actually looks like to use Hyperframe on a job site The challenge of scaling a hard tech company Why credibility is everything in construction adoption The decision to move to Ohio — and what it enables This is a conversation about reindustrialization in practice — and what it takes to rebuild physical industries from the ground up. ——— For more on The O.H.I.O. Fund: check out & subscribe to future content @ www.theohiofund.com ——— LINKS: linkedin.com/in/ken-sobel https://www.hyperframe.com/