THE JUMP
TECHNOLOGY
RIDING THE TECH ELEVATOR
A BETTER VISION Mason-based Genetesis offers new technology to scan the heart for blockages.
Mason lifts startups and expanding companies with collaboration and measured risk-taking.
–ALEXANDRA FROST
Local startups and expanding businesses typically know where to turn when they’re ready to level up: Over-the-Rhine, Covington, and the area around the University of Cincinnati are among the most attractive spots for fresh talent to congregate. Mason is positioning itself to give these go-to spots some competition, attracting international companies to a population boom town that can be overlooked as a business epicenter. Unlike private or higher education backers in the urban core, Mason city leaders themselves are stepping out to help interested businesses find space and connections for growth and expansion. Michele Blair, the city’s director of economic development, works with public and private sector entrepreneurs through Mason’s “Tech Elevator” to help make the area more of a go-to business location. Mason’s population has grown 12 percent since 2010, Blair says, and more than 800 businesses now operate within its 19 square miles. The Tech Elevator spreads over three campuses and has hosted at least 20 startups with more 12 REALM SUMMER 2022
than 500 new jobs. The city is also focusing we help you build a lab? and How can we support on developing medical and science innovation you in small ways in conjunction with CincyTech?” through its “BioHub” at Oak Park along I-71, One result of the collaboration was that which strives to create collaboration initiatives Mason and Assurex formed a partnership to for research and discovery. “We want to attract build a new lab in a 10,000-square-foot space bio, biohealth, IT, and technology-related com- on the city’s municipal campus. The company’s panies and underwrite a space current success partially stems that allows them to innovate,” from its early start in the medical “We want to genomic and informatics space and says Blair. The recruitment effort start- underwrite its subsequent rapid growth, which ed with Assurex, a genetic testled to Assurex being acquired in a space 2016 by a well-respected genetics ing and informatics company company, Myriad Neuroscience. that uses technology originating that allows The Salt Lake City-based parent from Cincinnati Children’s Hos- technologycompany is now expanding the pital Medical Center and the related Mason lab for the fourth time, Mayo Clinic, commercialized with funding from CityTech. companies Blair says. Without the Tech Elevator, to innovate.” “ What we learned as a city Blair says, Mason wouldn’t have partnering with an aggressive startbeen able to help. “It allowed us up is how bad government entities to attract some investment and job creation that usually are at taking risks,” she says. “But as a wasn’t meant necessarily for long-term opera- unique and creative city, we’ve learned to take tions but rather for quickly scaling the compa- measured risks, and now we’re seeing those ny,” she says. “We started looking at How can measured risks pay off.” P H O T O G R A P H C O U R T E SY G E N E T E S I S
