Innovation Center Welcomes Local Tech Startup Company

The Ohio University Innovation Center (IC) announces the addition of Potential Labs to its incubator program. Founded in 2014 by Ben Lachman, CEO, and Robin Kinney, CTO, the Athens-based startup company has developed an energy monitoring solution that is safe to install and easy to use.    

Its first product, Glow™, uses patent-pending sensor technology that attaches in minutes to a residential electric meter. Through both an in-home indicator and a mobile app, homeowners are able to monitor and adjust their electricity use in real time, saving money and reducing environmental impact.    

“We are excited to welcome Potential Labs to the Innovation Center. Co-founder Ben Lachman has been a fixture in the region’s ecosystem for years and will be a great asset and colleague to our other clients,” said Innovation Center Director Stacy Strauss. “Additionally, Glow™ is a promising new product which will enable the rapid growth of Potential Labs as a quality employer in our community.”

Potential Labs created Glow™ with assistance from TechGROWTH Ohio, an Ohio Third Frontier entrepreneurial services provider program, and the Leveraging Innovative Gateways and Hubs Toward Sustainability (LIGHTS) program, supported by a POWER grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission. Both programs are administered through Ohio University.

“We’re excited to be entering a new phase with our company and taking the step to establish a physical location. Until now, we have been, quite literally, building hardware in a garage. We look forward to the support and flexibility for growth that the IC provides,” Lachman said.

The IC currently is home to seven technology startup companies in the areas of life sciences and biotechnology, software and other products, as well as five anchor tenants. The center also supports two clients that participate as virtual members, an option for startups that do not require office space but want the benefit of the incubator’s coaching, networking and physical amenities.