A Columbus Accelerator Bets Its New Cohort on Unsexy Software

A Columbus startup accelerator has unveiled its newest cohort, and the theme is conspicuously boring: software for construction scheduling, freight documentation, and healthcare back-office work. The program's directors say that is by design, arguing that durable businesses are more often built in overlooked corners than in whatever category is fashionable.

The dozen companies in the class share a common trait — they sell to industries that still run on phone calls, faxes, and spreadsheets. Digitizing even a slice of that work can be lucrative precisely because expectations are low and switching, once it happens, tends to stick.

The accelerator will culminate in a demo day where founders pitch regional investors. Organizers are candid that few of these companies will become household names, and that this is rather the point.