Ohio State Early Investor Network closes investment deal with smallTalk®
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Tansey Lee
December 1, 2025 lee.10330@osu.edu
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State Early Investor Network (OSEIN) has invested in smallTalk Technology, Inc., a medical technology spin-out of Nationwide Children’s Hospital co-located in Columbus and Cleveland. smallTalk participated in Techstars Columbus powered by The Ohio State University program this spring.
smallTalk is a seed-stage medical device startup focused on supporting neurodevelopment care for preterm infants through its innovative, patented technology. The company is currently commercializing their neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) Egg™ System, which allows parents to stay connected with their infant during a NICU stay through their recorded voice. This product is being implemented in leading NICU’s across the country.
Ohio State’s partnership with Techstars Columbus has allowed smallTalk to gain a better understanding of OSEIN’s role in investing and jumpstarting the company.
smallTalk CEO and Co-founder and Dean Koch says, “Techstars Columbus at OSU jump-started our momentum and showed us firsthand Ohio State’s deep commitment to supporting entrepreneurship. That support was key in leading to this investment.”
With over 25 years in healthcare startups, Koch brings expertise in maternal-fetal healthcare, including a successful exit and proficiency in early-stage medical technology ventures. Koch has teamed up with Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Nathalie Maitre, a neonatologist and neuroscientist specializing in infant brain development, to develop the device.
“The NICU Egg technology was invented at Nationwide Children’s Hospital by Nathalie Maitre, MD, a leading neonatology researcher now at Emory University. With product design completed in partnership with Columbus-based Design Central and manufacturing now established in Columbus, we’ve built an incredibly impactful product with strong clinical foundations, scalable design, and efficient U.S. manufacturing ready to support rapid adoption,” said Koch.
The successful acquisition of capital enabled smallTalk to demonstrate product-market fit for the NICU Egg System. The company is also finalizing a pivotal clinical study of a pacifier-activated version of the product called the Active Egg System. Once cleared by the FDA, it will be the first medical device to improve brain development in hospitalized preterm infants.
About Ohio State Early Investor Network
The Ohio State University, as a land-grant institution, has always looked to innovation to solve the problems faced by the communities we serve. From Freon use to pet food and medication access, alumni, students, faculty, and staff have created systems, products, and companies that modernize and improve our world. Today, The Ohio State University is further developing its research community, growing the innovation ecosystem, and fostering a culture of entrepreneurship across all colleges.
The Ohio State Early Investor Network is a membership-funded network developed by The Ohio State University Alumni Association and the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge to support this work within the University as well as engage the more than 600,000 alumni around the world. OSEIN seeks to foster an entrepreneurial relationship between Ohio State related investors and entrepreneurs and provide access to investment opportunities and outside capital.
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Dean Koch, smallTalk Co-founder & CEO: dean@smalltalk.tech