Art, beauty, wellness + more at this week’s Early Risers Academy cohort pitch

March 21, 2022

The first Early Risers Academy cohort of 2022 will see 9 Black women founders pitch their budding companies for prize money and support this Wednesday, March 23 at 5:30 p.m. at The Hub.

Early Risers Academy is a free, 10-week, cohort-based business class designed to help business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs build the foundations they need to make their businesses successful. The program is managed by Launch Dayton partner Parallax Advanced Research with funding from the Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment & Ohio Third Frontier’s Entrepreneurial Services Provider program.

“From Air Force and university research labs to urban kitchens and garages, innovation is a force in the Dayton region,” program manager KeAnna Daniels said. “Our diverse entrepreneurs are developing new technologies and processes, and we’re excited to offer these bootcamps to help them reach the world.”

The free, 10-week cohort-based business class series leverages Kauffman FastTrac coursework from the nationally-renowned Kauffman Foundation. Participants also receive pitch coaching and hands-on mentoring, weekly discussions with successful entrepreneurs and experts, & access to Dayton’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

This cohort’s pitching entrepreneurs include:

  • Daria Love, founder of MsLovexoArt, a black woman owned art business that creates visual and digital artwork using abstract affirmation art to motivate, encourage, and inspire youth and adults;
  • Davida Lattimore, founder of Lattation, an online-based business offering supportive solutions for expecting, new, and recurring moms, to provide relief to make for an enjoyable breastfeeding experience;
  •  Bunny Roberts, founder of Copacetic Aesthetix, a creative branding + wellness firm that empowers moms and other women to uncover their purpose then build a business that aligns with it;
  • Bree Thomas, cofounder of Gem City Laser, a Black Woman-owned custom laser-made gift shop for retail, corporate, and wholesale gift giving
  • Ariel Smith, founder of Tribe, offering a quality, convenient and safe extended village to families in need of housekeeping, laundry service, a kid’s chauffeur or a nanny;
  • Sam Walker-Baskin, founder of SamiDubz Art, offering customized art work and art fun in the formats of paintings, jewelry, paint parties, face painting, art lessons and more;
  • Lenice Hill-Williams, fostering the resilience of those harmed by intersectional experiences, specifically Black women, with a suite of holistic wellness programs, principles, and practices;
  • Shayna Boyd, founder of Naturally Bare, specializing in preventative pedicure services to Diabetics and elders who are suffering from specific foot issues such as thicken toes nails, neuropathy, and poor circulation;
  • Kamika Green, founder of BeautyNBody, specializing in body contouring, pre/post op services with non-surgical weight-loss in different areas, and butt lifts for a more natural sculpted shape.

Register here to attend the pitches! We’ll also stream the pitches live on the Launch Dayton Facebook paeg.

Early Risers Academy is designed for aspiring founders in any industry. We’re particularly excited to work with more women and minority founders.

These workshops can also be valuable for founders early in their small business journey, or who jumped right into their business without formally developing the plans behind it and are now discovering they need some of that paperwork in place to grow.

Start building your legacy — apply for an upcoming Early Risers Academy cohort here.