Last weekend’s Techstars Startup Weekend in Dayton was an absolute whirlwind of innovation and energy! We were thrilled to welcome nearly 70 attendees, making it our largest Startup Weekend yet! The diverse mix of talent, with 40 working professionals and 30 enthusiastic students, created a dynamic and inspiring atmosphere.
Our participants were incredibly fortunate to learn from 15 dedicated mentors who provided invaluable guidance throughout the weekend. The energy in the room was palpable as teams brainstormed, validated ideas, and built prototypes. Witnessing many passionate individuals come together to create something new is always exciting.
And now, a huge congratulations to our winning teams:
The impact of the weekend was perfectly captured by Ohio University student, Lili Johnston, who posted on LinkedIn:
“Life changing… This weekend was a powerful reminder that with the right mindset, collaboration, and a willingness to take risks, anything is possible. Here’s to more innovation, more learning, and more big ideas coming to life! “
A special shoutout to Ohio University’s incredible entrepreneurship program! They sent a group of nine students, and remarkably, all nine were distributed across our winning teams! Talk about a testament to their program and the talent they cultivate.
This Startup Weekend was a resounding success, and we can’t wait to see what amazing things these budding entrepreneurs will do next! #StartupWeekendDayton #Techstars
If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to present your expertise, this call for speakers for the 2025 Launch Dayton Startup Week is for you!
Startup Week is the Dayton region’s biggest gathering of entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Sept. 9-10, 2025, hundreds of bold makers, innovators, dreamers and doers will converge in downtown Dayton to learn, network, and engage with both peers and resource providers. The week-long schedule includes powerful talks, impactful hands-on workshops, and vibrant networking opportunities, all designed to help entrepreneurs move their businesses forward.
Every attendee should walk away from the conference with at least one piece of new knowledge or expertise they can immediately apply in their own business.
Startup Week is FREE to all attendees. One reason that’s possible is because of the Launch Dayton community’s “Give First” value. At Startup Week, this value is embodied when speakers volunteer their time.
We’re seeking both folks who want to present individually and folks who want to speak on panels. We recommend to prepare about 30 minutes of content & leave 15-20 minutes for Q&A.
Apply by May 15. Selected speakers will be notified & confirmed in June.
Want to share your story on stage? We don’t just want to hear why you started — we want to know what tangible strategies worked for you in your journey that you can now teach others. Maybe you’ve nailed how to effectively network. Maybe you have a fool-proof marketing or sales strategy. Or maybe it’s Maybelline — Tell us! We’re looking for hands-on workshops and tutorials to help entrepreneurs implement these solutions in their businesses.
Here are some how-to topics we know our community wants to hear:
Please have a headshot and speaker bio ready to include in your speaker application. Questions about whether you should apply? Reach out to us at [email protected]. We can’t wait to hear from you!
31 S. Main St.
Dayton, OH 45402
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