By Katie Aldridge
Gem City Laser, your one-stop-shop for last-minute, custom, laser-engraved gifts, will hold an open house celebration this Friday, May 6 at its new brick-and-mortar location, 116 N Jefferson St.
Bree Thomas is the co-owner, creative director, and maker of Gem City Laser, utilizing in-house engraving and cutting lasers to customize gifts using acrylic wood materials. Bree is also a recent graduate of Early Risers Academy, a 10-week business class series powered by Launch Dayton partner Parallax Advanced Research.
We recently caught up with Bree to learn more about Gem City Laser and her entrepreneurial journey.
My mom and I were together during the pandemic, and I was going through a mental health break. We wanted to do something creative and kept seeing ads for this laser online. Eventually we decided to buy it. Our original plan was to make laser-cut lamps and start a lamp store, but we realized there were so many more things to create. We decided to make a giftshop and sell items we wanted to, but also items for people who like to shop local and last-minute.
I’m a creative at heart. With this business, I can home in on everything I really love and enjoy. I get to design, create, and interact with my customers. I get to make things and ideate, then reap the benefits of my customers’ satisfaction with the products. I’m combining all of my skills that I love and have established here in the city by pouring them back into the city.
Honestly, no! I didn’t know I was going to be an entrepreneur until last year. I always knew that I was creative enough to do something on my own, but I was afraid to not have the help behind it. Being a family business and having my mom here as the business manager, task facilitator, and designer, really helps fuel the dream. We never thought we would have a business together.
My journey with mental health has been a valuable component. This business was created to help me out of the depression I was going through. I had to pour myself into something in order to feel like I had something to look forward to. I knew I had to do it, and I knew once I got through it, I would be so proud of myself.
Having to be social owning a business. It is one of the things I struggle with because I like my space. I’m very personable, giggly, and light-hearted, but I know what my comfort zone is. The challenge is how do I become this prominent person in the community without showing up, but also still being there? I’m figuring out how to involve myself with people and be social, while also staying in my comfort zone by knowing which events are ones I want to go to, and which are ones I don’t.
It was a great opportunity to hash out the foundation and structure of my business. I feel so much more confident talking about my business to other people. I also feel confident in the direction I want my business to go in. As a black woman, I wanted to feel like I had a community to support me, and that’s what I got from the program. We were able to form great friendships; it felt like a family.
Each order is a different story. When I first started on Etsy, I did QR codes. I started getting requests for recordings of people’s last voicemail messages before they died. The sentimental stories behind the orders motivates me to make the best gifts for these people. Having those stories, helping people feel like they’re part of the process, and hearing how the gift has made such a difference makes everything so much more real and makes me feel validated.
Come to our open house on May 6! It is from 3-8pm at our new location at 116 N Jefferson St. Suite 404 (between 1st and 2nd street). Come out to meet the team, see the new space, and see how Gem City Laser can be beneficial for you or your business. Interact with us on Facebook and Instagram @gemcitylaser, and reach out for partnerships! If we don’t have an item you’re looking for in our shop, we do custom orders!
Wonder how Early Risers Academy can help you grow your business? Learn more and apply here!
As the “metaverse” explodes, augmented reality is gaining more traction than ever, and a Dayton startup just launched a new product to capitalize on this change in the e-commerce space.
Last week, Ohio-based Magnetic Mobile, a loyalty and targeted marketing firm, announced the launch of Charge AR (ChargeAR.com), the first-of-its-kind solution for incorporating targeted promotional offers into an e-commerce augmented reality (AR) experience.
With Charge AR, consumers can view a 3D model of a product in their space using their smartphone. Alongside the product, they’ll see a 3D animation with the retailer’s chosen marketing message. This could be a financial incentive like “20% Off” or an additional benefit such as “Gift with Purchase.”
Showing the offer together with the product itself creates a more seamless experience for the customer and strengthens the sense of urgency to complete the transaction. Notably, different offers can also be targeted to different consumers based on their interest or behavior.
Retailers can use the Charge AR bundle of products and services to tailor the offers delivered in AR to support their business goals and target audiences. The Charge AR platform supports the creation of multiple offers for the same product, allowing for targeting, segmentation, and A/B testing, which enables retailers to maximize conversion and ROI.
“We’re combining proven approaches into a new solution that’s as much about the business as it is about the buzz,” said Brian Sichi, Magnetic Mobile CEO. “AR is a fun and exciting feature that engages customers. By placing promotional offers in the actual AR scene, marketers can connect the 3D experience to ROI in a tangible, measurable way while optimizing their marketing spend.”
As a Platinum Partner of 3D Cloud™ by Marxent, Magnetic Mobile taps into many years of 3D and AR expertise. In 2021 alone, 3D Cloud™ by Marxent clients saw a 250% increase in sales conversions after a product was viewed in AR and a 180% increase in total dollar value of the resulting transactions. Charge AR clients will also benefit from the infrastructure of the 3D Cloud™ platform, which has been proven to support large-scale 3D model delivery with superior performance and security.
“We’ve seen the power of 3D visualization in the furniture and home improvement industry for years,” said Beck Besecker, 3D Cloud™ by Marxent’s CEO and Magnetic Mobile Co-Founder. “Now AR is expanding to many more categories and it’s becoming table stakes for any online shopping experience. With their background in digital offer management and customer loyalty, the Magnetic team is a natural fit to take AR models a step further by combining them with marketing messages that drive sales.”
Magnetic Mobile combines data-driven design strategy with the latest technology to create digital experiences that keep customers coming back for more. Magnetic Mobile has partnered with retail organizations for nearly a decade supporting the digital components of their go-to-market activities. Charge AR adds an innovative tool to the portfolio of Magnetic Mobile products and services to drive value for customers and create compelling shopping experiences.
“We’ve designed our process so that brands can get started with the technology quickly and scale up as rapidly as they’d like,” said Sichi.
Interested retailers should visit chargear.com or contact [email protected] to schedule a demo.
Two Entrepreneurs’ Center client companies were awarded $100K each to develop their technologies in the fuel and cyber industries, respectively, in the latest round of Ohio Third Frontier Technology Validation and Startup Fund awards.
Last week, the Ohio Third Frontier Commission approved $2.5M in total funding to provide capital to technology companies across the state in industries ranging from health care to military applications.
Among the awardees were EC clients:
“These new technologies and breakthroughs speak to the future of innovation in Ohio,” Governor Mike DeWine said. “These companies have the potential to improve health outcomes, strengthen our military, improve the energy supply, and enhance cybersecurity.”
Both Ignyte and Desulf-TEK are clients of the EC’s Entrepreneurial Services Provider program.
Ignyte is only the second company in the program’s history to receive two TVSF awards — the first company was also a Dayton startup and EC client, Battle Sight Technologies, said Paul Jackson, VP of Strategic Programs at the EC.
The TVSF funding is awarded to colleges, universities and nonprofit research institutions looking to license their technologies to demonstrate that a technology is commercially viable through activities such as testing and prototyping. TVSF funding is also awarded to companies aiming to license such institution-owned technologies to speed the technology to market faster by funding market research and further prototyping.
“In addition to advancing cutting-edge technology, we are investing in young talent to ensure these companies have the skilled workforce necessary to continue growing and innovating here in Ohio,” said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development and chair of the Ohio Third Frontier Commission. “We are building Ohio’s inclusive tech economy while helping companies stay competitive by identifying and implementing new technology-driven solutions.”
You don’t have to look a certain way, operate in a particular industry, pursue specific education, grow up in a particular household, or spend your free time nurturing any particular hobbies — entrepreneurs grow from all walks of life.
In a new video series we are excited to launch today, entrepreneurs, founders, and small business owners from across the Dayton Region share their individual stories in order to break down those pervading stereotypes about who can or can’t be an entrepreneur.
They proudly declare, “I Am an Entrepreneur” — and you can be, too.
Global Neighbor founder Jon Jackson dreams of a world where farmers don’t need harmful chemicals to feed us — so he’s using light to kill weeds instead.
His son, Patrick, first had the idea to use directed light energy to tackle weeds. The first iteration tackled weeds in flower beds, but the next iteration will take on weeds in sprawling corn and soy fields.
“We were always looking for an alternative to chemicals,” Jon said. “Farmers have been dealing with weeds since we first cultivated plants. What we can do that no one else can is, we can use light to control a plant’s growth, both at the seed stage and when it’s growing.”
This tool for a potential green ag revolution was funded by in part by what might seem an unlikely source — the U.S. Air Force, via its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
“The Air Force was looking for a way to control plants without using chemicals, so they put out a solicitation,” Jon recalled. “I probably had 100 people from the area call me up and ask, did you see this?!”
Working with the SBIR program was a “godsend,” Jon said.
“There’s a constant amount of solicitations out,” he said. “If you can fit in a topic, that’s a great way to launch a business, or launch a new product within in an existing business.”
Dayton’s proximity to and connections with the Air Force are only one of the perks to launching a startup in the region, Jon said — there’s also a huge manufacturing base in the area for founders to tap.
“You can buy so much stuff within 50 miles of here,” he said. “Just about everything I needed to build our prototype, it’s all here.”
There’s also a supportive entrepreneurial community, with Launch Dayton partners like Entrepreneurs’ Center eager to help, he added.
“We’re not Silicon Valley, right, where there are a lot of folks, but we have our own following, and people are helpful all the way around.”
Global Neighbor’s work hits close to home for Jon — he grew up on a farm.
“I have tribal knowledge from working in the field myself and dealing with some of the same issues they’re dealing with today, only it’s even worse today,” he said.
Jon and his wife moved to Dayton in 1987, and have called it home since. Jon’s career took him through a variety of roles, in companies big and small, all of which help him be the entrepreneur he is today.
“You have a much more expansive role in a small company or startup. You’re no longer just the head engineer or team lead or marketing guy. You’re the janitor, you’re doing the testing, designing negotiating with vendors,” he said. “Participating in many different aspects of business suited me well for moving forward into the startup environment.”
“I’m Jon Jackson, and I’m an entrepreneur.”
A Dayton startup striving to develop new water purification technology, is a finalist Barclay’s Small Business, Big Wins Contest — and you can help founder Luis Estevez win $60K by voting!
Voting is open until April 22, and people can vote once per day.
The Small Business, Big Wins contest is one way Barclays aims to support small businesses. In the first round of the contest, small businesses nationwide shared their stories of perseverance and pivots through COVID with Barclays. From roughly 5,000 applications submitted, AIMM was selected among the top 10 finalists. Barclays is offering a $60,000 grand prize for the top vote-getter in this final round.
In addition to developing nanoparticle-powered water purification technology, AIMM is also using nanoparticle tech to develop a self-disinfecting N95 mask.
“We’ve had a lot of great traction, but there’s always so much more to do. This Barclays prize money would greatly help advance our capabilities as we work to bring our products to market,” Luis said.
Dayton-based AIMM is the only Ohio finalist in the Barclays contest — vote here to help them win big!
The University of Dayton awarded $150K to nearly a dozen “life-changing” startups last week as leaders announced winners of this year’s annual Flyer Pitch competition.
Among the goals of the founders — support breastfeeding moms, support children’s learning and emotional wellness, and ensure communities across the globe has access to clean drinking water.
Taking first place in the startup track was Sarah Kallile, founder of Lunnie, reinventing the nursing bra. The Lunnie bra, developed with input for a network of moms across the Dayton region, is up to six times more absorbent than other bras on the market, and was created to offer women more comfort and style in their postpartum.
Sarah, mother of two, made extra history as the first pregnant winner of the Flyer Pitch competition. She took home $25K in cash + $25k in services from the Entrepreneurs’ Center’s Entrepreneurial Services Provider program.
“As a solo entrepreneur, it can be lonely bringing your vision to life on your own. There are times I question what the heck I’m doing, especially during this busy season of life raising two little girls while pregnant with my third,” Sarah writes in a blog post reflecting on her pitch experience. “To have others I respect validate Lunnie means the world and keeps me moving forward.”
Taking second place in the startup track was Luis Estevez, founder of AIMM, developing new water purification technology.
According to the World Health Organization, drinking water for more than 2 billion people around the world is contaminated. Luis is leveraging his research in nanoparticles to create a gravity-powered filter to kill bacteria and viruses in the water. He was awarded $35K in cash.
Rounding out the startup track winners were:
Taking a top prize and the community choice award in the Greater West Dayton Incubator’s Social Venture Track was Michel’le Curington, founder of Fail Me Not Tutoring, offering reading, math, and writing tutoring for k-8 students. More than 1,400 people voted for the community choice award. Michel’le took home $10k.
Also taking home a top prize of $10K was Jordyn Calhoun founder of Unemotional, a Social Emotional Learning curriculum with an emphasis on cultural responsiveness, designed for students at urban schools in grades 7 through 12. The program, created by Jordyn Calhoun based on her experience with students through the COVID-19 pandemic, offers after-school programming, professional development for educators, and more.
Rounding out the social venture track were:
Participating companies also won in-kind support. Throughout the competition, they worked with industry-specific mentors to develop their ideas and received a coworking membership at The Hub Powered by PNC.
“We had an incredible group of businesses this year with life-changing ideas to bring forward,” said Vince Lewis, UD’s associate vice president of entrepreneurial initiatives. “We want this competition not only to help businesses launch and grow, but to be a catalyst for social change with money and mentorship for nonprofits, social enterprises and community initiatives in Greater West Dayton. We know these entrepreneurs will add to Flyer Pitch’s long track record of success with 74 businesses launched and more than $24 million of capital raised.
Flyer Pitch is one of the largest new-venture contests at the collegiate level, with more than $150,000 in cash prizes and $50,000 in in-kind prizes. It is operated by the University of Dayton’s L. William Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and the Greater West Dayton Incubator in partnership with PNC Bank, the Entrepreneurs’ Center and Bandila Studios.
Innovators from across the state gathered at The Hub this weekend at Launch Dayton Startup Weekend 2022 to pitch ideas and form companies around a range of issues from remote employee engagement to crowd-funded lobbying.
Powered by Techstars, Startup Weekend is a jumping off point for entrepreneurship. Over the 54-hour event, attendees share ideas, team up, and pitch startups.
Friday night, attendees pitched 30 60-second “half-baked” ideas for companies. Attendees then voted on the top ideas, and the teams formed around the five ideas that got the most interest and votes.
Saturday and Sunday, business leaders from across the community came to the Hub to mentor the teams and help them them nail down their value proposition. Teams also spent part of those days interviewing potential customers to validate their ideas.
Thank you to our sponsors Ascend Innovations, Entrepreneurs’ Center, Mile Two, Parallax Advanced Research, and University of Dayton’s Crotty Center for making this weekend possible!
The weekend’s winning pitch came from Joe Fuchs, Waldo Rabie and Aaron Jones, pitching Greenly, an all-in-one landscaping solution designed to provide instant quotes and automated scheduling.
“This has been fantastic,” said Joe Fuchs, University of Dayton engineering student and first-time Startup Weekend attendee. “I went into college to study engineering with no experience in entrepreneurship outside a few personal things I wanted to pursue. This contest has brought me a holistic idea of what it would look like to go into this space. I recommend a lot more students get involved in it.”
Second place was awarded to the team of Nathan Minns, Dylan Rogers, Will Matz and Damiel Faxon pitching WePerk, an employee perks program designed to help companies engage and retail remote workers by connecting them with fun opportunities in their local communities.
Third place went to the team of Pablo Arellano, Trish Baxter, Randy Hinders and Kent Kaiser pitching 937Invest, a platform that will provide stock recommendations based on machine learning algorithms.
The crowd favorite award went to the team of Luther Palmer, Darius Dunson and Kameron Seabrook, pitching Office Hours, a platform to connect prospective college students with alumni in their fields to learn what the day-to-day work looks like for someone with their major, so they don’t waste time and money pursuing a degree only to discover they hate the job.
Last but not least, the team of Justin Helt, TJ Richardson and Daniel Kuzikov pitched the Revere Foundation, a hybrid mobile app utilizing looped feedback technology to get citizens’ issues in front of their local politicians.
Prizes for winning teams who decide to pursue their company idea include free coworking memberships at The Hub, advisor time from the Entrepreneurs’ Center and Miami Valley SBDC, and a guaranteed spot in the Launch Dayton Startup Week Pitch Competition in September.
Interested in being part of the next Launch Dayton Startup Weekend?! Save the date, Friday, Feb. 24 to Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023, at The Hub!
Interested in helping to plan the next event? Reach out to [email protected].
LaunchPad is where the entrepreneurially-minded connect. Featuring a “Startup Week-lite” format, this monthly event series brings you opportunities to expand your networks and grow your business.
Mix & mingle with fellow movers, shakers, entrepreneurs, creatives, founders, freelancers, engineers, researchers. Build networks in & out of your industry. Learn what and connect with who you need to launch your: startup, business, product, idea, collaborative, nonprofit.
From 12 – 8 p.m. CONNECT at The Hub and enjoy free, open coworking
And SPUR TANGIBLE PROGRESS — attend workshops curated to help you move your endeavor forward. Don’t just watch a presentation, actually do some work, & leave with a tangible take-away you can implement tomorrow.
You’ve heard of “SBIR,” but exactly what is it, and who is it for? Experts from Entrepreneurs’ Center and Parallax Advanced Research’s APEX program join forces to answer these questions. Learn if the Small Business Innovation Research program is the right fit to fund your R&D and jump into a hands-on workshop to register for opportunities.
Business moves fast, and changes are coming even faster. Put together a plan to address the opportunities and risk you face every day during this workshop led by Dayton SCORE’s Art Helmstetter. You will use a worksheet to identify the 12 key areas of your business and lay it out in a Business Model Canvas.
Your business is official — now what? Serial entrepreneur Gail Johnson will walk you through next steps. In this workshop, learn invoicing basics & payment terms, to CashApp or not CashApp, how to retire your gmail for a branded email address, how to ask for the money (will that be cash or card?) + more!
Register here to snag your spot!
Last week, the Entrepreneurs’ Center (EC) announced the launch of EC Angels, a regional network of angel investors.
The fund will increase engagement of local investors who will in turn provide capital and counsel to entrepreneurs who are growing and scaling their businesses.
“Dayton had a group of investors who saw pitches from local companies in the 1980s and 90s,” said Kim Frazier, director of growth initiatives at the Entrepreneurs’ Center and manager of EC Angels. “But as that group got older and retired, nothing really filled its place. It’s very exciting to provide this new generation of entrepreneurs and investors with a connection through EC Angels.”
The newly formed EC Angels will meet at least six times a year and will feature pitches from local startups and small businesses that are clients of the EC, the Miami Valley Small Business Development Center, or select EC partner organizations. Meetings will primarily be held virtually, but may also feature some in-person events and education at the Hub, the hybrid space the EC shares with University of Dayton’s Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership downtown in the historic Arcade.
A foundation for EC Angels was set in 2018 when the EC established a chapter of Indianapolis-based VisionTech Angels with a dozen trail-blazing angel investors. Soon after its formation, these same investors also began seeing pitches and making investments directly into local companies.
“VisionTech Angels is still a good option for people looking to invest in bigger deals in promising startups,” Frazier said.
Members of the Dayton chapter of VisionTech Angels will automatically be members of EC Angels, as will investors in the recently formed Rotunda Fund. Local investors not affiliated with either one can sign up to be an EC Angel for an annual membership fee of $250. All members must meet the criteria to be accredited investors — an annual income exceeding $200,000 ($300,000 for joint income) for the last two years or a net worth exceeding at least $1M not including personal residence.
“The demand for a local angel investing chapter shows how much the entrepreneurial community has grown,” said Gayle Rominger, one of the early angel investors and member of the EC board. “We’ve seen more potential investors wanting to engage with these startups and small businesses too, which is game-changing for entrepreneurs, as they get access to capital and the needed strategic guidance that can help them scale.”
Late last year, the EC launched the revenue-based Rotunda Fund, providing growth capital for companies that already have sales and are seeking to double their revenue in two to four years. The Rotunda Fund’s investment model attracted new angel investors to the EC.
“The Rotunda Fund is a unique opportunity for Dayton’s entrepreneurs,” said Brian Kohr, an entrepreneur and investor who serves on the fund’s Investment Committee and is an EC Angel. “Connecting coachable entrepreneurs to investors who can provide access to funds required for growth without dilution, along with strategic advice, will give companies the fuel they need to grow and scale.”
Frazier hopes the EC Angels will make investments as a group in the upcoming months and years.
“We’ve come a long way with our investors in the past four years, and I’m hoping that in four more, we’re even larger and more sophisticated,” she said. “A strong investor network is exactly what growing entrepreneurs need, and it will help to propel Dayton into the future.”
Accredited investors interested in joining the EC Angels can reach Kim Frazier at [email protected].
You don’t have to look a certain way, operate in a particular industry, pursue specific education, grow up in a particular household, or spend your free time nurturing any particular hobbies — entrepreneurs grow from all walks of life.
In a new video series we are excited to launch today, entrepreneurs, founders, and small business owners from across the Dayton Region share their individual stories in order to break down those pervading stereotypes about who can or can’t be an entrepreneur.
They proudly declare, “I Am an Entrepreneur” — and you can be, too.
As a teen working in his parents’ restaurant, Luis Estevez just thought his dad was being a hard boss when he insisted his son jump into new positions without any formal training.
Today, he sees that push as his first lesson in entrepreneurship.
“The way I’ve approached my career path and into entrepreneurship is really what my dad said — just jump into it,” he recalls. “If that’s what you want to do, just jump into it, and work hard to achieve it, and if you make mistakes, fix them along the way instead of looking from outside, trying to figure out how to do it, over-analyzing it. Just make a mistake, get it out of the way, and move on.”
Luis is the founder of Advanced & Innovative Multifunctional Materials — AIMM for short.
He works with nanoparticles to create a variety of products, from water purification systems to self-disinfecting medical equipment.
Luis began his career in science labs. It was in a lab at Cornell University, pursuing his Ph.D., that he began working with nanoparticles.
“I knew, if you can control materials on a nanoscale, this really, really, tiny scale, it could be pretty remarkable,” he said.
His post-doc took him to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where he had the opportunity to propose his own research. But it wasn’t until he landed at the University of Dayton Research Institute that he began to consider a career outside the lab.
“I’d been working on energy storage for awhile, with porous materials and loading them with all kinds of nanoparticles, and I realized, these can be used for water purification. I realized this is where I can make an impact,” he said. “I started working on it with UDRI, but I realized I could move the technology along a lot faster if I spun it out into a startup.”
Luis tapped a variety of resources in the Launch Dayton entrepreneurial ecosystem, including UD’s Propel Dayton tech transfer program, Parallax’s Early Risers Academy entrepreneur bootcamp, and Entrepreneurs’ Center’s ESP portfolio program.
“There are tremendous resources in Dayton,” he said. “The startup bootcamp — at that point, I was a scientist, not an entrepreneur, I was knowing that I didn’t know quite a lot and needed to learn quite a bit. That program was so beneficial to transition from scientist to entrepreneur.”
“We have an expression in science, you stand on the shoulders of giants,” Luis said. “You move science forward based on what people have done previous to you, who have gotten there first and laid the foundation for you to build on.”
The same could be said of his experience as the child of immigrants, he said.
“My parents both immigrated from two totally different countries into this country, became citizens, had a family, settled down, started a restaurant,” he said.
The story is crucial to his entrepreneur journey, he said.
“It just set this idea in my head, if you want to get somewhere, you just do it, and it’s going to make you better in the end. It will be rough in the beginning, tough, high-risk, with potential for high-reward, so if you can go for it, go for it,” Luis said. “That’s the mentality a lot of immigrants have coming into this country, they see it as a place you can really do something. That’s what my parents did. I wouldn’t be here if not for them, wouldn’t have the same opportunities.”
“My name is Luis Estevez, and I am an entrepreneur.”
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