Applications are open for round 2 of the Cultural Capital microlending program, championed by the Greater West Dayton Incubator in partnership with Flyer Consulting and Citywide.
“One of the biggest reasons why businesses have a hard time growing is due to lack of access to capital and high interest rates that come with loans,” the GWDI stated in a Facebook post announcing the program.
The Cultural Capital microlending program is designed to combat historical power imbalances in our local community and provide access to funds and resources to underrepresented businesses. Recipients will be eligible for $500 to $20K in low-interest loans. Preference will be given to minority-owned businesses in the Greater West Dayton area.
A student-led team will provide capital development, loan application assistance, and support services to business owners. The program will award $250K in total, in amounts ranging from $500 to $20,000 to approved applicants, with payback periods ranging from 12 to 48 months. APPLY FOR ROUND 2 BY MARCH 7.
The first round recipients of the microloans were:
- TheZe DealZ, a thrift store boutique
- Drakes and Associates, a janitorial and maintenance company
- Tosha’s Cleaning Service, a commercial cleaning company
Qualified applicants will have:
Passion
- Assesses the entrepreneur’s enthusiasm for their business, community, and repayment of loan.
- Applicants must demonstrate their ability to align with the Triple Bottom Line framework assessing work
through social, environmental, and financial success.
Persistence
- Applicants show dedication to the continued success of their business and the communities in which they operate.
- Flyer Consulting expects applicants to show entrepreneurial grit as well as commitment to their business and the repayment of their loan.
Planning
- Applicants must demonstrate a clear vision of how to execute and sustain their business idea.
- We recognize the importance of a lendee being in the position to make loan payments and have a strong plan
for the use of the loan.
Apply by March 7!
Frantically searching high and low for a pack of wet wipes is now an issue of the past, thanks to the unique design of the Wet Wipe Wizard.
The wizard stores a cartridge of rolled wet wipes that it dispenses at the touch of a button. Dayton startup CJD Innovations launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo last week to boost production of the new device.
“Dispensing wet wipes in the bathroom or on the baby changing table can present a challenge,” explains CJD Innovations founder Christopher Danis. “Either the wipes are too far away, or several are dispensed when only one is desired — we are pushing to end that.”
The Wet Wipe Wizard can be attached to any toilet paper wall unit or can tastefully stand alone on a bathroom counter for maximum convenience. This patented device dispenses one wipe at a time, is fully automatic, and makes certain you are only getting the number of wipes you need for the job.
Whether you’re changing a baby’s diaper or getting messy in the kitchen, Wet Wipe Wizard promises to be your reliable and go-to personal wipe machine.
The wizard accepts sealed cartridges of baby wipes or flushable wipes in this initial phase. The team plans to expand into disinfecting wipes in the near future.
Chris is looking to raise $40,000 with the crowdfunding campaign. Backers will received the first products at discounted prices.
The funding will be used for
- Tooling & Manufacturing
- Engineering & Design
- Shipping & Handling
- Legal Consulting
- Social Media Strategy
- Website Maintenance
“We knew crowdfunding was the most efficient way for us to spread the word about the Wet Wipe Wizard, and we’re excited to share it with the Indiegogo community first,” Chris said.
The Indiegogo campaign will wrap up March 29. The company will immediately got to work to get the first products into backers’ hands before the end of 2022.
Back the campaign here.
A dispatch from KeAnna Daniels, Audrey Ingram, John Owen
Launch Dayton partners believe everyone, no matter their background, deserves the opportunity to determine their own economic prosperity. This community exists to support and inspire ALL Daytonians who are building businesses.
As we celebrate Black History Month, we are thrilled to see our media feeds full of images, headlines and profiles of past and present Black leaders and innovators.
We pledge that you will continue to see these faces and stories in our feeds as the year continues — because at Launch Dayton, we acknowledge that Black history & achievement should be celebrated & represented year-around.
Launch Dayton is a partnership of 20+ entrepreneur and small business resource organizations across the Dayton & Miami Valley regions that work to support entrepreneurs and business owners who are launching and growing companies.
We — Audrey, John, KeAnna — are the Parallax team that serve our local entrepreneurs. Through our team, Parallax is a proud partner of the Launch Dayton community.
We strive to build a diverse, equitable, and intentionally inclusive ecosystem where every entrepreneur feels welcome and gets the support they need. We believe the demographic of our entrepreneur ecosystem should match the demographic of our region, and so we have set our goal metrics accordingly — we aim that you see at least 50% minority and 50% women represented across the stories we share, on the stages we manage, and in the rooms of the events we coordinate and curate.
In the past two years, we have made progress toward these goals —
- in 2021, the stories told on launchdayton.com featured 60% minority and 58% women
- speakers at Launch Dayton Startup Week 2021 were 59% women and 46% minority
- since 2020, 61% of the entrepreneurs directly served by the Parallax Launch Dayton team have been minority, and 52% have been women
Although we’ve been intentional with our efforts, we acknowledge that there is still much work to be done.
As we celebrate Black History Month 2022, we reaffirm our commitment to our region’s Black and Indigenous People of Color founders and entrepreneurs.
We pledge to partner with an even greater mix of Black-led organizations and Black business owners as we work to level the entrepreneurial playing field in our community.
We will continue to charge ourselves with making this space more equitable, diverse, and inclusive.
If you’d like to learn more about any of our programs, please reach out.
There’s no one way to be an entrepreneur.
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.
Arcani Coil Care founder Jerricha Hoskins is building a natural hair empire headquartered in her West Dayton community.
Her inspiration to become an entrepreneur stemmed from her great-aunt, who worked as a stylist well into her 60s.
“She always told me, if I wanted to be a hair stylist, I had to figure out a way to make money without standing behind the chair, so that inspired me to start my company,” Jerricha recalled.
Today, she is the owner of natural hair product company Arcani Coil Care and the Arcani Natural Hair Studio, both based in Dayton, Ohio.
“I did not come from a family of entrepreneurs. My family very much so believes in going to college, getting a degree,” she said. “I just never liked the idea of punching the clock and working for somebody else.”
As she builds her company, she’s teaching her children something different.
“I include them because my goal is to build something that they can carry on and pass down to their children, and their children can pass it down and so on and so forth,” Jerricha said. “I involve them because I don’t want them to think you just have to go to college and work for somebody else to have the life that you want.”
A Family Affair
When Jerricha first started her business, she wore all the hats herself.
“I made everything, I labeled everything, I shipped everything, I handled customer service, I handled social media,” she said. “As my business grew, I understood that I had to begin to delegate some of those tasks in order for my business to grow.”
As sales ramped up, she tasked her kids with labeling some products, and for awhile, her husband took packages to the post office for her.
“Being a mom and starting a business, you have to remember that your children are your why,” she said. “Do you want them to have the life that you lived, or do you want them to have a better life? That is how I am a mom in business, I have to do this for them. They can never go through anything that I went through.”
Jerricha was an at-risk teen, put into the foster system at age 15. To get out of the foster system, she went to Life Skills on Main Street and went to school from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for 14 days straight to complete her final two high school credits. But she fell into bad relationships. For awhile she was homeless, then lived in shelters, then in bedbug-infested housing.
“I did what I had to do, I knew the end game of everything. I had to go through that to get to this point,” she said. “Every day that I wake up, if I don’t feel like working, I’ve got to look at my children. I don’t have the option to not do my absolute best every single day because I have a generation that I have to pass something down to, like, 5, 6 generations that I have to pass something down to.”
Hometown Pride
Jerricha is proud to be from Dayton — and she’s intentional about keeping her company in Dayton, too.
“I chose Dayton for the home of my business because this is where I grew up, and you hear growing up, if you want to be successful, you have to get out of Dayton,” she said. “I’m literally the poster child for, you can make millions in your home town.”
Though it might not be because folks from your hometown purchase your products, she cautioned.
“Less than 1 percent of my revenue comes from my home town, but I’m able to employ people in my hometown, it’s different,” she said. “Everybody has different goals, but I refuse to take this and go to a different city. The city that cultivated me, that raised me, deserves that. This came out of Dayton. Your children are going to write book reports about me.”
Arcani Coil Care is the first hair product manufacturer the city has ever had, and her factory is on Denlinger Road, transforming an abandoned building that had sat vacant for 20 years, Jerricha said.
“I’m very intentional about staying here in Dayton. I could have purchased a warehouse in Miamisburg, West Carrollton, but I chose Dayton because I had to show people it can be done,” she said. “In starting this business, I always said I wanted to be able to pour money back into my community. It’s cool to become a millionaire, but what do it mean, you being a millionaire, if the people around you are still struggling? That’s been my motivation.”
Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs? Never stop working.
“Consistency beats anything,” she said. “If you are consistent in your business, if you are passionate about your business, it is inevitable that it’s going to grow. If you were going to hammer something into a wall consistently, there is going to be a hole in the wall. Think of your business, or breaking into whatever industry you’re trying to break into, in that way.”
“My name is Jerricha Hoskins, and I am an Entrepreneur.”
A minority-owned startup focused on providing flexible and high-temperature batteries for smart clothing has finalized its patent license agreements with the U.S. Air Force.
FlexEnergy LLC has finalized two patent license agreements with the Air Force Research Lab. The startup also received a $100,000 grant from the Ohio Third Frontier Technology Validation and Start-up Fund and the Ohio Department of Development in August 2021 to commercialize this technology.
Smart clothing was a $2.4 billion market in 2020 and is projected to be at $5.3 billion by 2024. The funding and the patent license agreements will enable Flex Energy to transfer the tech from the lab to market to serve the defense, healthcare, sports, fitness, and fashion industries, FlexEnergy CEO and President Suvankar Sengupta said.
“The key gap in the technology thus far has been the ability to embed a power source that fits in the traditional expectations of clothing, which is fit + look + movement, with the allure of smart technology,” FlexEnergy COO and Director Dr. Ramachandra Revur said. “Our battery achieves novel form factors for wearables that traditional Li-ion battery technologies cannot provide, making it an ideal solution for the future of clothing from athleisure wear and military and athletic uniforms to high-end luxury fashion.”
The challenge for smart clothing has been how to power it without installing heavy bricks of batteries that can’t run through the laundry or mold to the body’s natural contours. The newly licensed Air Force Research Lab technology solves this with its flexible but mechanically robust uniform separator membrane, trade marked as Pyrolux™, which will allow FlexEnergy’s batteries to flex and handle higher process and operating temperatures than those currently available on the market.
FlexEnergy will also be able to capitalize on its template-feee 3D-printing capabilities to produce large amounts of batteries in custom shapes.
FlexEnergy is a client of Launch Dayton partner Entrepreneurs’ Center’s Entrepreneurial Services Provider program, where the company’s entrepreneur-in-residence, Sibu Janardhanan, helped define the company’s business plan and supported negotiations to license the Air Force technology. Sibu is a P&L leader with 20+ years of experience with both Fortune 500 companies and global startup organizations.
“Our ESP program supports tech entrepreneurs with big ideas and the passion and dedication to see their vision from concept to growth, whose ideas will disrupt industries and transform expectations,” he said. “We are excited about the technological advancements FlexEnergy LLC is making to revolutionize the smart clothing industry, and I’m proud to help them increase market share and impact the regional economy as they continue to build their brand.”
Moving forward, the economic impact on the State of Ohio could be significant as FlexEnergy LLC is focused on making Ohio a leader in this niche of battery manufacturing. The company is committed to creating new jobs as they seek to open a manufacturing base to manage production and further research & development.
Want to hire a diverse group of summer interns for your tech needs?
The Diversity & Inclusion Technology Internship Program can connect you with the best and brightest upcoming talent. From creating mobile apps to building out websites, developing social media platforms, implementing new software, conducting market research and enhancing cybersecurity, the program can help with virtually any tech need to keep your business on the move.
Companies can hire up to four interns and be reimbursed for two thirds of their wages, up to $7,500 per intern. Internships must pay at least $15 per hour. The startup must have non-residential work space, and must hire the interns as W-2 employees.
Tech companies, or simply companies with a tech need, are eligible for the program. Apply by Feb. 18!
STUDENTS:
Want to build your resume at a cutting-edge company this summer break?
It’s a great opportunity for students to get paid work experience at a cutting-edge company and for tech companies to shake up their usual intern pool to increase the mix of voices in their projects.
Students in any degree program are eligible. Apply here.
There’s no one way to be an entrepreneur.
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.
David Maurer believes his new company, Green Zero Energy, has the potential to change the world.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, David left working on rockets in California to return home to Dayton and launch a new company, focused on developing innovative, mobile, renewable energy technology.
“A lot of times, renewable energy is a more stationary application. We’re looking at making it mobile — that’s where our technology will revolutionize the renewable energy market,” he explained. “We’re using a source you can hook into. You can know that you’re actually helping with emissions.”
But David’s road to entrepreneurship has not been easy. He has a stutter, and for awhile, he let it hold him back, he shares.
Overcoming obstacles
“With me having a stutter, that was a big hindrance, even after I realized that I was a leader,” he said. “It takes awhile to recognize things in yourself. Others will see them, and people who like you or respect you will say, hey, you have this, you’re a natural at this. But it takes awhile to sink in. And I was like, how would I ever, I have a stutter, and I was listing off all the things about myself that I look at as negative.”
He had to realize that everyone has handicaps.
“Nobody likes looking at their handicaps as handicaps, but the definition of the word is anything that hinders you in what you want you want to do,” he said. “As I got into the work environment, I started realizing I have more to offer, even despite my handicap.”
But David’s speech impediment wasn’t the only obstacle he faced on his founder journey.
“For me, having a speech impediment, and I’m a Black man — normally we have to go above and beyond to be accepted. If we want to apply for a job, we have to have a bachelor’s degree even you only need an associate’s degree. There’s a stigma out there,” he said. “That’s really hard when you have a speech impediment — you’re looked at as you’re nervous, or you don’t know what to say. I know what to say — but I can’t let the words out. I have to go around words.”
It leaves David no choice but to be exactly who he is, he reflects.
“Really, that’s why I’m here right now, is to share with you guys, it’s OK to be who you are. It’s important to realize who you are and even embrace those weaknesses, those things that you don’t look at as a strength,” he said. “This is where I am, this is me. I’m on unemployment, I’m working on a startup, I don’t have a lot of money. I’m a CEO of a company that I believe will go on and change the world.”
It’s a lesson from his entrepreneurial journey that the father of three hopes to carry into his parenting, too.
“As moms and dads, we stress to our little ones what they do well, and that’s good, but helping them realize who they are, and accept who they are, even if it’s a weakness or hindrance or handicap — that may be how they make a difference in this world,” he said.
A global solution
David is excited to continue to build Green Zero Energy right here in Dayton, before one day taking its mobile renewable energy solution worldwide.
“Dayton has a history of manufacturing, machining, and a whole lot of industry here. There really is potential here,” he said. “I’m a believe in local manufacturing and supply chains. I believe in using who’s around you and making a network, and I believe we can do that here in Dayton.”
“I’m David Maurer, and I’m an entrepreneur.”
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.
3:30-5:30 P.M. REVAMP YOUR MESSAGING
WYSO’s Katie Main will walk you through an exercise to craft your marketing messaging in the new year. She’ll also share how radio ads could be the way to go in 2022!
5:30-7:30 P.M. PITCH PRACTICE
Third Wave Water co-founder and Shark Tank alum Charles Nick will share the secrets to giving a great pitch, and he’ll coach you on how to pitch your own business so you don’t miss out on opportunities.
5:30-7:00 P.M. GemCity.TECH PRESENTS: THE STATE OF SAAS
Web dev Nate Denlinger loves to build SaaS applications — and has successfully built and deployed several such applications across a variety of industries. In this talk, the smartLINK City VP of Software Engineering will explore what Software-as-a-Service is, the state of the industry, and how to you can build your own SaaS-based business.
Register here to snag your spot!
Working to open a small business in downtown Dayton? Apply by Wednesday, Feb. 16 for the next cohort of the Retail Lab, a 12-week program designed to grow and support Downtown Dayton’s first-floor businesses.
The Retail Lab is powered by Launch Dayton partner Downtown Dayton Partnership. The program invites business owners to advance their first-floor concept through an intensive series of workshops, pitch events, and strategic business improvement projects. Each program element connects participants to new mentors, experts, ideas, capital, and resources that will help the businesses thrive and grow in downtown Dayton.
“Downtown Dayton’s first-floor businesses — boutiques, shops, cafes, yoga studios, restaurants, pubs, and more – are the lifeblood of our downtown community,” says program director Val Beerbower. “These entrepreneurs create the amenities, connections, and experiences that make our downtown a vibrant place to live, work, and play.”
Who should apply?
We are searching for entrepreneurs, especially minority-owned and woman-owned businesses, who are aiming to open a first floor business in downtown Dayton. The ideal candidate already has some traction and consistent revenue through e-commerce, events, participation in markets or vendor fairs, etc. But earlier stage businesses are still encouraged to apply.
Eligible business types include aspiring shops, cafes, small restaurants, galleries, boutiques, studios, or any concept that drives active use of first floor space by offering consumers unique products or experiences. (not offices, not meeting space)
What are the benefits?
- Invest 30+ hours in intensive workshops and opportunities to build and improve their business
- Build valuable relationships with mentors and fellow business owners in the Retail Lab
- Clarify and strengthen their business model with the support of local experts
- Explore technologies to streamline and scale their business
- Put their business on track to access capital for growth
- Pilot their new concept or new approach in the downtown market
- Pitch their business to downtown developers, investors, and stakeholders for additional support (Demo Day)
- Receive up to $2,500 in professional services and consulting at no cost to your business
How do I apply?
Follow this link by FEB. 16 to apply for the next cohort of the Retail Lab!
Just Like Me Presents, an Ohio-based startup and Downtown Dayton Retail Lab graduate, launched a Kickstarter last week to raise $17K to expand its “Meanwhile In Africa” line of culturally responsive K-5 Social Studies curriculum.
The supplemental curriculum aligns with education standards and offers elementary school students an opportunity to learn and be empowered by African culture and history, explains founder and master educator Michelle Person. It is designed to provide a more well-rounded, representative view of history, and cultivate the entrepreneurial mindset and critical thinking skills.
“We wanted to design a more culturally reflective Social Studies program taught from an anti-racist lens with this project. The interactive and engaging activities, and their emphasis on problem-solving and entrepreneurship, make it an essential tool for any student group, especially for African American students,” Michelle writes on the Kickstarter page. “The purpose of this project is simple — to create a program that engages learners by providing content that provides students a greater sense of self, affirms identities, dispels stereotypes, and offers a more balanced worldview.”
Michelle launched “Meanwhile in Africa” in 2020 in response to both the pandemic and the summer’s racial justice protests.
“In February 2020, the world was turned upside down. It was a trying time for everyone, but for me, as an elementary school principal, it was a never-ending loop of chaos. Chromebooks, masks, virtual learning, hot spots, and social distancing became a new way of life. And then, while trying to make sense of this reality, the nation erupted with social unrest and entered into arguably its most racially charged period since the end of the civil rights movement,” she recalls on the Kickstarter page.
“Unfortunately, it seemed like I was in constant competition with the media when trying to create positive narratives of black achievement, ingenuity, and innovation to counter the negative narratives being shown on the news and social media. Though I couldn’t change what they saw on their televisions and tablets, I decided to change what they were shown during the 6.5 hours they were required to be in my care at school,” Michelle continues.
Ultimately, after 20+ years as a classroom educator and school administrator, she decided she could impact greater change outside the system.
Michelle currently works as a principal and education consultant, empowering families and educators through interactive programming and culturally responsive content. “Meanwhile in Africa” is divided into 12 units for students in grades K-5.
It costs Michelle about $365 per unit to cover editing and graphic design for page and worksheet layouts. The Kickstarter funding will allow Just Like Me Presents to :
- produce additional units complete with lesson plans, hand-outs, options for collaborative activities, connections to real-life entrepreneurial endeavors, and additional audio and video elements.
- package the program so as to provide access to more students.
Back the Just Like Me Presents Kickstarter here before Thursday, March 3!
Want to get the “Meanwhile in Africa curriculum into your local school? Explore Just Like Me Presents full offerings here, and reach Michelle at [email protected].
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