Greater West Dayton Incubator is excited to share that the application for the Business Blitz Bootcamp is now open!
The Business Blitz Bootcamp features three weeks of business classes for new and existing entrepreneurs. This is a hands-on experience with guides and mentors who will help you legitimize, digitize, and capitalize your business in 2022.
The bootcamp will have three sessions on three Saturdays in February, beginning Feb. 12 at 10a.
In this session you will learn how to structure your business with the Ohio Secretary of State and create a one-page business plan to keep your goals in tact. Those who need an LLC will have the fee waived in this session!
Learn how to build a one-page website for your business and get tips on how to make your business digital-friendly in 2022. You’ll also learn social media tips to build your following and create a unforgettable brand presence.
Learn the tea on business loans, grants, and funding opportunities. Leave the session with a funding plan to help you find funds for your business.
Apply by Jan. 31 at thegwdi.com to secure your spot!
On Wednesday, Dayton-based agtech startup Global Neighbor announced $1.1M in investment, with nearly $1M more expected in the next 90 days.
A growing innovation leader in developing clean, environmentally friendly Directed Energy (DE) solutions to combat weeds for both homeowners and farmers, global Neighbor announced the signing of a Lead Investor Agreement with Innova Memphis, a globally recognized early-stage venture capital firm focused on starting and funding high-growth companies in the bioscience, technology, and AgTech fields.
“This is a significant accomplishment and I’m surprised at how quickly the first financing round came together. I’m very proud to be entering this elite phase of our funding journey that will accelerate rapid growth of our company in 2022,” Global Neighbor founder and president Jon Jackson said.
Led by Innova Memphis and Partner Dean Didato, the current investment round has already captured more than $1.1M in the initial closing and the firm expects to secure another investment in the next 90 days to satisfy the first equity financing of $2M.
Innova Memphis has a track record of successful exits including AgriSync, Growers Holdings, Arkis Biosciences, and ExtraOrtho Inc., and the firm was recognized as #5 on the 2021 AgFunder AgriFoodTech Investment Report’s list of Most Active Venture Capital Fund Managers and the most active VC investor in the state of Tennessee in Tech Startups’ list of the Top Venture Capital Firms.
“Global Neighbor has facilitated this financing in a relatively short period, which is impressive for the sector and the stage of the firm,” Didato said. “Innova is confident that the enthusiasm around Global Neighbor’s weed eradicating products will generate broader interest from additional investors moving forward. We are proud to be a partner in promoting this truly innovative technology which will have a positive impact on future farming and the environment.”
The equity financing round of investors included Ag Ventures Alliance, a nationally recognized farmer-owned organization formed to make early-stage investments in technologies that enhance on-farm profitability, and Clean Energy Venture Group, an investment group providing seed capital and management expertise to early-stage clean energy companies.
Prior to this round, Global Neighbor has received approximately $3.8M in grant funding over the last seven years, including Small Business Innovation Research grants from the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Phase I of the USDA’s SBIR grants are awarded to just 10% of the applicants, and in 2020, Global Neighbor was one of only three Ohio-based companies awarded the $100K grant. Invited to apply for a phase II grant in 2021, Global Neighbor was the only Ohio-based company selected to receive the $650K award, which is actively in use to develop and commercialize its Weed Seed Destroyer product.
Global Neighbor has successfully developed multiple products and continues to lead the way in environmentally friendly weed control with a collection of seven issued utility patents and five pending patents. Unlike chemical-based herbicides, Global Neighbor’s products utilize its clean, patented Directed Energy technologies.
“Directed Energy weed control kills weed seeds, seedlings, and unwanted plants using dual-wavelength, unnatural illumination sources applied at high intensity for short duration, eliminating the need for harmful herbicides,” Jackson said.
Currently, Global Neighbor offers Directed Energy weed control solutions for residential and agricultural applications, each having its own system solution and light blend to address its needs.
For homeowners wanting to safely control weeds in their lawns and gardens, there is the affordable handheld WeedErase. Licensed to Viatek Consumer Products Group, WeedErase is available for purchase online at Amazon and NatureZap.com, and at popular retailers like Sharper Image, Home Depot, and Walmart.
For farmers, the company is hard at work developing its Weed Seed Destroyer, which will attach to a combine harvester to destroy weed seeds at harvest.
Global Neighbor is a client of Launch Dayton partner Entrepreneurs’ Center.
“The completion of a first close is a milestone moment for any startup and we are excited to celebrate this win with Global Neighbor,” EC President Scott Koorndyk said. “It has been a privilege for the EC to guide them through the process. It’s a victory for the planet and farmers as they will benefit greatly from the future commercialization of innovative and eco-friendly Global Neighbor products currently in development.”
Global Neighbor, based in Xenia, counts some of the nation’s leading grain and produce farmers across the Midwest as advisory members. They provide access to field test sites and valuable input that gives Global Neighbor a deeper understanding of farming and how to make the process more efficient and profitable while addressing and mitigating the environmental concerns.
As the Launch Dayton startup community continues to grow, we’re excited to see what’s in store for these companies in the new year! (Startups listed alphabetically.)
Ahmic Aerospace
At Ahmic Aerospace, founder Ryan Meritt and his team are developing new hyper-sonic vehicle tech. Last spring, he won his OEA Defense Accelerator cohort’s pitch competition, and last fall, Ahmic Aerospace was named a Veteran-Owned Business of the Year finalist by the Dayton Business Journal.
Bailout Systems
Michael Ragsdale and his team have developed the world’s first pocket-sized, hands-free rappelling device for first responders. The device uses a 6mm line and can hold 5,500 pounds. Winner of the 2021 Launch Dayton Startup Week Pitch Competition’s innovation category, Michael Ragsdale is also a graduate of the OEA Defense Accelerator.
Brixilated
Brixilated founder Adam Mullins wants to get LEGO into the hands of every kid across the world. The startup creates custom products and experiences with LEGO, and recently launched a LEGO Mindfulness Class — a curriculum that is poised to flourish as education is disrupted. “Play is purposeful and can be therapeutic,” Adam explained. “With nontraditional education pathways starting to emerge, we’re really excited about sitting there at the forefront of it.”
Ceremony
Cookieologist
Jonesing for a hot, fresh-baked cookie after hours? The Cookieologist founder Isiah Davis has you covered. And in 2022, The Cookiologist will join fellow Black-owned businesses Simply Savory by Rachel & Nimbus Comic Cafe at the new Chicken Head’s restaurant, coming to 865 N. Main St., Dayton.
Horizon Healthcare
Founder Ryan Muhlenkamp has been working for years to develop a tamper-resistant device for PICC lines that will change the treatment process for patients with a history of intravenous drug use. The startup is part of the MedTech Launch Fund, and is poised for growth in 2022.
Inphlu
Inphlu founder Josh Reid closed his oversubscribed $500K pre-seed funding round last August & is gearing up for his next funding round this year. The social media automation startup also rolled out a new suite of enterprise solutions late last year. The startup still owns every line of code.
Lunnie
Mompreneur Sarah Kallile launched Lunnie one year ago with a simple mission — to reinvent the nursing bra for fellow breastfeeding moms. Moms wear these bras 24/7 while nursing, often for multiple years — but 84% of moms are dissatisfied with the products on the market, Sarah found. Sarah’s new, stylish, patent-pending nursing bra should hit the market this spring.
MilesAhead
MilesAhead cofounders Yuxing Wang and Luis Estevez are bringing new solid-state battery technology to the market to power electric vehicles and enable electric aircraft. The duo won their Early Risers Academy cohort’s pitch competition last spring, and continued to push through 2021.
New Season Wellness
Anikka Masey and her husband, Thomas, launched New Season Wellness in a bid to help their community be well. They specialize in CBD-infused products, but they also make and sell other alternative, holistic wellness products. On April 20, 2021, they opened their brick-and-mortar storefront in Englewood, and in 2022, they’ll be launching their very own line of CBD products.
Noorah Labs
Noorah Labs is the first majority-minority owned marijuana processing lab in Ohio. In 2021, they closed their initial $2.5 million funding round and started their first production run. Watch cofounder Nickole Ross’s Launch Dayton Startup Week talk with What’s The Biz founder Te’Jal Cartwright here, and stay tuned for more moves from Noorah Labs in 2022!
Savorista
In 2021, Savorista launched a new personal pour-over product, and landed it’s first retail account on the shelves of Dorothy Lane Market, the same store where founder Kait Brown worked her first job as a barista 20 years ago. We can’t wait to see how Savorista grows in 2022!
Tumble
Let Tumble cofounders Jeffrey Caldwell and Charles Wheeler handle your laundry with their on-demand wash + fold services! Tumble’s on-demand laundry & dry-cleaning service is now serving serving residential + commercial markets in the Dayton region. The duo took first place in the Main Street category of the Launch Dayton Startup Week Pitch Competition.
Zora
Zora (formerly Illume Fit) is developing a wearable SOS device for endurance athletes and adventurers who are often out training without their phones. Cofounder & University of Dayton alum Jack Randall has been sitting with the idea since college, when a friend collapsed and had a seizure in the middle of a run. “Luckily it was a very populous area, and there were some bystanders who were able to call for help, but I started to think, what would I do if someone was not around to help?” Jack recalls.
We can’t believe 2021 is nearly over! As we reflect and set intentions for 2022, we’re taking a look back at the stories the Launch Dayton community read the most in 2021.
10. The Cookieologist whips up baked-to-order late night eats
Jonesing for a hot, fresh-baked cookie after hours? The Cookieologist has you covered. Isiah Davis is the founder of Cookieologist, formerly known as The Cookie Joint, located at 1106 Brown Street in Dayton. Wednesday through Saturday, he’s baking your late-night eats, with pickup available as late as midnight on the weekend.
9. Candle bar owner crafts safe spaces
Locally-owned candle bar Wick Therapy Candle is a space where candle lovers can create their own scented candles, as well as sugar scrubs, salt scrubs, milk baths, bath teas, and more. Founder Jhazlyn Sanders walks customers through creating their scents, so they can enjoy using their product as much as they enjoyed making it.
8. New Battle Sight products slated to hit the market this summer
NightFall is an infrared maritime marker, designed so rescue planes can spot a downed pilot. ColdFire is an infrared phosphorous, like the material used in a watch, designed to soak in energy and emit an infrared light to make it possible to identify friendlies on a battlefield. These products join CrayTech, the world’s first & only reusable infrared marker, in the Battle Sight Technologies suite of products to help the warfighter.
7. Tumble, Bailout Systems take top prizes at Startup Week Pitch Competition
Hands-free rappelling and on-demand wash + fold services took home first place honors (& $5K each) in the year’s biggest pitch competition at Launch Dayton Startup Week.
6. Meet the woman highlighting 100 Black businesses in 100 days
Te’Jal Cartwright never wanted to be an entrepreneur — and she still doesn’t, she jokes. But as long as she has to pay the bills, she wants to do it by supporting businesses and people she loves. She is the founder of What’s The Biz with TJ, a web series that has grown into a platform to highlight, support and connect Black business owners across the Dayton region.
5. Bailout Systems offers pocket-sized hands-free rappelling device for first responders
Winner of the 2021 Launch Dayton Startup Week Pitch Competition’s innovation category, Bailout Systems offers a hands-free, pocket-sized repelling device that uses a 6mm line and can hold 5,500 pounds. The device is a game-changer for first responders.
4. Ohio-based social media automation startup Inphlu closes half-million-dollar raise
The Launch Dayton community first met Inphlu founder Josh Reid in January 2020, when he pitched Early Risers the same morning his first child was born. In August 2021, he closed an oversubsribed $500K pre-seed funding raise. Inphlu is currently up to version 2.7 — and the company still owns every line of code, Josh said. Look for more growth from this startup in 2022!
3. Launch Into The Holidays will help you shop local this season
This year’s Facebook Live holiday campaign featured 50 small, local businesses and racked up 12K+ views! The businesses on this list offer great products and gifts for holidays & birthdays beyond the winter season as well. Stay tuned for new editions for new holidays in 2022!
2. Connect over unconventional sports at Two Social
Kelsey Calderone dreamed of a space where young adults who struggle to make new friends could connect in the Dayton community, whether around a beverage, or an axe-throwing target. So she launched Two Social, a bar where folks can find their community and hang out with friends, sometimes around unconventional sports.
1. If you’re looking to shop Black-owned businesses
We first pulled this list together in June 2020 to answer calls for a directory of Black-owned businesses to support in the wake of the social justice protests that followed the murder of George Floyd. It continued to be a resource in 2021, and we hope it will continue to be a resource for the community in 2022 and beyond.
Launch Dayton partners are so excited to bring back the new-and-improved in-person monthly LaunchPad event series, kicking off January 2022!
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
From 4 – 8 p.m. NETWORK all evening in the kitchen!
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. ATTRACT STRONG PERFORMERS TO YOUR STARTUP
Book + Street will show you how to build a value proposition to attract strong performers to your startup. Learn how to analyze financial models and convert your business plan into financial forecasts.
4:30-6:30 P.M. NEW YEAR, NEW MARKETING PLAN
Marketing expert and GuideBeam Digital Marketing founder Danielle Phillips will walk you through how to align your 2022 marketing goals with your business goals. Learn specific steps to take to make your marketing successful; free tools to understand how potential customers are acting online; and which analytics really matter for your goals.
PLUS the first dozen attendees will receive a free SEO report from Danielle!
5:30-7:30 P.M. SO YOUR RESOLUTION IS TO FINALLY LAUNCH YOUR BUSINESS?
Irene Marie founder Christina Mendez will show you how to convert your vision board into a business plan.
Register here to snag your spot!
Flare in Focus founder Mystic Good is on a mission to help people feel confident through fashion.
Last week, she took first place in the fall 2021 Early Risers Academy cohort’s culminating pitch competition.
“When you look good, you feel good,” Mystic said. “It changes how you feel about yourself, what you’re doing and everything in between.”
Her business, Flare in Focus, is an accessible styling service business offering personal styling services, event styling, closet organizations, and creative direction for special projects + photography.
Participants complete Kauffman FastTrac coursework from the nationally-renowned Kauffman Foundation, receive pitch coaching and hands-on mentoring, weekly discussions with successful entrepreneurs and experts, & access to Dayton’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The bootcamp is designed to take aspiring entrepreneurs from idea to business launch. 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.
Other fall 2021 cohort graduates include:
“Early Risers Academy is designed for aspiring founders in any industry,” Project Manager KeAnna Daniels said. “We’re particularly excited to work with more women and minority founders.”
You can’t know exactly what environment you’ll be building in until you can experience it — and LBJ Inc.’s drone services can help with that.
LJB Inc. has a number of offices all of the U.S. specializing in structural engineering, transportation engineering, and civil design.
UAS-LIDAR manager Joe Hickey works specifically in the geospatial and sight design group.
LJB Inc. was one of 10 companies tapped for the second cohort of the Dayton Region’s Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) Defense Accelerator, powered by Launch Dayton partners Parallax Advanced Research and the Entrepreneurs’ Center.
We recently caught up with Joe to learn more about his journey and his experience with the defense accelerator. Our conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
Joe: I handle the operations of UAS-LIDAR data collection. Someone will come to me with a problem, and we will go over how UAS might benefit that or what the limitations might be. I research and do a background check on whether we can run a drone in the area or what the expected outcome might be. I am usually the one who goes out and flies the drones.
Early on, I just thought drones were cool. It was just a hobby of mine that I thought would be awesome if I could turn it into a profession. There is a lot of interest in this technology because it makes traditional workflow so much easier and safer.
I have always been a very curious person. I am always interested in finding out new ways to do things or how to do old things more efficiently. The point of UAS is to help companies that are using this technology conduct their day-to-day operations more effectively.
If my company is working on a project, and they are going to design something like a building or roadway, they need an accurate model of what exists out there. I go out with a drone and create a realistic environment for them to plan with. It is at a scale that will translate into their project.
No day is the same. I have not had a boring day here yet. I really enjoy seeing a finished project. I’ll spend a few days planning a project, go out to the field, execute, collect the data, and come back. Sometimes I’ll spend up to a week getting everything to process nicely. When I see the final product and reality mesh come together, it is very satisfying.
A lot of what the UAS Accelerator program covered was in line with what I was trying to learn. It was similar to the approach I was trying to take with my role in LJB. I have a background in aerial systems, but I am also pursuing a business degree. It made perfect sense to take a more involved course where the content is centered around this technology.
It was a great experience. The instructors were very knowledgeable about entrepreneurship and running a business. The guest speakers are some of the smartest people in the industry. I have worked with a few of them, so I can attest to their experience and what they had to offer. It was really cool that it was such an engaging program that was available to so many people.
Learn more about LJB Inc.’s services and technology here or contact Joe at [email protected]
After 18 years in the classroom, Regina Emery took her love of art into the studio fulltime. At Studio Regina Glass, she aims to create not only admirable art, but also functional art. She also continues to teach workshops as a way to spread the empowerment she found in creating art out of glass.
Regina was a member of the 2021 cohort of the Downtown Dayton Retail Lab, powered by Launch Dayton partner Downtown Dayton Partnership. We caught up with her to learn more about her experience and her entrepreneurial journey.
Regina: After I left a teaching position, I asked myself what I was going to do. I decided it was time to do what I love, which is art. I taught art for eighteen years, so now I am able to make a living with my art.
My passion is drawing, but glass is what has empowered me. I took a class on how to fuse glass about five or six years before I quit teaching preschool through high school. It was a four-day workshop and I fell in love with it. When I learned how to cut glass, I thought it was the greatest thing in the world and being able to make art with that is really fun.
No, never. I wanted to be an artist. I didn’t want to teach, and I taught. I wasn’t going to have children, and I had lots. I did a lot of things I never thought I would do. I never expected to be an “artist.” I took art in high school so I wouldn’t have to take music. When I applied for college, I never thought I would go, but a college contacted me and asked for my portfolio.
I have this belief that if you want something to happen, you can make it happen. I have to believe it will happen; I have to work for it, and somedays it doesn’t feel like I will make it. Somehow, I find the strength inside myself to keep going. If something doesn’t work, I have to figure out how to fix it. Every day I have a moment where I want to give up, but I am a fighter, and I am going to make it work.
When I started at market, they told me I needed smaller items to sell. Still, I would produce a piece that was a hundred dollars, and it would sit there for a little while, but then it would sell. I made a piece that was four hundred dollars, and I knew it was a show piece and probably wouldn’t sell at market. It sat there for three years. A month ago, it sold.
I learned that sometimes it means just being patient. You have something there, but it might not happen in the time you want. It will happen if you keep setting the scenario and lay out the opportunity. You just have to be patient.
I learned a lot and took advantage of a lot of the opportunities they had for us. Even if there wasn’t prize money involved, I still would have done the pitch competition because I knew it would make my business grow. The Retail Lab was a way for me to take my business to the next level. I have shared it with other members at the market, and I tell them to keep trying even if they don’t get in.
It is how I speak to the world about what is important to me. A lot of my work is a reaction to nature and how I relate to it; it is my equilibrium. Being in nature changes my whole attitude. I look at not only the inspiration it brings to me, but what it gives back to us in the form of life and energy. At the same time, it is about the relationships I form with others and how I affect the people that are in my life.
The biggest thing is word of mouth, so let people know I am there. Honestly, my favorite support is when people come to the market and consider my art. They could come in for a year and never buy anything, but they still come in and consider my art.
Shop Studio Regina Glass online here or in-person at 2nd Street Market! Also find her on Facebook & Instagram @studioreginaglass.
Wonder if the Retail Lab might be a fit for you? Learn more here.
The fall 2021 Early Risers Academy general cohort will see 6 founders pitch their budding companies for prize money and support next Thursday, Dec. 16, at 6p at The Hub.
The Early Risers Academy 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 business-building program 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:
Register here to attend the pitches! We’ll also stream the pitches live on Facebook.
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.
Learn more & apply for an upcoming Early Risers Academy cohort here.
Last week, the Entrepreneurs’ Center launched the Rotunda Fund, a revenue-based investment fund for Dayton-area entrepreneurs and small businesses that are EC clients.
The first of its kind in the Dayton area, the Rotunda Fund will not require entrepreneurs to give up a percentage of their companies in exchange for capital. Instead, the investment will be paid back monthly as a negotiated percentage of sales over a period of five years or at a 2x return to the Fund.
The Fund is targeted for entrepreneurs who are not able to get a traditional bank loan but are on track to double their sales in the next two years.
“We see companies at the Entrepreneurs’ Center that don’t have friends and family who can invest, don’t have collateral, or are at their credit limit, but still need funds to grow,” said Kim Frazier, the director of growth initiatives at the EC and the Rotunda Fund manager. “This is the target company for our investment.”
Companies in the Rotunda Fund portfolio will benefit from wrap-around services provided by EC staff, with a strong focus on increasing revenue.
“This is more expensive than traditional bank financing,” Frazier explained, “but we expect it to be ‘smart’ money, an investment that benefits from the EC’s network and staff.”
An open-ended fund, the Rotunda Fund will close out its first year of fundraising at the end of 2021 with an expected $200,000 raised. It expects to make its first investments in 2022.
Companies interested in receiving an investment can apply now here.
The Rotunda Fund invests in the EC’s client companies, including those that have used the Miami Valley Small Business Development Center (SBDC), portfolio companies of the Entrepreneur Service Provider (ESP) program, or small business innovation research companies that have participated in the Technology Acceleration Programs (SBIR TAP).
“We expect investments from the Rotunda Fund to be as diverse as the companies that we see at the EC,” said Scott Koorndyk, president of the Entrepreneurs’ Center. “From solo entrepreneurs to sophisticated research companies, our clients can sometimes struggle to raise capital, and we believe the Rotunda Fund can help bridge this gap.”
The EC will serve as the general partner of the Rotunda Fund, while local investors will be limited partners.
EC clients that qualify for investment will:
Sound like you? Entrepreneurs interested in receiving an investment from the Rotunda Fund can apply now at this link or contact Kim Frazier directly at [email protected].
To be an accredited investor, a person must have 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.
Interested in investing? Contact Kim Frazier directly at [email protected].
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