By Aliyah McLain
Born and raised Daytonian Dana Graham is a community and social curator, and founder of Scripted in Black, which recently relaunched as a multidisciplinary arts collective for Black and Brown creatives.
Dana is a graduate of the spring 202o cohort of Early Risers Academy, a free, 10-week business-building bootcamp powered by Launch Dayton partner Parallax Advanced Research. She is also the community builder of Genuine Work, a coworking community in downtown Dayton.
We recently caught up with Dana to see how her company is growing amidst her rebrand. Our conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
Dana Graham: I noticed artistic pillars weren’t inviting of black culture. I had a goal of combining the arts and a social approach to create a safe space for individuals of color to showcase their artistic talent. Scripted in Black became my response to wanting to find a solution to the lack of Black and Blown artistic representation.
Originally, I just had one installment, a Women of Color Reading Series for Black and Brown women playwrights to share their work. Under the new Scripted in Black, we will have additional installments. We unveiled the rebrand on our social media pages via a digital exhibition that featured original artwork, music and conversation through our posts. We also shared the EP we’ve been producing. It was a nice sensory experience. Another aspect of the relaunch was creating different membership tiers for those who want to support Scripted in Black.
I’m just excited to be back out in the community, especially the arts and creative culture community. And I’m excited to expand. Outside of the Women of Color Reading Series, all our installments will be accessible for all Black and Brown identities. Opening up our audience excites me because it allows us to touch more people, to connect more people and collaborate in more mediums.
Early Risers Academy was challenging, and hard work, but it really paid off. Everything I learned helped me to look at a more expansive version of Scripted in Black. It allowed me to widen my vision, see how it would be sustainable, how I could continue to grow my company.
I did not have the initial vision of an entrepreneur, but I did have a goal to own each space that I stepped into. My old theatre director, Ms. Angela Blout, motivated me to want to “be a boss in spaces of power.”
The main reason I love what I do is because I have been blessed with this journey from God which allows me the opportunity to experience growth, openness, and understanding while I continue to build this unique vision that aims to help others.
Follow Scripted in Black on Instagram and Facebook, and connect with them online here.
Applications are open for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, designed to provide assistance for the arts, music and entertainment venues impacted by COVID-19.
The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program will provide $16B total in grants, to be administered by the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Disaster Assistance.
Eligible venues may receive grants equal to 45 percent of their gross earned revenue, with a cap of $10M per venue.
Full details are available here.
Applications are open for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, the latest targeted small business relief fund created through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
The Restaurant Revitalization Fund will be administered through the Small Business Administration (SBA). It will provide restaurants, bars, and other food-related businesses with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss, up to $10 million per business, with a $5 million cap per physical location.
For the first 21 days (through May 23, 2021), funds will be directed toward businesses owned by women, veterans and socially- or economically-disadvantaged individuals (minorities).
Recipients are not required to repay the funding as long as they’re spent on eligible expenses by March 11, 2023 (see below).
Apply through the SBA restaurant relief portal here.
Or apply directly through an SBA-recognized Point of Sale (POS) vendor, which include Square, Toast, Clover, NCR Corporation (Aloha).
Episode six of WYSO’s new web and radio series, Bouncing Back: Dayton Small Business Survive the Pandemic, features Mandy Groszko, founder of Ella Bella Homemade, offering gluten-free baking mixes, and Kait Brown, founder of Savorista Coffee, offering craft decaf and low-caffeine coffees.
As the women grew their businesses, a friendship was born, and now they say the pandemic has reminded them that it’s important to connect beyond the bottom line.
“I think when we talk about what’s the impact of covid on small businesses or small business owners, people often only take the lens from a business perspective. And in reality, small business owners have all of the other things going on in their lives that that everyone else does,” Kait shares.
“I haven’t thought to stop working on Ella Bella because of the pandemic. It’s the outside factors, the being married, having three kids, I also have a full-time job and just life in general. So the pandemic has made it more difficult but it’s not because I don’t believe in my product,” Mandy agreed. “Other people love it, too. So that’s what keeps me going. That’s what makes me go to the kitchen after work and on the weekends and just keep doing it. But also for me, you know, getting to the commercial kitchen and blending the flour and packaging, it’s been a meditative experience.”
Listen to or read the full interview here.
When it is complete, the WYSO series will feature stories from nearly a dozen entrepreneurs within our Launch Dayton community. The stories will air each Wednesday at 6:44am and 8:44am (during Morning Edition), again during All Things Considered at 5:44 pm and finally on the following Sunday Morning during WYSO Weekend between 10:00 and 10:30 am.
The series was produced by Jess Mador from The Eichelberger Center for Community Voices in collaboration with Audrey Ingram and Launch Dayton, a network supporting entrepreneurs across the Dayton region.
The fifth episode of WYSO’s new web and radio series, Bouncing Back: Dayton Small Business Survive the Pandemic, features best friends Vaniti Bryd, founder of Baba Love Organics, and LeKeisha Grant, founder of Ambition & small business coach at Launch Dayton partner the Miami Valley Small Business Development Center.
Vaniti started Baba Love in her home kitchen before branching out into a storefront early last year. She says small retail businesses like hers are still facing shipping and delivery delays, but despite all the challenges of the last year, her business is still growing.
“We actually signed a lease for our brick and mortar four days before the governor shut us down. However, I still continued to make products in my home during COVID-19 and sell them the same way that we had already been selling them,” Vaniti recalled. “You know, when you’re trying to scale, the investment is larger. So you’re spending money almost at the same pace as you’re making money because you’re not just buying a case of 24 jars anymore. You’re buying 24 cases. You’re paying for freight.”
“Yeah. When you when you have to go over that first hump is always expensive,” LeKeisha agreed. “Everyone you want to work with after that requires more money. You know, I require 1,000 versus 100 is not even going to be a conversation. It’s a good move. It’s just it is expensive.”
Listen to or read the full interview here.
When it is complete, the WYSO series will feature stories from nearly a dozen entrepreneurs within our Launch Dayton community. The stories will air each Wednesday at 6:44am and 8:44am (during Morning Edition), again during All Things Considered at 5:44 pm and finally on the following Sunday Morning during WYSO Weekend between 10:00 and 10:30 am.
The series was produced by Jess Mador from The Eichelberger Center for Community Voices in collaboration with Audrey Ingram and Launch Dayton, a network supporting entrepreneurs across the Dayton region.
Thursday night, Tonya Satchell, founder of BTNP Stem Toys, won her Early Risers Academy cohort’s virtual pitch night, taking home $1K.
BTNP STEM Toys provides educational toys, available new or used, or through toy rental subscription packages. Her goal is to provide “toys that challenge and engage the child’s mind.”
“I appreciated that Early Risers Academy was a non-intimidating environment. Gail and Ke has us at ease every session,” Tonya shared of her experience. “The presenters gave us the info we needed at the moment. Sometimes, presenters give you info you need five years from now, but Early Risers Academy gave us what we need right now, in the startup phase.”
Early Risers Academy is a free, 10-week, business-building bootcamp managed by Launch Dayton partner Parallax Advanced Research.
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 entreprenuers 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 winter 2021 cohort graduates included:
- Kimberly Stevenson, founder of Golden Locket, an independent provider with the Department of Developmental Disabilities;
- Jehanne Dufresne, founder of WEW!, working to empower and encourage women;
- Brandi Washington, founder of Yes, We Deliver!, offering last-mile delivery services;
- Charmaine Webster, founder of Tinka’s Treats, an online bakery offering homemade pies;
- Matt Dunn, founder of U Experience, curating immersive travel experiences for small groups & brands;
- Danielle Simpson, founder of an as-yet-unnamed business specializing in charcuterie boards for events;
- Ariane Cook, founder of online retail business VIBEZ;
- Aaliyah Lovett, founder of Black On Purpose, a network for Black professionals.
“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.”
Curious if Early Risers Academy is fit your you? Learn more & apply for our next cohort here!
MilesAhead Energy, a company developing and commercializing solid-state batteries to power electric vehicles and enable electric aircraft, has been named the winner of the Early Risers Academy tech cohort pitch competition.
Early Risers Academy is a business-building bootcamp powered by Launch Dayton partner Parallax Advanced Research. MilesAhead Energy won a $1K grant and was recognized for its success and scalability.
MilesAhead Energy, co-founded by Yuxing Wang and Luis Estevez, both former scientists based at the University of Dayton Research Institute, is looking to disrupt the energy storage market for electric vehicles as it exists today.
At present, liquid-based lithium ion batteries — the type used in Tesla automobiles — dominate this market segment. MilesAhead Energy’s battery technology is based on next-generation solid-state technology which could outperform standard lithium ion batteries in terms of charge speed, heat tolerance, and overall safety. In addition to powering electric cars, these batteries have potential use for electric aircraft, NASA missions, and the defense industry.
In addition to seeking funding for product development and research, MilesAhead Energy will raise capital by providing research and development-as-a-service for government and private clients.
“As a founder with an academic and science background who was clearly unprepared for the business aspects of a tech startup, the Early Risers Academy boot camp by Launch Dayton was like going through a mini MBA program,” said Wang. “Eric Wagner of Converge Ventures and the guest lecturers provided excellent foundational business know-how, including step-by-step guidance on developing a sound business strategy. We now feel confident about pitching our startups to investors, customers, and partners.”
“We are proud to support the Dayton region’s founders and their cutting-edge innovations,” said Dennis Andersh, Parallax President and CEO. “Getting research from people like Wang out of the lab and into the market paves the way for a better world.”
The Early Risers Academy tech cohort is facilitated by Eric Wagner, CEO and co-founder of Converge Ventures, a unique, high-tech startup model that helps early-stage companies fund, develop, and commercialize its products. An experienced instructor and mentor to engineers, Wagner has served as the associate director for the Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence at the Ohio State University and as an adjunct instructor for the I-Corps@Ohio program.
“The amount of innovation coming from the Dayton region is astounding,” said Wagner. “We have enjoyed supporting these exciting startups as they begin their commercialization journeys.”
Over the past several weeks, the ten Early Risers Academy cohort entrepreneurs learned how to convert their business ideas into a startup, including prototype development, design thinking, and capital raising. The cohort entrepreneurs also heard from guest speakers on topics related to entrepreneurship. Much of the Academy coursework is based on the Kauffman FastTrac program, an entrepreneurship education module from the nationally renowned Kauffman Foundation.
“I’m honored to have won the pitch competition, given the caliber of the other outstanding startups in our cohort, and am excited to use what I learned to procure funding to develop battery prototypes at MilesAhead Energy,” Wang said.
To learn more about MilesAhead Energy, watch the company’s pitch here.
Other 2021 Early Risers Academy tech cohort graduates included:
Curious if Early Risers Academy is a good fit for your company? Learn more here.
Launch Dayton partners the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce and the Entrepreneurs’ Center, backed by Chase, have teamed up to launch Project Enginuity, a new national initiative designed to accelerate and empower Black, Latinx and women innovators by helping them tap into the federal government’s Small Business Innovation Research program.
SBIR is a highly competitive program that awards funding to small businesses to enable them to explore their technological potential and commercialize products that meet federal and defense industry needs. Participants will receive training and individualized coaching as they apply for SBIR awards of $50K to $1M+.
“Project Enginuity is an opportunity to uncover what we know to be true — Black, Latinx and women innovators carry enormous talent that can transform our industries,” said Brian Lamb, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion for JPMorgan Chase. “Our firm is committed to creating opportunities for these entrepreneurs to demonstrate that potential. We are proud to support Project Enginuity and look forward to witnessing the journeys of our brightest entrepreneurs from across the country.”
Project Enginuity is “dedicated to equity and inclusion in technological innovation,” states a joint press release. It’s mission is to increase the number of Black, Latinx and women entrepreneurs that receive access to this non-dilutive capital in order to stimulate meaningful innovation and build long-term wealth.
The new program will serve minority- and woman-owned businesses across the country to provide:
Applications for the program will open July 19, 2021. Find more info here.
Child Protective Services worker by day, the gym is DanHeisha Harding’s happy place — and in March, she opened that space to share with the community at the grand opening for her new gym, Built and Bodied by Heisha, located at 320 W. National Road, Englewood.
We caught up with DanHeisha recently to help celebrate this milestone in her entrepreneurial journey. Our conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
DanHeisha: I was a track athlete through high school and college. I moved to Cleveland to pursue my master’s degree, and got my certification for training for there. I’d wanted to get back in shape, and people at the gym started asking me to train them, and as I thought about it, I wanted to pursue it. I started with a class — I was scared to train one-on-one. But running a fitness class helped me get familiar with the energy, learn people’s bodies. I jumped into training at a couple facilities in Cleveland.
Fast forward to 2019, I’d been gone from Dayton for about 10 years, and my mom needed me to come back home. I had been working for Cuyahoga County, so I got a job at Montgomery County, and started training here. I wanted something for my clients — a space for them to feel was their gym, a sanctuary from every day life.
Especially with COVID, and the mental health issues that have come to the forefront, the gym is a way for people to escape. I went virtual when COVID first hit. I started to want a gym because I had too many clients — I was getting up at 4am in order to fit in my own workout before my day job. The building I found used to be a Fit Body Bootcamp, so it was already a gym, it just needed my personal touch, new flooring, some paint. I had about two weeks to transition it over for my clients at the top of January. Now, we are starting to open up memberships even if you’re not a personal training client. We’ll start adding some classes — bootcamps, an ab class, a cardio class — and I’ll be hiring some other trainers to work with clients during the day. I also got into active wear — I love that people can wear my items and feel beautiful and comfortable.
We have 3k square feet that includes two offices and a cardio room, as well as an open space, set up kind of like a CrossFit gym. We have turf and we can do pushing, pulling, squats racks, heavy lifting. I do plan to get more machines, but right now, we do a lot of free work. This feels like home, this is comfortable.
Training has always been a passion of mine. It doesn’t feel like work to me. I’m passionate about what I can do, how I can help other people. Maybe it’s my history in social work, but it flows so well to create a training program for someone. And training is definitely my therapy, too, it keeps me centered. I’m training for the 2021 Olympics, and everything my clients are doing, I’m doing — eating, sleep, water intake, accountability for workouts. I like to be transparent about my journey as well — you never know who you’re inspiring.
I have an ability to adapt. I’m a hurdler, and sometimes that hurdle comes up faster than you intend. With everything I’ve endured in entrepreneurship, I’ve been able to adapt and adjust, and stay true to myself. It’s easy to get lost in the world’s expectation of what a Black business owner or professional working woman should look like. And a lot of people talk fear into what you want to do, so you have to have ambition. You won’t always be supported, but you keep going anyway, regardless of who approves and who doesn’t. I’ve stayed true to myself, and I take pride in that. Entrepreneurship is hard, but I’m built for it.
Connect with DanHeisha online at builtandbodied.fit.
Anikka Masey and her husband, Thomas, launched their online CBD store, New Season Wellness, in 2020 because they wanted to help their community be well.
On Tuesday, April 20, from 4 to 7p, the couple will host the grand opening of their new physical storefront, located at 446 S. Main Street in Englewood.
The brick and mortar location is the latest step in the Maseys’ journey to bring wellness to their community.
“I love what I do because I love to see people healthy,” Anikka shared. “My husband and I come from long line of illness — blood pressure, diabetes are prevalent and in our family, we start taking medicine early. It has always been a goal of mine to avoid that, and I made it to 46 without having to take any regular medication. What I want for my family, my children, my community, is to be more educated overall to be healthy.”
New Season Wellness offers a variety of CBD products, from lotions and creams that help with pain, to CBD-infused teas, honeys, tinctures, nuts, chocolates and fruit chews.
“People have to unlearn the idea that CBD is illegal,” Anikka said. “We have to educate our community that these are alternative therapies to deal with insomnia, topical pain.”
The new store will be open Wednesday through Friday from 10a to 7p and Saturday from 9a to 6p.
Anikka had recently launched her new online retail company last fall when she joined the Early Risers Academy, a free 10-week business-building bootcamp powered by Launch Dayton partner Parallax Advanced Research. She won her cohort’s pitch competition in fall 2020. The experience helped prepare her to grow the business and launch her physical location, she said. She also hopes to launch New Season Wellness ‘s first custom product later this year.
Read our full interview with Anikka about her Early Risers Academy experience here.
Connect with her on Facebook @daytoncbd and Instagram @newseasonwellness.
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