Sierra Leone’s new startup offers line of sage sprays, healing oils

Spoken word poet and leader of the Dayton Urban Creative Movement Sierra Leone has long utilized smudging, the indigenous practice of burning sage to cleanse energies in a space. But there are some public spaces where it simply isn’t possible to burn sage — so Sierra and her partner, Nate Leone, developed a process to capture the energy-cleansing power of smudging and bottle it.

The couple launched Acacia Health & Wellness in late summer 2020. The new co offers a line of sage sprays, developed by Sierra, and a line of healing oils, curated by Nate.

“We’ve been making and using these products for ourselves for many years,” Sierra said. “I always wanted a clean space with me, a clean aura and presence.”

Sierra and Nate both come from a long line of healers. Nate’s great-great-grandmother was a Cherokee healer and many ancestors were preachers and faith healers. Sierra comes from a long line of nurses and caregivers. They have long run service-based businesses — Acacia Health & Wellness is their first foray into a product-based business.

“It was born our of our time at home together, something we’re doing as a family. When COVID was most harsh, working on these products became a part of science class, history class, business class for our children,” Sierra said. “The products are adding to who we are. They’re authentic, and we believe they will make a positive impact in the world.”

Different sages focus different energies — some sage works to bring positive energy, other is used only in ceremonies. Acacia’s sprays use sacred white sage, which focuses on clearing energy. They work with Native American women in California to harvest the plant so each step in the process remains sacred, Sierra said.

“We have a whole generation now that doesn’t want to suppress the energetic, spiritual side just because they can’t see it,” she said.

“Set your intention and use the sprays to decrease stress, remove brain fog, unstuck energy, elevate the mood, get in a flow,” Sierra said. “In these stressful times, my customers use the spray to set positive intentions and affirmations or to clear negative energy after a tough meeting or too many Zooms.”

Sprays are misted over your head with 3-5 pumps. When clearing a room, spray clockwise in all four corners, then once in the center of the room.

Oils are rubbed into the body to accelerate healing — they have been used as far back as Biblical times to bless and heal, Sierra said.

“Reclaiming our power in a time of need has allowed us to fully develop a product that supports energy centering, inspires creativity and healing,” Nate said.

“I get to completely be the woman I am, born as an African American whose lineage extends beyond slavery. I get to bring a culture of innovation that is birthed from an understanding that I don’t have to live life as a fixed asset because of my ancestors’ experience. We get to be responsible for positive or negative energy that we create or leave, ” she shared. “I bring a culture of knowing that we are better together. I come from a big family and I do truly believe if you want to go fast, you go alone, but if you want to go far, you go together.”

Sierra is a graduate of the fall 2020 Early Risers Academy cohort. Early Risers Academy is a free, 10-week business-building bootcamp managed by Launch Dayton partner Parallax Advanced Research. Her cohort was the first with all Black woman-owned businesses.

“I have an MBA, but there is something to be said for working in an environment that is professionally supportive and culturally safe,” Sierra reflected. “Authenticity was at the forefront and welcomed. So many layers were peeled back, you didn’t have to explain or go underneath or hide or suppress. The experience is competitive, but you’re pouring out your entrepreneurial soul and you know it won’t be used against you.”

The Downtown Dayton Partnership is offering a special bonus buy deal for those who purchase Downtown Dollars, the new, e-gift card program designed to keep local dollars with our downtown businesses. For every $25 Downtown Dollars purchased, an extra $10 of Downtown Dollars will be delivered in a separate e-gift card to the buyer.

Downtown Dollars is one e-gift card that is redeemable at more than 60 participating businesses in downtown Dayton, including restaurants, pubs, retailers and services. A full list of the businesses and a link to purchase Downtown Dollars is available at www.downtowndayton.org/dollars.

“Every time someone buys and uses Downtown Dollars, that’s money that directly impacts the bottom lines of our small businesses,” Sandra K. Gudorf, president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership, said. “We created this simple, e-gift card to connect more than 60 independent, local businesses in a network where customers can purchase a variety of food, drinks, shopping and more with one card.”

The bonus Downtown Dollars will be delivered to the purchaser in separate $10 gift vouchers from their $25 purchase. The $25 Downtown Dollars e-gift card purchased by the customer does not expire, but the $10 bonus card(s) will expire if not used before Feb. 28, 2021. This promotion is capped at a maximum of $100 in Bonus Buy Dollars per customer.

The $10 bonus buys are limited, and are only available until Jan. 31, 2021, or while Bonus Buy funds last – so be sure to grab your Downtown Dollars now before this special offer is gone!

Downtown Dollars gives access to the best shopping, dining and entertainment in Downtown Dayton with one card, conveniently stored on a phone or other mobile device.

When you purchase Downtown Dollars for yourself, or to give to others as a gift, the e-gift card is delivered via email or text message. Benefits of the Downtown Dollars e-gift cards include:

Go to the Downtown Dollars webpage to purchase your e-gift card for yourself or to send as a gift. Choose the amount, and it will be delivered by email or text message. To learn more about how to redeem your gift cards at participating businesses, visit our website for details and other frequently asked questions.

The Downtown Dayton Partnership will continue to create special offers for Downtown Dollars. Keep in the loop by “liking” the DDP on Facebook, or follow the DDP on Twitter and Instagram (@DowntownDayton) for the latest news. You can also subscribe to the DDP’s email newsletters.

For a complete list of downtown’s businesses, a dining guide, parking maps and more, visit www.downtowndayton.org.

The Hardware Cup is a pitch competition for early-stage hardware startups. This year, it will be run entirely virtually.

To be eligible, you must be an early-stage hardware startup with at least one physical product component.

While previous iterations of the Hardware Cup did a tour of 6 US regions, the 2021 Hardware Cup has a new format: the competitions are divided by industry vertical. The verticals include: AI/robotics, life sciences, cleantech, consumer products, smart home/connected devices, and smart cities/autonomous vehicles.

Six teams will be selected in each industry vertical to pitch at a semi-final event. Each team will give a 3-minute pitch followed by about 3 minutes of Q&A with the panel of judges made up of VCs and investors.

The winning company from each vertical, in addition to a possible wild card finalist chosen by our judges, will pitch at the online Hardware Cup International Finals event in May 2021.

The winner of the Hardware Cup International Finals event will take home the $50,000 cash grand prize.

Additionally, all finalists will be featured online as part of a private AI/Robotics investor event with top hardware investors from around the country.

NEW THIS YEAR: AlphaLab Gear is collaborating with the Jewish Healthcare Foundation to launch the Healthcare Safety Challenge with over $60,000 in cash prizes for both software and hardware startups with patient/healthcare safety innovations.

Medical error is one of the most persistent problems in healthcare. Alphalab is looking for the most exciting healthcare safety innovations to solve this massive problem. We need innovative ideas to improve outcomes, and save time, money, and lives.

Co-Op Dayton is a nonprofit organization that seeks to create a more equitable and sustainable local economy by developing cooperative businesses that meet community needs, that are rooted in and accountable to community, and that offer dignified jobs through shared ownership. Co-op Dayton currently provides business technical assistance and community outreach and organizing for more than ten cooperatives in development in Dayton, including the Gem City Market.

The Finance Manager will play a key role in our organization by helping us to maximize our social impact with our financial resources and to sustainably grow our staff and programs. The Manager will be responsible for tracking our finances, updating our books, and reporting to our grantors. The Manager will also participate in the cooperative business development process by providing technical assistance to co-ops, specifically with financial models, analysis, and training. Because Co-op Dayton is a democratic workplace, the Manager will also help to develop the organization’s vision and strategy alongside other staff and stakeholders.

People of color, women, those with disabilities, LGBTQ and gender nonconforming applicants encouraged to apply.

From the desk of Kim Woodbury, Miami Valley Small Business Development Center

The Payroll Protection Program (PPP) has opened back up for first-draw applicants, and the new PPP Second-Draw Loan, or PPP2, has launched for businesses that already received and expended their initial PPP loans.

First Draw PPP Loans can be used to help fund payroll costs, including benefits. Funds can also be used to pay for mortgage interest, rent, utilities, worker protection costs related to COVID-19, uninsured property damage costs caused by looting or vandalism during 2020, and certain supplier costs and expenses for operations.

These loans will initially only be available through Community Financial Institutions (CFIs)

The world is automating, and iCobotics founder Alan Livingston believes collaborative robotics will enable our region’s small and mid-size companies to get in on the game.

Alan spent more than two decades working in Dayton’s robotics space before launching iCobotics in mid 2019. Unlike traditional industrial robots, collaborative robots are more intuitive, utilizing the latest in tablets and touchscreen interfaces, for example.

“These collaborative robots are user-friendly and are a great choice for users with little to no experience with the technology,” Alan said. “This is actually creating a new space for small to medium enterprise companies to be able to get into robotics.”

Incorporating collaborative robots helps smaller companies stay competitive. It also helps them tackle the challenge of being unable to find enough people to do the work, a reality that plagues 89 percent of manufacturers.

“By adding a few robots now, they’re able to cover utilization problems by having the robots focus on the least desirable jobs,” he said.

“The I-75 corridor is still significant, even if it’s not what it used to be,” he said. “And here is Dayton, we’re the supplier base for Wright-Patt Air Force Base which includes a slew of government and defense companies.”

Small manufacturing is also vital to the national economy — roughly 75 percent of manufacturing companies across the U.S. have fewer than 20 employees according to the latest report from the Small Business Administration.

Alan landed in the manufacturing sector because it was the best opportunity available when he graduated from Wright State University. He stayed for the variety.

“I’ve had a chance to work on just about every manufacturing process out there. I’ve worked on all types of different equipment and met all types of different people along the way,” Alan said. “The variety is challenging, but it makes it rewarding and exciting.”

Alan pitched his company at Early Risers, a monthly pitch event coordinated by Launch Dayton partner Parallax Advanced Research, in spring 2020. He is also a profile company for Launch Dayton partner The Entrepreneurs Center’s ESP program.

“When you’re a small entrepreneur and when the initial excitement wears off, it’s a lonely place to be sometimes,” Alan said. “In the Launch Dayton community, we’ve been able to be an encouragement to each other. It’s also exciting to watch the others develop and grow.”

Dayton’s startup ecosystem continues to grow, and we’re excited to see what’s in store for these companies in the new year! (Startups listed alphabetically.)

Luis Estevez and his company, AIMM, are working to develop the world’s first self-disinfecting N95 mask, an innovative upgrade to the masks that are vital to the fight against COVID19. Luis has 10+ years of materials science expertise that he is funneling into his startup, AIMM, which specializes in antimicrobial coatings for porous materials that activate with simple water.

Luis took first place in the tech category of the 2020 Startup Week Pitch Competition. He also took first place in his Early Risers Academy 2020 spring tech cohort’s pitch competition. Apply for a 2021 cohort here.

Ella Bella Homemade offers a range of gluten-free baking mixes and flours to enable you to easily bake gluten-free at home. Founder Mandy Groszko launched the company after her daughter was diagnosed with a gluten sensitivity — the startup was the culmination of her mission to make a chocolate chip cookie that both her daughter and husband would eat. Mandy became an Amazon seller at the top of 2020 and soon saw her sales quadruple as families looked to bake together during the pandemic.

Lectratek LLC is looking to power the world’s first flying cars. The startup is focused on powering eAviation technologies for an industry poised for dramatic growth in the coming years. A spinout of private aerospace and defense firm Cornerstone Research Group, Lectratek leverages two decade’s worth of federally-sponsored research into electric aviation for applications from commercial and industrial drones to mid-tier commercial airliners. The current team is actively recruiting for executive leadership and business development positions.

New Season Wellness is your one-stop shop for CBD products. Anikka Masey and her husband launched the company as an online retail space in 2020 offering a range of products from topicals that help with pain to teas, honeys, tinctures, CBD nuts, chocolate and fruit chews. They are currently working with a manufacturer in Kentucky to develop their own product line — look for their new pain cream later this year.

Annika was a member of the fall 2020 Early Risers Academy cohort and took first place in her cohort’s pitch competition. Apply for a 2021 cohort here.

Savorista Coffee founder Kait Brown and her partner traveled the world to find the best decaf and half-caf coffee to offer customers through their caffeine-conscious co. In 2020, Savorista won the University of Dayton’s Flyer Pitch, taking home $25K cash and $25K in in-kind support from The Entrepreneurs Center. At the end of the year, Savorista debuted their new single-serve coffee product.

The pandemic has pushed folks back into their kitchens to cook meals at home, and Simply Savory by Rachel has seen exponential growth as a result. Simply Savory offers a range of spice blends designed to make cooking dinner as quick and easy as possible. In January of 2020, her online sales were about $15, but they kicked up in April, and she ended the year at five figures, she said. She has shipped products to 40 states, Canada and Iran. In 2021, she’s shooting to reach those final 10 states and claim a spot on the shelves at the new Gem City Market.

STEM Whisperers is a martech-focused college and career readiness STEM program that seeks to reduce the school-to-prison pipeline by diverting at-risk youth in urban schools into training programs to fill the martech gap in STEM fields. The founder is T. Osinubi, self-described “bad kid” turned entrepreneur. He is working with Dr. Amy Magnus to finalize a 12-week curriculum for schools to debut this month. A mobile app for the STEM Whisperers curriculum is also in development.

This Dayton-based startup has developed new syringe technologies capable of revolutionizing healthcare across the globe, including S.A.F.E., a syringe that can save lives during cardiac arrest by ensuring the proper saline flush automatically follows the administration of epinephrine. Founder Mick Hopkins hopes to get the syringe in front of investors and pharmaceutical cos this year. “Research has shown a 50 percent increase in at-home sudden cardiac arrest during COVID,” Mick shared. “Currently only 6 percent of at-home sudden cardiac arrests survive — even increasing that number 1 percent is 4,000 lives saved, so arming paramedics with the S.A.F.E. syringe will be huge.” Mick also landed his first international patents in Japan and the European Union in 2020, which he aims to leverage this year to expand abroad.

Wright State University graduate Abdullah Alwali launched his new fintech co, WaleeWall, mid-2020 after observing a swing of new investors trading from their homes. Over the last couple years, there has been an increased interest in investing among those 18-35 years old, he shared. In 2020, many e-brokers doubled, especially those apps designed for inexperienced traders, he continued. Folks are looking for ways to get that passive income — WaleeWall aims to provide education and analysis for individuals new to the stock market to allow people to trade in a much simpler way, Abdullah said. The MVP is currently in development.

In December 2020, founder Caressa Brown signed a lease for a nearly 15K-square foot space at the Dayton Mall for the new House of DEFIance, an offshoot of the Dayton Emerging Fashion Incubator which will offer coworking and boutique space for Dayton’s fashion community. Caressa is shooting to have a grand opening (tiered to accommodate COVID safety protocols) at the newly-rennovated space in March.

The inaugural cohort of Dayton’s Goldman Sachs 10K Small Businesses program graduated last week — congrats, founders!

The 15 week-long program teaches small business owners how to scale, from how to lead and hire, to how to prepare financial documents to seek funding, to how to marketing, sales & operations tactics. Originally slated to be delivered in person, the workshops went virtual this year in light of COVID.

The program is free to participants — a roughly $7,500 value per business owner, said Kandise Bobo, workforce development manager at Sinclair Community College. Sinclair administered the Goldman Sachs program, which Kandise previously described as a “crash course MBA.”

According to national program statistics, 67 percent of these business owners increase revenues & 47 percent of these owners create new jobs within 6 months of completing the program.

Applications are open for next year’s cohort, slated to begin May 17, 2021. Applicants should be owners or co-owners of a business that has been in operation for at least two years, made at least $75K in revenue in the most recent fiscal year, and has at least four employees (including the owner). These employees do not have to be full-time. Most important, Kandise emphasized, is a desire to grow the business.

“Together, we are building the cooperative businesses that meet our needs, whether that’s access to healthy groceries, or control of land and development in our neighborhoods, or alternatives to extractive gig economy apps,” writes Program Director Rachel Meketon in the organization’s year-end newsletter.

Despite the obstacles, this year our community:

Rise Huffman is a woman on a lifesaving mission — she is leveraging her extensive telecoms experience to revolutionize how medical workers and first responders operate.

Rise’s company, StratoCumulous Technologies, is developing Integrated Remote Testing (IRT), a device and system designed to allow emergency medical responders to obtain the medical history of the person they’re helping at the touch of a button. This quick access to a patient’s medical history enables the medical community and emergency responders to provide safer care — they can know immediately if a patient has a complicated medical history, like an organ transplant, or what medications a patient is currently taking in order to avoid harmful drug interactions.

“It’s resolving an issue that’s as old as the medical industry,” Rise said. “The key with IRT is two-way, real-time, ubiquitous information flow.”

The IRT utilizes AT&T First Net as a backbone component. The dedicated, non-commercial bandwidth was designed for disaster situations and is set aside specifically for first responders. Speeds are faster, and security is tighter, since the network operates outside the regular mobile network.

Rise’s work began at home — when her husband had a lung transplant in early 2018, she worried that an EMT wouldn’t know all the medications her husband needed, and that her husband wouldn’t be able to share that information if he was incapacitated. So the first iteration of IRT was developed specifically for the transplant community.

The rise of COVID in 2020 pushed Rise to broaden her scope and accelerate development of a prototype, which is currently underway. She’s simultaneously working on outfitting the device to address needs for patients with other chronic conditions.

Once the prototype is complete, the product should be only six months or so away from hitting the market, Rise said.

Rise spent nearly three decades in the telecoms industry before striking out on her own. Her experience includes everything from sales to developing one of the first VPNs (virtual private network). Through her company’s other arm, Creative Analytical Telecoms, Rise develops custom IT solutions to meet business’ needs.

“I fell in love with the industry because it was always growing and changing,” she said. “I’ve been on the cutting edge, as well as in stable product lines. I like being able to help a business grow, because it impacts the community. Everything comes back to people, even if the industry is technology.”

“Early Risers Academy was a phenomenal experience,” she said. “It gave me a lot of connections to propel the steps we needed to take.”

Get personalized news from Launch Dayton

Submit Your Event

Get my download link.