Weren’t able to attend Techstars Startup Week 2020 in real time this year? Catch up on any sessions you missed here!
You can also find the recorded sessions on the Launch Dayton YouTube channel. You’ll find a series of playlists including main stage talks, plus the industry-specific lineups for food&beverage, health/beauty/wellness, medtech and materials & manufacturing.
In its fifth year, this free, annual, week-long, entrepreneur-led, community-focused conference brought together the region’s entrepreneurs and small business owners — this year in a virtual setting.
Powerful main stage talks included:
- Marty Grunder, founder of Grunder Landscaping;
- Kala Gibson, Executive Vice President & Head of Business Banking at Fifth Third Bank, as well as MORTAR Board Chair;
- Jerricha Hoskins, founder of million-dollar haircare line Arcani Coil Care;
- Robin Gentry-McGee, the Functional Formularies founder who recently sold her medtech company;
- Lance Juhas, COO of Piada;
- Stephen Hightower, founder of Hightowers Petroleum Co. one of the country’s largest fuel suppliers.
Industry-specific sessions to help you move your business forward included:
- in Health/Beauty/Wellness: Holistic Branding — How to Stand out in a Crowded Marketplace;
- in Medtech: Don’t Tell Me, Show Me: 12 Months of MedTech Deals;
- in Food & Beverage: The Rapid Fired, Hot Head Story, from founder Ray Wiley;
- in Materials & Manufacturing: The State of Manufacturing in Ohio, from JobsOhio’s Glenn Richardson.
And many more! Check out the full lineup, then let us know which talks are your favorites, and what you want to see next year.
To our track captains — These community champions have volunteered their time through spring and summer 2020 to identify topics relevant to entrepreneurs in their industry & secure the right speakers to deliver those messages:
Andrew Cothrel & John Lewis: MedTech
Eric Wagner & Kaila Miller: Materials & Manufacturing
LeKeisha Grant & Tae Winston: Healthy/Beauty/Wellness
Mandy Grosko: Food & Beverage
Ryan Helbach & Anissa Lumpkin: Defense
To our sponsors — We could not have pulled this event off without an amazing group of committed sponsors, many of which have been with us for multiple years:
Our title sponsors for this year were Fifth Third Bank, The Entrepreneurs Center, and Parallax Adavanced Research.
The New Media Incubator was our official Technology Partner this year. They helped immensely as we shifted to a virtual environment.
The ONEIL Center sponsored our Early Risers Startup Week Edition Pitch Competition.
Tangram Flex, Infinite Management Solutions, and JJR Solutions sponsored this year’s Defense Track.
& 937 Payroll, the Downtown Dayton Partnership, and Converge Technologies stepped up as Partner Sponsors.
Thank you all for your ongoing support of Startup Week and our greater entrepreneur community!
Launch Dayton’s partner organizations are collaborating to run the online #LaunchIntoTheHolidays campaign to promote Dayton region small businesses this holiday season.
Beginning Cyber Monday, Nov. 30, 2020, and running through Friday, Dec. 18, Launch Dayton partner organizations, including Aviatra Accelerators — Dayton, Downtown Dayton Partnership, Miami Valley Small Business Development Center, Parallax Advanced Research and The Entrepreneurs Center, will share Facebook Live videos every weekday at noon from local businesses offering consumer goods across their platforms.
The goal is to connect the region’s small businesses with new customers seeking to shop local and maximize the impact of their dollars this holiday season. By sharing participating businesses’ Facebook Live videos, Launch Dayton partner organizations can amplify the businesses’ reach to the partners’ more than 20K combined followers.
“Our small business community has been hit especially hard this year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Parallax Program Manager John Owen said. “Though we are disappointed not to be able to gather in person for our annual Holiday Startup Market, we hope the #LaunchIntoTheHolidays campaign will enable us to support and promote even more businesses this holiday season.”
“There are so many wonderful small businesses in the Dayton region; some have managed to thrive and others have been greatly impacted. In spite of the pandemic, Dayton entrepreneurs have been determined to remain viable,” Aviatra Accelerators — Dayton Director Pam Cone said. “Aviatra — Dayton is honored to have been able to support new and existing women-owned businesses in the area this year, and we are pleased to be part of this collaborative effort to promote local businesses this holiday season.”
Launch Dayton is a collaborative effort of regional entrepreneurial support organizations to connect and support Dayton’s entrepreneur and startup community. Launch Dayton partners are seeking up to 60 businesses to participate in the #LaunchIntoTheHolidays campaign. Businesses in the retail, health/beauty/wellness products or services, food and beverage products or services, and art and creative industries are encouraged to sign up by Nov. 18.
Participating businesses will:
Businesses who sign up should:
Business owners must sign up by Wednesday, Nov. 18. Participants will be assigned their Facebook Live time slots by Friday, Nov. 20.
LeKeisha Grant, entrepreneur and business counselor at the Miami Valley Small Business Development Center, will offer an optional workshop for participants on Monday, Nov. 23 to maximize the impact of their Facebook Live. She’ll share how to prepare to go Live, where to do the Live video, how to pick top products to feature, etc.
Trep House is a virtual venture development platform + community + creative capital studio designed to launch and accelerate the success and sustainability of underrepresented founders & creators, especially Black and other minority entrepreneurs in the Millenial and GenZ age groups.
Founded in the real world of West Dayton, Ohio, Trep House builds a unique and much-needed ecosystem of Black- and minority-centric training, support services and growth avenues.
“Unlike most entrepreneurship programs that focus on training or funding, Trep House streamlines and centralizes access to the full range of growth services, all while being based in the authentic culture, opportunities and talents of underrepresented enTREPreneurs — especially those that are ready to launch or need that next stage of boost,” founder and CEO Kemo A’akhutera said in a press release.
Trep House is currently seeking its first 100 Founding Members. Founding members will not only get Trep House benefits, but they will help shape the design, content and membership of the Trep House community for years to come. Founding members receive:
• Full access to the Trep House community of highly talented and motivated New Majority founders and creators via our networking, outreach and sharing platforms;
• Easy access to a vetted and culturally-appropriate directory of service providers, advisors and mentors;
• A growing body of live and on-demand training services, ranging from business development basics to specialized personal development needs of New Majority founders;
• Virtual discussion and connection events designed to help founders build the supportive and understanding community that they need, no matter their location;
• First-in-line access to funding resources.
In addition to these benefits, Trep House Founding Members will have unique feedback opportunities and the opportunity to shape Trep House’s growth to their own needs.
All of these one-of-a-kind resources are available to Founding Members for only $99. Membership costs will increase in the future. Founding Membership is limited to 100.
For more information, visit www.trep.house.
By Cori Lohstroh, The ONEIL Center
Love the university gear, but not the university prices? College Thrifts is for you.
College student Patricia Garcia launched the online, peer-to-peer marketplace after spending her summers studying at institutions across the U.S., including UC Berkeley, MIT, University of Miami and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
“I really wanted to buy gear from the universities where I was spending my summer, but I didn’t want to pay $50 or $60 for a sweatshirt in the bookstore,” she says. “I hated walking into the bookstore knowing I couldn’t afford anything in it.”
She knew her situation wasn’t unique — with the rising costs of tuition, the average student can’t afford to pay the high prices for university apparel.
Through College Thrifts, students and alumni can buy, swap, and sell gently used college apparel. The organization strives to create a more inclusive and sustainable college culture while also promoting sustainability.
Entrepreneurship is a new venture for the engineering major at Florida International University in Miami.
“I don’t come from a family of entrepreneurs, so I’ve kind of delved into this world on my own,” she said.
Patricia found resources and information she needed to build her business structure, expand her social media presence and understand IP at Early Risers Academy, a free 10-week business bootcamp managed by Launch Dayton partner PARALLAX Advanced Research, that went virtual when COVID hit in March.
“Even with my business management minor, it’s not the same as hearing from people who are already in the industry and are entrepreneurs,” she said. “Early Risers Academy provided the terminology and foundation, and it was in the evening, so I could take classes during the day, then still hop on and participate to learn how to grow my own business.”
Patricia went on to win the pitch competition for her Early Risers Academy cohort, taking home $1K to invest in her startup. Since graduating Early Risers Academy, she has also been nationally selected as one of 20 Aussie Roo Crew Fellows.
By Kate Jones, The ONEIL Center
A good life coach isn’t a therapist or a friend, but somewhere in between, asserts Be Whole Life Coaching founder Alea Carter.
Alea launched her business in 2019 after she realized she had been guiding others already without realizing it. Be Whole Life Coaching offers a variety of services, from one-on-one coaching to dream interpretation, all designed to provide support and help people feel fulfilled in life.
“My heart is really for women who don’t know who they are,” she said.
In one-on-one coaching, Alea meets each client once a week for at least four weeks. They focus on one to two areas and build a plan to pursue goals in those areas. In group coaching, she talks to a group of women about a particular topic. Alea also helps individuals interpret dreams, and she offers online courses every three months for individuals seeking to become a life coach themselves.
In spring 2020, Alea applied for and joined Early Risers Academy, a free, 10-week, business-building bootcamp managed by Launch Dayton partner PARALLAX Advanced Research.
“I am forever grateful for everything I’ve learned through the Early Risers Academy! From the curriculum, class participation, expert guests, and our amazing facilitators, it was just what I needed to confidently and proficiently propel my business forward,” she said.
Alea was also part of a collaborative book She Is the Ish: Journeys Through Womanhood. Learn more about her services at justbewholelifecoaching.com.
By Erik Madaus, The ONEIL Center
As a global pandemic moves shopping online more than ever, Dayton startup Parcell aims to make sure you actually get your packages.
Parcell is a secure container that can fit on your porch and can be locked and unlocked remotely with just a tap on the user’s smartphone. The box sends a notification to the user’s device when a package is delivered or ready to be picked up.
The product is the brainchild of James Mainord & Erica Waite, founders of local startup studio Vesna Ventures, and co-founder Barry Coles.. Usually, Erica & James join other entrepreneurs as cofounders to support product launches, but Parcell is their own innovation.
“Every holiday season, there’s a flurry of news articles and stories shared on social media about packages being stolen, usually accompanied by doorbell camera images of a thief in the act,” James said. ““It seemed a bit odd that we could take pictures of the thief, but we couldn’t stop the theft.”
The pair was inspired to create Parcell to outwit those porch pirates. They pitched the new co at Early Risers, a monthly pitch event managed by Launch Dayton partner PARALLAX Advanced Research, in April.
Parcell has several safety features built into its secure design, such as an interior manual latch in case a child gets curious and accidentally locks themselves inside while playing.
The product also offers additional benefits in the time of social distancing. Deliveries can be secured in the box, then open later by the recipient, eliminating contact between the individuals.
James & Erica aim to reach people who make at least two online purchases per month. Initially, they’re focusing on homeowners, but hope to expand to reach multi-unit apartment buildings, commercial businesses, and the U.S. Post Office.
They’re also exploring further use cases for Parcell, such as saving elderly customers or shoppers with disabilities an unnecessary trip to an empty mailbox.
“Our work provides us the freedom to build the companies we want to build and work with great people,” James said.
You can help James & Erica further develop Parcell by taking this short one-page survey.
The Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce, Community Solutions, Co-op Dayton, and the Ohio Employee Ownership Center at Kent State University have partnered to offer free workshops on succession or exit planning to small businesses in Yellow Springs and Greene County. The workshops are appropriate for business owners at any point in their career that want to develop financial and personnel goals for their business and chart a path to achieve them.
This October, the introductory workshops will provide an overview of the succession process, so that owners can begin to set goals for themselves and their businesses. At the advanced workshops in November, owners will develop key action steps to plan and achieve a successful exit. Business owners can also schedule one-on-one sessions with Kent State University staff to finalize their individual succession plans.
The workshops and technical assistance are free to business owners with support from the USDA. Owners can review the dates and register for any of the online and in-person workshops at www.coopdayton.org/workshops.
The Ohio Employee Ownership Center (OEOC) at Kent State University offers their Succession Planning Program to help small business owners transfer the ownership of their business to the next generation, with a specialty in selling to employees. Since it was founded in 1987, the OEOC has assisted hundreds of companies to retain more than 15,000 jobs in our state.
The workshops and technical assistance will be led by Roy Messing, Director of the OEOC. Messing has over twenty years of experience in commercial finance and served as CFO of a northeast Ohio business. He earned a BA in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University and an MBA from the University of Dayton. He holds designations as a Certified Exit Planning Advisor from the Exit Planning Institute and a Certified Value Builder Advisor from the Value Builder System.
Messing describes the program as “beginning with education on business succession, and ultimately we will support individual rural business owners to develop their succession plans to continue and grow the operations of their businesses locally.”
Co-op Dayton is a non-profit organization that supports cooperative businesses to meet community needs, whether that’s access to fresh groceries with the Gem City Market project or to quality job opportunities with the Cooperative Transitions program. Co-op Dayton is currently working with the owners of several small businesses in our region to sell to their employees and structure as employee-owned cooperatives. The succession plan workshops are coordinated by Rachel Meketon, Program Director at Co-op Dayton.
Meketon adds that “the cooperative model offers an exit strategy for small business owners that would like to sell to their employees but cannot afford the initial and ongoing costs of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan or ESOP.” The cooperative model also offers more governance mechanisms than ESOPs.
Have an idea for a mission-based company that could change the world? This Cooperative & Social Enterprise Incubator could be for you!
The Cooperative and Social Enterprise Incubator, managed by Launch Dayton partner Co-Op Dayton, supports teams of entrepreneurs to develop cooperative businesses or social enterprises. Between January & October 2021, the teams complete market research, create a business plan, pilot their product or service, and pitch for startup funds. Applications for the 2021 cohort are currently open here.
Each month, attendees complete:
• a mandatory Saturday morning workshop to learn key business development skills;
• an optional Wednesday evening networking session to build relationships with team members and other teams;
• two required meetings with Co-Op Dayton staff and outside advisors to support progress towards your plan.
Cooperatives are worker or community-owned businesses, real estate cooperatives or cooperative loan funds. Social enterprises employ disadvantaged people, or offer transformative products or services with measurable impacts on disadvantaged communities.
At 7:30p on Thursday, Nov. 5, Co-Op Dayton will hold a cooperative design workshop to develop your ideas, build out your team and learn more about the organization and the incubator program. Register here.
Then, Thursday, Nov. 18 at 7:30p, complete your cooperative business model canvas.
By Cori Lohstroh, The ONEIL Center
Dana Graham launched multidisciplinary arts collective Scripted in Black to counter the underrepresentation and misrepresentation of Black and Brown stories in theatre.
Dayton born and raised, a graduate of both Stivers School for the Arts & Wright State University, Dana noticed the lack of Black and Brown storytelling during an NYC theatre internship.
“There definitely are breakthroughs of Black and Brown stories being told authentically, but I felt like on a more consistent basis it wasn’t something that was carefully crafted by people who are definitely authorized to tell these stories,” Dana said. “It was often non-people-of-color or non-Black in control of what the story would look like, producing, and costuming, and I felt like that was taking away from the narratives of those who should be telling the story.”
She launched Scripted in Black to center the work and collaboration of Black and Brown artists and to provide experiences for Black and Brown Millennial communities. Dana sought to tell stories in a way that created social-forward events and spaces by & for Black and Brown individuals.
Her initial 2018 Woman of Color reading series featured plays, prose, and poetry from women of color curated into a performative experience. The end of each Woman of Color event was capped with a Sister Chat where attendees could enjoy food and libations in a safe and exclusive space for women of color. The series was received so well that Graham then moved into co-creating a visual and performing arts festival, Art Crawl. Moving forward, Dana plans to curate additional installments to open the business up to more diverse identities.
Dana considers herself an “unconventional cultural storyteller.” She believes in authenticity and in giving platforms to individuals to showcase and own their own narratives in their own words. The ability to lift up the stories, experiences, traditions, and cultures in a way that allows people to feel heard, safe, and seen, is the heart of Scripted in Black.
“I also love to uplift creatives who are unconventional in their own right who maybe don’t have as many opportunities that other people have,” Dana said. Scripted in Black “is a safe haven and a home for them to showcase their work.”
Dana is a graduate of the winter 2020 cohort of Early Risers Academy, a free, 10-week business building bootcamp managed by Launch Dayton partner PARALLAX Advanced Research. The intense entrepreneurship course helped her nail down the business structure for her venture, she said.
Scripted in Black will relaunch event series in spring 2021. In the meantime, follow @scriptedinblack on Instagram to keep up with the latest details.
Our October Early Risers pitch event will be virtual — join us Friday morning, Oct. 23, to hear how local startups aim to serve software cos and retail businesses.
Pitches will start promptly at 8a. You’ll meet:
• Ryan Lunka & Robb Winkle, cofounders of BlendedEdge, a startup that helps software cos deploy integration strategies;
• Brandi Washington, founder of Yes, We Deliver!, a startup offering last-mile delivery services in the Dayton region;
• Connor Dushane & Duke Tobin, cofounders of Smart Slumber, tapping artificial intelligence to develop a pillow that automatically responds to your sleep needs.
Early Risers is a morning pitch series that connects entrepreneurs to the things they need most, like first customers, key employees, mentors, funding, and more. Each startup gets 10 minutes to pitch, then the audience gets 5 minutes for Q&A.
In the last three years, 90% of startups have gotten their ask granted through a connection made at Early Risers. So pop online and find a place you can plug into Dayton’s startup community!
Let us know you’re coming! Register here.
Want to pitch Early Risers? Click here.
Want to sponsor Early Risers (and get two minutes in front of the audience)? Click here.
Hope to “see” you Friday!
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