Have an idea for a new business and want a shot at $25K? The Flyer Pitch might be for you!
The Flyer Pitch, sponsored by University of Dayton & The Entrepreneurs Center, is a new venture creation competition. It is open to anyone — students, both from UD or from other schools, UD alumni, and members of the public.
Flyer Pitch organizers will hold information sessions today, Tuesday, Sept. 17 and tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 4p in the Miriam Hall second floor student lounge on UD’s campus.
The competition will begin Oct. 19 with Shark Tank-style elevator pitches. It will continue Nov. 16 with the new venture creation cameo round, and conclude April 4, 2020 with final new venture creation pitches.
The first place prize is a $25K cash award, plus $25K of in-kind support. In total, more than $100K in cash prizes & more than $150K of in-kind services will be awarded.
Apply here.
The Flyer Pitch is in its 13th year. More than 35 businesses have been launched through the competition, and more than $17M in capital has been raised by those businesses.
Last year’s first place winner was Dani Ruffolo, founder of Handy Hats.
For more information, contact Vince Lewis, Director of UD’s L. Willian Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at [email protected] or 937-229-2022.
As the world shifts toward autonomous, electric vehicles, Franz Hoffmann is looking to put Dayton at the center of the map.
Franz immigrated to the US from Germany more than 20 years ago because he wanted to be an entrepreneur. He dreams of making Dayton a high-tech capital in a shifting automotive industry that has deep roots in Dayton’s economy.
MRS Electronics provides “advanced, highly-integrated electronics connectivity,” Franz said.
Franz pitched MRS Electronics at our August 2019 edition of Early Risers.
The company’s innovative Spoke Zone product integrates controls, sensors, cameras, telecommunications, analytics and over-the-air updates to maximize efficiency in fleet management. It connects vehicles to the cloud, offering real-time diagnostics that reduce repair times.
MRS Electronics also offers its MicroPlex, a patented, programmable device that can be plugged right into a vehicle’s existing controls.
“We want to recapture the spirit of mobility & innovation in the automotive industry & drive high-tech innovation in Ohio,” Franz said.
MRS Electronics is currently working with 5 electronic vehicle companies, he said. It looks to triple in size this year. Franz is seeking connections to local partners & customers, potential employees, and a new, larger office space to make that growth happen.
Love coffee, but it doesn’t love you? Fear not, Savorista & its line of caffeine-conscious coffees are here!
Founder Kait Brown was working a high-stress job in Chicago when her father was diagnosed with cancer. She switched to decaf when she realized her coffee consumption was making it even harder to sleep and deal with the stress.
But she discovered that her decaf options sucked, she recalled with a laugh. So she and her husband set off around the globe to find and bring home the best decaf coffee.
Kait pitched Savorista at our August 2019 edition of Early Risers.
“Most decaf is bad because it starts with lower quality beans that are chemically decaffeinated,” she said.
Kait & Daniel visited coffee producers and decaffeination centers in South America & East Africa. They tried hundreds of cups of coffee to find better beans & processes.
Savorista currently offers four caffeine-conscious decaf coffees online. The coffee begins with high-quality beans that are naturally decaffeinated using a water process, then roasted to order in small batches. Wait plans to also offer a low-caffeine coffee later this fall.
“We’re looking to shift the way people think about low-caffeine & decaf coffees,” she said. “It’s a valuable addition to your day, especially in the afternoon or evening with a great pastry. It’s not a punishment for being caffeine-sensitive.”
In the U.S. there are 30M people who drink decaf coffee at least once a week, representing a $1B market, Kait shared. And there are another 80M who drink coffee every day, but are interested in limiting their caffeine intake, representing an addition $2.7B market, she added.
Savorista is aiming to be the household name in decaf coffee. So far, they have shipped product to 37 states and 3 countries.
Support Kait by trying a cup of Savorista coffee & telling a friend!
Daytonian Trey Hope has launched a new app designed to be a “talent hub” for the region’s artistic community — & he’s looking for beta testers to try it out.
Hidden Gems allows regional artists — musicians, producers, photographers, visual artists, designers, chefs etc. — to create a single searchable profile to connect them with future patrons & customers.
“It’s geared toward people without formal, traditional business models,” Trey explained.
The regional nature of the app ensures that you’ll find artists within your own community to support, he said.
The app is a passion project for Trey.
“Artists in Dayton have never had the recognition they deserve,” he said. “I wanted to give back to my community & help my friends out.”
So far, the app offers categories for artist entrepreneurs working in the music, media, entertainment, food, tech, and art spaces. When these artists create their profiles, they can easily link back to other social media feeds or playlists or portfolios.
Download the app on iOS or Android.
As he builds out the app, Trey is looking for feedback. If you’re an artist, what do you want to be able to share? If you’re searching for artists, what info do you want to find?
Let him know.
In this new monthly feature, we’re celebrating milestones big and small with our entrepreneurs and founders! See what our awesome startups have been up to this month, in no particular order:
Carmen’s Deli turned 10 — congrats, Haitham!
Chenaulte Dancers celebrated 25 years in business. Congratulations, Wyonna!
Battle Sight Technologies turned two, & its first product, Craytac, was officially trademarked. Congrats, Nick!
Rare Active began work on its third production run. Congrats, Patty!
Dayton Young Black Professionals turned 1. Congrats, Daj’za!
Dayton Beer Company announced a huge expansion. Congrats, Peter!
The Chicken Spot added Door Dash. Congrats, Anthony!
Erica Lugo, founder of Erica Fit Love, completed her National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) certification, one of the top qualifications in the personal fitness training industry. Congrats, Erica!
Boujee Bee B turned 1. Congrats, Chloe!
isicle released an EP album. Congrats, Isaac!
Dorothy Lane Market announced a Love Cakes storefront. Congrats, founders!
Something or someone we missed? Tell us! We need your help rounding up this good news so we can celebrate our entrepreneurs together. Thank you in advance!
Will Romes is working to help fellow veterans transition to civilian life — by helping their uniforms make that same transition.
Will’s new company, Eighth Order, will take donated uniforms from retired veterans and re-pattern them into new oxford-style cotton shirts. He’s running a Kickstarter now to get the company up & running.
An Air Force veteran, Will wasn’t ready to retire at age 38.
“In military life, there are stage gates,” he explained. “Goals are easily achievable if you follow the path laid out.”
As he looked toward retirement, he realized he didn’t have a path laid out for his post-military career. He was pondering this new reality one Sunday as he dressed for church, and his eyes wandered to the four stacks of military uniforms that he would soon be throwing away.
It seemed like a shame, he recalled. So he looked for a way to repurpose it.
He connected with a factory in California that can make eight pattered shirts out of each military uniform, But Eighth Order isn’t only about clothes — it’s also about the stories behind those uniforms, he said.
According to the Veterans Administration, between 11 and 20 percent of U.S. veterans deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. Will is one of them.
Sharing the stories behind the uniform — what countries it has traveled to, what campaigns it has seen — can help the veteran deal with the disorder, Will said.
When veterans donate their uniforms, they’ll also return a card where they share as many or as few details from their service as they wish. This card will eventually be distributed with the shirts the uniform is used to create.
Will has 45 days to go on his $20K Kickstarter goal. He hopes to launch his Eighth Order e-commerce shop in February 2020. Share this story, & click here to support him!
We’re excited at the lineup of entrepreneurs slated for this Friday’s Early Risers!
Please note the new time & location — pitches will start promptly at 8a in the BarryStaff Community Room, 230 Webster St, Dayton.
You’ll meet:
Kait Brown of Savorista Coffee — Kait & her husband, Daniel, traveled the world to find the best decaf coffee. Savorista is now your one-stop shop for caffeine-conscious coffee;
Bernard Dalichau & Nicole Luisi of Theia — Ever had a contact pop out at work, or been caught traveling sans your contact solution? Theia offers a solution for your contact woes. The case has a pump-mechanism and can hold solution for 15 uses;
& Franz Hoffman of MRS Electronic, Inc. — Rocket scientist Franz moved to the U.S. to become an entrepreneur. MRS Electronic, Inc. is his third startup. An expert in automotive electronics, MRS Electornic works to connect vehicles to the cloud.
Our August 2019 edition of Early Risers is sponsored by Kevin Kincaid of Kincaid Solutions. He’ll bring the coffee and treats to kick off the 8a event.
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 two years, 90% of startups have gotten their ask granted through a connection made at Early Risers. So grab a cup of coffee & a donut and find a place you can plug into Dayton’s startup community!
After Early Risers, head over the the Kuhns Building, 15 W 4th St., for Fourth Friday — a whole day of free coworking with The Entrepreneurs Center & Nucleus. Learn about new programming in the works and the Arcade development at Launch & Learn at 12p. Happy hour kicks off at 3p and Arcade tours will start at 3:30p.
Let us know you’re coming! Register here.
Want to pitch? Click here: http://bit.ly/pitchEarlyRisers
Want to sponsor (and get two minutes in front of the audience)? Click here: http://bit.ly/sponsorEarlyRisers
Hope to see you at BarryStaff on Friday!
Have an amazing sauce, dressing, herb blend you’ve always wanted to bottle & sell?
Miami Valley Small Business Development Center’s “Recipe to Retail” workshop is for you.
Join business advisor LeKeisha Grant and Mutt’s Sauce founder Charlynda Scales as they walk you through how to take your recipes out of the kitchen and into the marketplace.
The two-day workshop will run Aug. 27-28 from 6 to 8p each night. On Tuesday night, learn about the elements of scaling the cooking process from a home kitchen to large batches. On Wednesday, get hands-on assistance on how to enter the market with your specific food product.
The SBDC is working to build out industry-specific programming to delve deeper into the needs of the entrepreneurs in the community. Food -specific programming has been offered in the past, and is an area that will continue to grow as foodpreneurs represent a large segment of the SBDC’s client base, LeKeisha said.
Pre-registration is required. Click here for more info.
How well can you tell your company’s story?
Bridget Flaherty of Lore is offering our local entrepreneur community a discount on her next storytelling-for-business workshop.
“This is the curriculum that I usually provide to business clients, and it is the first time that I am opening it up to the community,” Bridget said. “I would love to fill it with entrepreneurs who might not be able to hire me for a workshop like a larger organization, but who, of course, have a story to tell.”
Examples of stories that can be honed and practiced through the workshop include the entrepreneur’s origin story, the “why” story for an organizational change project, a non-profit impact story or a leadership presentation story to increase engagement.
The full-day class is Friday, Aug. 30. Lunch is included. At the end of the day, Knack Creative will film the stories, and the entrepreneur/storyteller will receive a copy of the video to use for their purposes, such as marketing or professional development.
The class is normally $499, but use the code TECHGUIDE to save $75!
For more info, or to register, click here.
Nick Ripplinger, founder of Dayton startup Battle Sight Technologies, was awarded the Disabled American Veterans’ Arthur H. and Mary E. Wilson Award last week. The award recognizes superior performance as part of the nationwide Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities Program & includes $10K in prize money.
“This award recognizes a disabled veteran who has taken on the challenge of starting his or her own business,” DAV National Commander Dennis Nixon said. “We know employment is one of the most important factors in a veteran’s successful transition out of the military, and we are excited to help provide a resource for Mr. Ripplinger that can serve as inspiration for others to pursue their own entrepreneurial goals.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, entrepreneurship has taken a nosedive among the most recent generation, with just 4.5% of post-9/11 veterans launching their own businesses. This is down significantly from the 49.7% of veterans went on to run or own businesses in the aftermath of World War II, and the 40% of Korean War veterans.
The Arthur H. and Mary E. Wilson Award specifically recognizes businesses and non-profits that excel in the EBV program’s business plan competition, offering a $10,000 cash prize that serves as a springboard for new veteran-owned businesses.
“The [award] was a win for Battle Sight,” Nick said. “The cash award allowed us to save money by placing a larger quantity order, and the exposure of the award helped get our name out to a larger audience.”
Battle Sight Technology develops infrared chemiluminescent products to aid war fighters on the battlefield. Nick has also made it a priority to aid veterans off the battlefield, by helping them transition into civilian careers by leveraging their military skills in the business world and making veteran hiring a company priority.
Nick enlisted in the military at age 17. He served until 2009, when he was injured in Iraq. He launched Battle Sight Technologies with infrared tech he licensed from the Air Force Lab in 2017.
Heading into its third year, Battle Sight Technologies announced that it licensed new tech from AFRL and is gearing up to launch a suite of new products for the warfighter & emergency responders.
Get my download link.
Enter your email address and we will send you a link to download your resource.
