Want to hire a diverse group of summer interns for your tech needs?
Or, want to build your resume at a cutting-edge company this summer break?
Ohio Third Frontier’s Diversity & Inclusion Technology Internship Program reimburses companies two thirds of an intern’s salary, up to $10,000. Qualifying companies may hire up to three interns. Internships pay at least $15 per hour.
Tech companies, or simply companies with a tech need, are eligible for the program.
It’s a great opportunity for students to get paid work experience at a cutting-edge company and for tech companies to shake up their usual intern pool to increase the mix of voices in their projects.
For more information, visit techintern.development.ohio.gov.
Students in any degree program are eligible. Interested students should apply by March 4.
Companies that wish to hire interns through the program should apply by March 12.
The 7th annual TEDxDayton signature event is now accepting applications from community members. The event will take place on Friday, Oct. 11 at the Victoria Theatre in downtown Dayton.
TEDxDayton’s mission is to bring the spirit of ideas worth spreading to deep conversation and connections within the community. The event will feature TED’s signature format of brief talks, demonstrations and performances meant to inspire learning and curiosity while encouraging meaningful conversation.
The theme for this year’s TEDxDayton signature event is titled, “CONNECT.” Applicants, who do not have to be professional speakers, can apply at tedxdayton.com/signature-event. TEDxDayton is looking for diverse topics from diverse speakers who can deliver a focused, thought-provoking message in about ten minutes. Aspiring speakers should complete an application by March 24.
For inquiries regarding the application process, email Speakers Committee co-chair, Brenden Wynn, at [email protected].
The number of women-owned businesses grew by 58 percent from 2007 to 2018, according to American Express’s 2018 State of Women-Owned Business Report.
In that same period of time, the percentage of businesses owned by black women grew by 164 percent. However, as of 2018, these black women-owned businesses earned an annual average revenue of only $24,700 compared the the $143,100 average annual revenue across all women-owned businesses, American Express research advisor Geri Stengel told Black Enterprise.
Black Enterprise recently posted about five grants available to women entrepreneurs in 2019.
• The Cartier Women’s Initiative Award is an annual business grant for early phase, for-profit, women-owned businesses. If you’ve been in business for one to three years, you could be one of seven women to receive $100K awards or one of 14 women to receive $30K awards. Winners also receive one-on-one mentoring. Apply in June.
• The Halstead Grant is for early-stage entrepreneurs in the silver jewelry industry. The winner receives $7,500 in startup capital of $1K worth of jewelry supplies. Apply by Aug. 1.
• The #GIRLBOSS Foundation Grant of $15K is awarded twice a year to for-profit women business owners in the design, fashion, music and arts industries. The application is rolling.
• The Amber Grant, established to honor a young woman who passed away before achieving her own entrepreneurial dream, awards $1K each month to women entrepreneurs. At the end of the year, the monthly winners, who can be working in any industry, have a chance to win $10K for their biz. This application is also rolling. There is a $15 fee.
• For the social entrepreneur, the Open Meadows Foundation awards two $2K awards each year to women-backed non-profit organizations with missions focused on “activism, political change, and empowerment directed by and benefiting women and girls.” Organizations must have budgets less than $75K. Small & startup organizations are prioritized in the review process. Apply between July 1 & Aug 15 for the next round.
Have you attended Techstars Startup Week Dayton over the last three years and wanted to be more involved in making this week of free sessions and workshops for entrepreneurship happen?
Last year, 900 people attended some of the 83 sessions featuring 88 speakers over the course of the week. This attendee count represents 50 percent growth over year 2 — and we hope to grow another 50 percent in year 4.
Startup Week year 4 will run June 3-7. This FREE five-day event brings together the thinkers, dreamers, doers, makers, entrepreneurs around cups of coffee, pints of beer, and small stages spaced throughout local establishments. All experiences are welcome — whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or new to the community, there is space for you to jump in.
As a sponsor, you will impact the lives of local entrepreneurs and help shape the direction of our community.
Startup Week takes place in Dayton’s Innovation District and will be centered around our basecamp at the historic Steam Plant on East Third Street.
In past years, we’ve heard from tech companies to marketing experts, venture capitalists to local coffee roasters.
This year, we’re planning sessions on business elements like marketing, sales, capital, and branding, as well as targeted sessions for medtech, defense, food, and artist entrepreneurs.
Download the sponsorship packet here & let us know how you want to be involved — email John Owen at [email protected].
Want the convenience of big box store order-ahead coffee service, but at your local, independent coffee shop?
Dayton startup Mojo has your back.
The order-ahead coffee app is now up and running in its sixth Dayton-area coffee shop, cofounder Noah Bragg shared this week. You can order your coffee and pick it up at Courthouse Coffee, Third Perk Coffeehouse & Wine Bar, Gem City Catfe and Ghostlight Coffee in Dayton, as well as Coffee Hub Xenia and Coffee Hub Beavercreek.
“Independent coffee shops are part of the community,” he said. “That’s why we at Mojo want to partner with local coffee shops and help them bring more convenience, but still keep their unique feel.”
Noah & his co-founder Drew Bidlen were college roommates before they became business partners. They developed Mojo to empower unique, independent coffee shops — there are 35K independent coffee shops across the US — to offer the same order-ahead convenience as larger chain coffee shops.
They actually built the beta version of the app by working with a coffee shop in New Hampshire.
Noah pitched at Dayton Tech Guide’s Early Risers program in August 2018 seeking connections to coffee shop owners.
At the top of 2019, more than 2,000 transactions have been processed through the Mojo app, representing more than $16K worth of coffee sales.
As of next week, both Noah and Drew will be working at Mojo full-time.
“We are really excited to have recently hit these goals and milestones with Mojo,” Noah said.
Download the app from the Apple store or Google Play to try it yourself.
Last fall, John-Michael Lander shared his story of sexual assault within the competitive diving community on the TEDx Dayton stage.
Last month, he launched a Kickstarter campaign to enable him to write the next chapter of his story by publishing the novel “Out-Cast: The Hollywood Years.”
“We don’t talk about men who are sexually abused,” John-Michael said. “Society is so against it. There’s this myth that males can’t be sexually abused, that’s it’s just hazing, some sort of initiation or right of passage. So we push it down. But it comes out later in life.”
“Out-Cast” is actually the sequel to “Surface Tension,” a book he penned two years ago. Though his main character, David, is fictional, David’s story is his own, John-Michael said.
A talented diver, the teenage John-Michael was on track to compete on the U.S. Olympic diving team.
Where “Surface Tension” exposes the underworld of men’s sexual abuse, manipulation and coercion by coaches, benefactors and medical practitioners in the competitive diving community, “Out-Cast” will address that same underworld of men’s sexual abuse in Hollywood.
The novel follows David as he heads off to college, before ultimately leaving both college and diving to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. The novel also delves into the cycles of guilt, shame, PTSD, depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts that often follow victims of sexual assault and trauma as they work to move forward in their lives.
The story mirrors John-Michael’s own experiences — his entertainment career includes credits on General Hospital, All My Children, national commercials and the stage.
If the Kickstarter goal of $8,500 is reached, John-Michael will be able to work with a publisher that provides one-on-one mentoring, editing and design, without changing the author’s voice.
“With my first book, a lot of publishers turned it down because of the content,” he said. “I had to edit it. But I don’t want to take things out anymore. This route will let me keep the integrity of the book.”
He also wants to reach a wider audience with his “Out-Cast.” “Surface Tension” was read primarily by middle-aged white women, he said. This new publisher would help him market and schedule signings and speaking engagements for both books, he said.
“I think the healing process is what’s happening,” John-Michael said. “The TEDx community has been constantly embracing me and pulling me in. Some friends have stepped back, and that’s been a hard thing to try to understand. But the TEDx folks are still writing, still checking in — it’s incredible.”
John-Michael’s Kickstarter has two weeks left. Check it out here.
A collaborative challenge between the Wright Brothers Institute, the Air Force Research Lab and the United Kingdom Defence Science and Technology Laboratory will explore new, efficient and resilient ways to plan complex drone search and rescue missions.
The “Swarm and Search AI Challenge: 2019 Fire Hack” will feature concurrent challenges in the US & UK, with a final showdown March 29-31 between the top 10 teams from each country. The top three winning teams from each country will receive cash prizes and learn about upcoming funding opportunities.
The highest scoring solution will be showcased at the 2019 AUVSI Conference and the UK Embassy Showcase in Washington D.C.
The theme of this challenge revolves around mapping wildfires. It assumes that improved mission planning, and the ability to react to dynamic changes, has the potential to minimize damage and save lives.
Solutions spawned by the challenge may also apply to defense applications.
Teams will work remotely via a closed, online collaboration platform to explore different fire map scenarios using Air Force-licensed software. All teams will benefit from exposure to new markets and a chance to test their technology against their competition.
AFRL and DSTL are utilizing this innovative approach to find the best artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) algorithms that embody efficiency and resiliency. Both labs benefit by discovering and engaging with new partners.
“It is fantastic to be able to work with DSTL on this project. The activity fits right into both countries’ desire to approach research differently, and involves non-traditional, innovative thinkers as partners and most importantly get results faster,” Mick Hitchcock, AFRL program manager said in a press release. “The competition is not between the two countries, but to highlight the ability to rapidly work together on tough problems.”
“Swarming UAS is rich with innovation and we are looking to solve perceived problems and invent new ways of controlling swarms of drones. There is also a number of Science and Technology (S&T) challenges already commissioned in this area that link closely with the proposed outputs from this challenge,” Timothy Wright, DSTL’s Aerospace Systems Group Leader said in the release.
U.S. registration is open through Feb. 26, 2019. The online competition concludes March 15, 2019. For more information, visit www.wbi-challenges.com/ssai.
Dayton prepped-meal startup Picnk is moving into its own 900+ square foot kitchen space this week at Five Seasons Sports Club Powered by LOGIK Fitness at 4242 Clyo Road, Dayton.
The family sports club features a gym, tennis court, and swimming pool; spinning, barre, hot yoga, and fitness bootcamp classes; and now healthy, prepped meals. Recently renovated, the club owners are holding a grand reopening in the next month or so — this celebration will also serve as the grand opening for Picnk in its new space, founder Will Foster said.
When Will and Picnk head chef Ben Kalis pitched at Dayton Tech Guide’s August 2018 Early Risers, the chef still had a full-time day job and ran the business out of a commercial kitchen space rented one day a week.
The duo landed a key investor, and Ben quit his day job in October to become the full-time Picnk head chef. This week, Will announced the company had tripled sales in less than one year.
This move into their own kitchen is the next step in Picnk’s ambitious expansion plans, Will said.
In the new location, Picnk will serve club members — the goal is that individuals can arrive, place their order, do their workout, then pick up their food for the day or week.
Will is also currently working with several potential pickup locations as Picnk continues its mission to serve the greater Dayton region, he said.
Two weeks ago, Picnk held a hugely successful mac & cheese pop up dinner at Toxic Brewery. Will hopes to build on that success by holding a monthly pop-up at various local breweries, he said.
Currently, the prepped-meal company offers pick up and delivery one day per week, but with the move into the new kitchen, Will hopes to scale up to offering pick up and delivery multiple times a week within the next few months.
Ultimately, the goal is to operate a 6- or 7-day operation with an online ordering capability where the customer can choose when and where they want their food delivered, he said.
“It feels incredible, and we absolutely appreciate the support of our customers and the Dayton community,” Will said. “We’re excited to be part of the growth in Dayton.”
Want some prepped meals? Meet the duo here. Check out the Picnk menu here.
Nominations are now open for Technology First’s 2019 leadership awards.
Tech First’s mission is to create a community to share knowledge, grow business, and build for the future.
Awards are available in the following categories:
IT Executive of the Year — A senior level professional responsible for influencing progress and developing teams through leadership excellence.
Emerging Technology Leader — An IT professional that has exhibited excellence and technical leadership within their organization.
Best IT Services Company — An IT company that has increased its investment in the Dayton and SW Ohio region through revenue, jobs, or capacity.
Outstanding Technology Team — An IT department that has impacted the efficiency, productivity & performance of their company.
Most Promising Startup — A technology startup that has shown great innovation and promise in the Dayton and SW Ohio region.
Award of Excellence – Student Project — An IT college student or team that exhibited excellence while delivering a capstone project.
The Leadership Awards will be presented Wednesday, May 1, from 4-6pm at The Dayton Club.
Nominate your favorite tech leader here.
Are you a social entrepreneur with an idea for your community?
Snag your spot in UpDayton’s new Project Incubator.
For a decade, UpDayton has been supporting community projects pitched by volunteers and voted on by attendees at its annual summit.
This year, the organization is launching a formal training program for the community leaders who want to tap into its platform.
The UpDayton Project Incubator is a 9-month program designed for young leaders to transform community project ideas into action. It includes a pitch at the annual UpDayton Summit, which will now take place fall of 2019 rather than the usual spring timeframe.
Individuals or teams accepted into the incubator will be part of a cohort-like environment, building relationships with like-minded changemakers. Attendees will participate in a series of workshops to help define their project, create their plan, and tell their story to maximize volunteer power and resources.
The new program was introduced by new UpDayton Director Lauren White.
“I want to set people up for success,” Lauren said. “In the past, projects that don’t win at the summit don’t always continue. This incubator will provide the opportunity for even more individuals to receive valuable leadership development.”
By participating in the incubator, leaders of all projects will be enabled to move forward, even if they don’t receive UpDayton funding at the summit.
Ideally, the young community leaders involved in the incubator would continue to have a rapport once the program finished, leading to a very connected next generation of leaders of companies and organizations in Dayton, she added.
Topics participants will dive into throughout the incubator program will include idea validation, target audience identification, storytelling, marketing, mental game, budgeting, task and volunteer management, how to run an effective meeting, project wrap-up procedures, and succession planning — is there a community organization that can help sustain the project, or is the goal to have a well-run one-off program?
Check out the project and applicant criteria, and apply for your spot in the first incubator here. The application deadline is March 1.
31 S. Main St.
Dayton, OH 45402
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