Community Stories

Catalyst: Sharing the Proof

December 15, 2017

A clear transformation for the Dayton region is emerging and the proof is in the stories shared at Catalyst on December 8, 2017 at the Sinclair Conference Center. Founded in 2014, by The Entrepreneur Center, Catalyst has become a signature event to bring the Dayton community together to share successes, resources and inspire the next wave of entrepreneurs. This year’s event was the largest event to date, and was produced as a partnership between The Entrepreneurs Center and Wright State Research Dayton Tech Guide. The Dayton Tech Guide also produces Dayton Start-up Week.

Big Announcements

Wright Brothers Institute partners, SPGlobal, announced a $10M fund to accelerate startups in the region. On the heels of successes from startups like Globalflyte, CoreSyte, and saWyze, the commercialization company is excited to expand their investment in the Dayton region. In just 18 months GlobalFlyte has commercialized patented radio-based incident management and communications technology invented by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s 711th Human Performance Wing. Read the full article about Globalflyte’s impact on the region.

Big Inspiration

This year, the pitches were next-level professional, thanks in large part to the efforts of The Entrepreneurs Center new service as Dayton’s Entrepreneurial Services Provider (ESP) which provides professional mentorship and coaching for regional startups, as well as the Dayton Tech Guide’s Early Risers series. Early Risers, an event that starts before traditional work hours, features startups that have a short amount of time to pitch their product or service to a wide audience of investors and potential partners. Succinct stories that clearly demonstrate the market need proved that Dayton startups are getting more polished and professional. The companies that presented covered a wide range of industry opportunities:

MILITARY

 Battle Sight Technologies

• What it is: a material that allows users to mark surfaces in no-light or low-light environments, ideal for military use in contested environments.

• Why it’s exciting: they are looking at rapid acquisition with Special Forces, which means bringing safety to warfighters, faster.

MANUFACTURING

• kColumn

  • What it is: a new milling manufacturing technique that will greatly reduce the time, labor and resources of traditional milling.

  • Why it’s exciting: faster production with more “spindle up time” can revolutionize the manufacturing process and put Dayton back on the map of manufacturing innovators.

MEDICAL

• Safe Care Tools

  • What it is: a workflow organizer for medical providers that will reduce medical errors.

  • Why it’s exciting: this healthcare solution, with potential to cross over to multiple health sectors, dovetails with Dayton businesses like CareSource and Ascend Innovations.

• Endo Guidance Technologies

  • What it is: sensor technology that enables better imaging during vascular surgeries, and is projected to reduce patient exposure to radiation by 15% and save $2k in guidewire costs.

  • Why it’s exciting: this healthcare solution could adapt to multiple healthcare markets and save costs for critical medical procedures.

• Wound AI

  • What it is: scanning technology that provides more accurate and less invasive wound measurements.

  • Why it’s exciting: a $240M market for diabetic wound care and the increased aging population means this solution could be standard practice medical providers and patients very quickly.

INFRASTRUCTURE

• Road-Aid

  • What it is: technology that gives municipalities better data, helping them better decisions about infrastructure budgets.

  • Why it’s exciting: accurate data can help cities, like Dayton, acquire larger budgets when competing for infrastructure funding.

RETAIL

Third Wave Water

• What it is: a mineral supplement that creates consistent water chemistry, specifically for the specialized coffee market.

• Why it’s exciting: following an appearance on NBC’s Shark Tank, the company is shipping their product worldwide and continues to expand.

BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

• Curafied

  • What it is: an app that curates subscription-worthy social media content for end users.

  • Why it’s exciting: subscriptions include analytics and data that could entice anyone trying to sell products/services on social media platforms…an enormous market!

• GreenSpace Enterprise Technologies
  • What it is: a suite of services and technologies that provide data to companies, helping them make smarter, more efficient decisions about their office footprint.
  • Why it’s exciting: large regional companies such as Proctor & Gamble have shown significant interest.

Scott Korndyk of The Entrepreneurs Center ended the day with an ask: share your story. He announced the launch of “500 Ideas to Action” a platform encouraging Daytonians in the startup ecosystem to share a cohesive community message. It’s clear that as Dayton’s transformation continues, the stories we tell ourselves, our networks and the world will be proof of Dayton’s success.

 Photo credit Bryan Hunter, FPC.