Celebrate with the Startup Community!

September 25, 2017

Last year our friends at the Downtown Dayton Partnership launched a new initiative called Start Downtown that engaged stakeholders of the downtown entrepreneurial community to lend ideas, expertise, and solutions to some of of the challenges that were holding the city back from reaching its full potential. One of the opportunities that emerged from the initial brainstorming was the concept of a startup hub–a space that would welcome and facilitate serendipitous collisions between entrepreneurs, service providers, and institutional partners. While a physical space was still unrealized, Start Downtown launched a monthly coworking event that has rotated for the past 12 months between different venues in the downtown area.

This Thursday, we are excited to announce that Start Downtown’s coworking day will take place at 444–the new innovation hub located at 444 E Second Street, which is a strategic effort by Woodard Development that, as of this week, houses heavy hitters in the tech commercialization support space such as Wright Brothers Institute (WBI) in partnership with the Air Force Research Labs (AFRL) and The Entrepreneurs Center (TEC) in partnership with Nucleus CoShare.

Who else is housed in the hub? Well, for starters, we are! Come chat with us at our new office located next to the kitchen in The Entrepreneurs Center’s new co-working space (for details on TEC membership contact Bonnie Kling: [email protected]).

Other tenants include the always amazing software development company Mile 2, University of Dayton and Fastlane, Wright State Research Institute and the Ohio Federal Research Network, Galois, Catapult Staffing, Sourtech, and Nucleus CoShare founding partner CFi.

Join us this Thursday for a free day of connecting and collaborating, and learn more about resources that are available to take your business to the next level!

Check out the schedule of events that Scott Murphy of the Downtown Dayton Partnership, Bonnie Kling of The Entrepreneurs Center, and the rest of Start Downtown CoWorking Team have put together for the day & RSVP to Colleen Turner at [email protected]:

– Doors Open for Coffee & Coworking (8:00 am)

– Round Table Discussion: Dayton’s Emerging Innovation District (8:30 to 10:00 am) – Hear from some of the leaders in Dayton’s entrepreneurship scene about the vision for 444 E. Second St. and how all of this relates to the emerging hub for startups and creative activity at the Dayton Arcade

– Open Office Hours (9:00 am to Noon):

  • Chad Burton from CuroLegal
  • Kim Woodbury from the Ohio SBDC at the Entrepreneurs Center
  • RoShawn Winburn from the Greater Dayton Minority Business Assistance Center (10:00 am to Noon)

– Lunch (Noon)

– Open Office Hours (1:00 to 4:00 pm):

  • Jill Strong from Catapult Staffing
  • Heather Burton from Blossom Consulting, Accounting and Business Solutions
  • Pickrel, Schaeffer & Ebeling covering a variety of topics: Fred Hatton (business) and Gerald McDonald (trademarks) from 1:00 – 2:30 pm; Jeff Senney (tax) and Matt Stokely (employment) from 2:30 – 4:00 pm

– Workshop: Market Research that Won’t Break the Bank with Ann Riegle-Crichton from the Dayton Metro Library (1:30 to 3:00 pm): Get tips for resources that can help you characterize your target market, identify competition, and formulate a clear picture of the opportunity for your business (session content is relevant for both B2B and B2C audiences)

– Happy Hour & 444 E. Second Grand Opening Celebration for The Entrepreneurs Center (Begins at 4:30 pm)

NOTE: Attendance at each session is optional, i.e. you can keep working if you need to meet a deadline
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with Dayton’s most creative entrepreneurs, designers, developers, and difference-makers. Grab your laptop for what promises to be your best day at the office all month.
RSVP to Colleen Turner at [email protected]

EVENT PARTNERS: Downtown Dayton Partnership, The Entrepreneurs Center, Wright Brothers Institute, Dayton Tech Guide, Greater Dayton Minority Business Assistance Center (MBAC), Nucleus, Ohio SBDC Network