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Joint Venture Studio from the University of Dayton and Entrepreneurs’ Center Equips Students to Build and Fund Scalable Startups
Every great startup starts with a problem worth solving, and for Hank Veeneman and Brayden Shepard, that problem was personal. Both experienced concussions as high school football players and knew there had to be a better way to protect athletes. What began as a classroom challenge at the University of Dayton is now Saturn Sports, a venture backed by a $200,000 grant from Ohio’s Technology Validation and Start-up Fund (TVSF) to bring their solution to life.
Saturn Sports is developing the first connected chin strap monitoring system for football helmets, giving coaches real-time visibility into every player’s helmet fit from a single screen. Their goal is simple: reduce preventable injuries and give coaches, athletes, and parents peace of mind.
The company was launched through Flyer Nest, a venture studio-style capstone course that gives undergraduate entrepreneurship students the chance to build scalable startups before graduation. The course is co-facilitated by Paul Jackson, Vice President of Strategic Programs at Entrepreneurs’ Center (EC), and Vince Lewis, Associate Vice President of Entrepreneurial Initiatives at the University of Dayton. Modeled after the TVSF program, Flyer Nest guides students through the full venture-building process, from problem identification to pitch-ready business plans.
“You can teach entrepreneurial theory in the classroom, but it’s the first-hand experience that transforms a student’s mindset,” said Lewis. “Once they’ve actually built something, it takes the fear out of launching a business—and that fear is often what holds people back.”
That experiential approach is what makes Flyer Nest so effective. It’s not just a course, it’s a testing ground where students apply real-world tools, work with mentors, and engage with the same challenges faced by early-stage founders across Ohio.
“This win is significant for so many reasons,” said Jackson. “It proves Flyer Nest isn’t just an academic exercise. It’s a springboard. Saturn Sports isn’t a class project anymore. It’s a real company, building a real solution to a real problem.”
TVSF was launched by the Ohio Third Frontier Commission in 2012 to address a major gap in the innovation pipeline: most research dollars fund the development of technologies, not their path to market. And the numbers highlight the challenge. A 2014 Forbes article revealed that of 2.1 million active U.S. patents, 95% go unlicensed or uncommercialized, including over 50,000 high-quality university-developed inventions.
TVSF provides critical non-dilutive funding to help bridge that commercialization gap. Grants support early-stage activities like prototyping, validation, and market research, turning dormant intellectual property into investable ventures. Since its launch, the program has awarded more than $34 million across 242 startup ventures.
EC’s involvement in the program began in 2017, when it was selected as the Entrepreneurial Services Provider (ESP) for the Dayton Region. TVSF efforts ramped up significantly after the state increased individual grant amounts to $200,000 in late 2023.
In just the past two years, EC has helped 34 companies secure nearly $7 million in TVSF grants—18 companies in 2024 and 16 more in 2025. These awards have supported the commercialization of technologies from regional universities like UD as well as federal research labs such as the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL).
EC’s impact in this space is rooted in its proven approach. Since 2016, EC has trained nearly 400 companies to position their innovations for government funding and commercialization. Collectively, these companies have raised almost $4.5 billion in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and private capital following their work with EC.
The success of Saturn Sports also highlights the power of partnership. The University of Dayton, EC, Converge Technologies, Big Kitty Labs, and TechLink all played a role in helping the student founders take their concept from idea to funded venture.
“This is what building an innovation economy looks like,” said Scott Koorndyk, President of EC. “We’re not just helping students write business plans. We’re equipping the next generation of entrepreneurs to create companies that make an impact right here in Dayton.”
With TVSF funding in place, Saturn Sports is preparing to bring its helmet safety technology to the athletes who need it most. And while this team moves forward, countless other technologies are still waiting to be commercialized.
If you’re an entrepreneur in search of your next opportunity, let’s talk.
