DAYTON, OH, August 13, 2025 – Launch Dayton Startup Week Presented by Fifth Third Bank returns to The Hub Sept. 9–10 for its 10-year anniversary, bringing together the region’s founders, innovators, and small business owners for two days of inspiration, learning, and connection.
Now in its second year under the leadership of Entrepreneurs’ Center, the event builds on the energy of last year’s highly successful conference, which drew hundreds of entrepreneurs downtown for high-quality sessions, powerful networking, and a renewed sense of community.
“It’s an honor to be part of the 10th anniversary of Launch Dayton Startup Week,” said Scott Koorndyk, President of Entrepreneurs’ Center. “For a decade, this event has inspired and connected entrepreneurs who are shaping the future of our region. Being able to carry that legacy forward—and help create the next chapter—means everything to us.”
What began a decade ago as a grassroots gathering of Dayton’s makers and doers has grown into a cornerstone of the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Each year, attendees come to share ideas, discover resources, and strengthen the network that drives our local economy.
This year’s theme, Made to Make It, honors the grit, vision, and determination that fuel entrepreneurship. Whether you’re here to create, grow, lead, or build something that lasts—you belong in this room.
Attendees can expect 30+ speakers and sessions covering marketing, funding, leadership, innovation, and business fundamentals.
Speakers include:
- Brent Johnson & Josh Stucky, Square One Salons
- Te’Jal Cartwright, Lore Storytelling
- Jelani Johnson, Minority Business Assistance Center
- Keith Klein, City of Dayton
- Tushar Kulkarni, Big Kitty Labs
- Nate Sowder, Fifth Third Bank
- And many more
This year’s Startup Week Pitch Competition will be hosted at Yellow Cab Tavern, open to both tech and Main Street businesses. Applications are open now through August 24.
Click here to apply for tech and here for Main Street.
Free to attend and built for all stages, Launch Dayton Startup Week is a place to find your people, sharpen your vision, and be reminded why you started. Whether you arrive with an idea or a thriving business, you were made to make it.
Register now and build your custom agenda at launchdayton.com/startupweek.
Share Article
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Stay ahead in the Dayton entrepreneurial community! Sign up for the Entrepreneurs’ Center’s newsletter to receive the latest insights, news, events, and more directly to your inbox.
A Letter from our President & Board Chair
At the Entrepreneurs’ Center, everything we do is driven by one goal: delivering real impact to the clients and communities we serve. Over the years, we’ve celebrated major milestones—but none more meaningful than the one we’re proud to share today.
Between 2017 and 2024, EC-supported businesses surpassed $1 billion in cumulative economic impact, measured through revenue generated, investment capital attracted, and grant funding secured.
That kind of impact doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of relentless work to make the Dayton Region one of the very best places to build a business—through bold programming, expanded access to capital, and a community that’s more connected than ever.
For high-growth, high-tech startups, we continue to lead the region’s Ohio Third Frontier Entrepreneurial Services Provider program. Today, we support more than 100 tech companies whose innovations are fueling job creation, attracting capital, and reshaping Dayton’s economic future. In 2025, our successes were recognized with a program extension through mid-2027.
At the same time, we remain equally committed to the small businesses that sustain and energize our communities. Through the Miami Valley Small Business Development Center, we served more than 500 Main Street entrepreneurs in 2024, offering education, one-on-one advising, and support to access the funding they need to grow. We also deepened our role as a convener, hosting Dayton Startup Week and welcoming over 400 attendees and 80 speakers to share, learn, and connect.
2024 was also a breakout year for the Arcade Innovation Hub, our flagship innovation space. Now home to more than 160 member companies, The Hub Powered by PNC Bank has become the region’s most dynamic gathering place for entrepreneurs, educators, and creatives. This partnership between the University of Dayton’s Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and the Entrepreneurs’ Center is a powerful example of what’s possible when institutions work together to spark innovation.
From our earliest days as a startup incubator to today’s billion-dollar milestone, we’ve remained grounded in one mission: to build progress and prosperity through entrepreneurship. The future we envisioned is now happening—and we’re just getting started.
We’re deeply grateful to our public and private partners, our community collaborators, and especially the hundreds of small business owners and startup founders who trust us to walk alongside them. This impact is yours, too.
We believe the next billion is already on its way.
Scott Koorndyk, President
Dr. David Kirschman, Board Chair
The federal SBIR and STTR programs provide billions of dollars in non-dilutive funding to support technology innovation, yet many early-stage companies struggle to navigate the application process and build the commercialization strategies necessary for success.
Water technology innovators often face additional challenges, including high initial capital costs, long adoption timelines, complex regulatory environments, and limited access to commercialization support tailored to the sector.
The SBIR/STTR Accelerator addresses these barriers and aims to support startup fundraising efforts by helping participants:
- Understand and navigate the federal funding landscape
- Develop compelling value propositions and commercialization strategies
- Identify market opportunities and competitive advantages
- Strengthen business planning and investor readiness
- Build actionable plans for pursuing SBIR/STTR funding
A Letter from our President & Board Chair
As we reflect on another year of bold ideas, resilient founders, and transformative growth, it’s our pleasure to present the 2025 Annual Impact Report for Entrepreneurs’ Center—the Region’s venture development leader.
In 2025, our team remained focused on our mission: to accelerate the growth of entrepreneurial businesses across the Dayton region at every stage—from a good idea to a scaling business to a business attracting capital. Through targeted programming, expert mentorship, access to capital, and deep partnerships across the ecosystem, we continued to build a thriving environment where entrepreneurs can turn visionary ideas into economic engines for our community.
In 2024, we reported that our impact exceeded $1B since 2017. That momentum is not just continuing—it’s accelerating. In 2025 alone, EC-supported businesses generated more than $266M in economic impact, signaling a pace of growth that is compounding year-over-year.
These outcomes are more than numbers—they represent real stories of innovation, perseverance, and community reinvestment right here in Dayton. From high-growth technology startups to main-street businesses and neighborhood innovators, the entrepreneurs we serve are strengthening our regional economy and positioning Dayton as a hub for opportunity and progress.
None of this would be possible without the unwavering support of our Board of Directors, our funders, investors, corporate partners, academic collaborators, and dedicated team. Your belief in the power of entrepreneurship fuels our impact across the Miami Valley and beyond.
We invite you to explore the full 2025 Annual Impact Report to see the depth of our programs, the success stories of the founders we are privileged to work with, and the forward momentum we’re building together.
Thank you for your continued partnership as we continue to power progress and prosperity in the Dayton Region.
Scott Koorndyk, President
Dr. David Kirschman, Board Chair
937-203-0771 
