“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.” — Jim Bishop.
It’s hard to believe that fall is already here, but this may be our favorite season for the Entrepreneurs’ Center (EC) Team. At the very least, it’s mine! I’ve always found that the fall is the perfect time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, but it’s not too late to impact our trajectory over the remainder of the year. As I look back on 2023 so far, a few examples of those impacts are worth highlighting:
- Our Small Business Development Center (SBDC) team works with hundreds of entrepreneurs and small businesses every year, and each one benefits from our coaching staff’s care, attention, and expertise. One way we impact those small businesses is through training events. Our team provides our clients with training on a topic or area essential to the growth of a business. I’m proud of my entire team—and this year, two of our team members are in the Top 10 in the State of Ohio for training events. Congratulations, Cindi Green and Tosin Osunbunmi, for your dedication to our clients!
- Our Entrepreneurial Services Provider (ESP) team supports more than 100 companies that are working to bring technologies to market. Over the last five years, our clients have set annual records for their sales revenues, third-party investments, and job creation—and 2023 is no different. Though we don’t yet know how the year will end, EC clients raised more than $100M in third-party investment in just the first six months of the year! This figure is almost double our highest total for previous years—and there is plenty of time to grow investment totals further. This is just one way we can see our Region’s technology business portfolio mature, and it shows us just how impressive our local ecosystem is.
- The Arcade Innovation Hub (AIH), operated in partnership between the EC and the University of Dayton, continues to exceed our expectations! In June, we opened the 3rd floor of the Rotunda building to our Members. The 3rd floor increased our private office capacity by more than 40%, giving us the space to welcome dozens of new businesses into the Hub. We also opened a learning and conference space, allowing us to host events for 75-100 people for teaching, training, and events. The Hub also hosts dozens of classes from the University of Dayton and Sinclair Community College—so with the fall upon us, we are excited to welcome more than 500 students each week.
I expect the rest of the year will be just as successful for our clients—and you. Here’s to falling leaves, colder weather, and more gold in your pockets!
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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
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 
