“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!