Unlisted is Redefining the Way People Connect Around Real Estate
Posted by Leslie Klenke on November 10, 2025
At Unlisted, innovation started with a moment of curiosity and a closed pool. When public swimming pools shut down during the pandemic, founder Katie Hill noticed her neighbor had one in his side yard. One afternoon, as he mowed his lawn, she walked over and asked if he’d ever consider selling his house. They talked, agreed she’d have the first chance if he did, and Hill left the conversation inspired. “It just felt so natural,” she says. “He had visibility into a potential buyer, and I had visibility into a potential dream home. I thought, why aren’t we doing more of this?”
That simple exchange sparked an idea: people should be able to have open, proactive conversations about homes not yet for sale. Unlisted was born to make those connections possible. The platform gives homeowners and buyers a way to communicate directly, well before a listing ever goes public. “Buying a home shouldn’t be about rushing into the biggest financial decision of your life in a matter of hours,” Hill explains. “We should have time to plan, to talk, and to imagine what’s next.”
Building a technology company from the ground up required more than vision—it required capital and belief. Hill pitched her idea to EC Angels, raising her first $300,000 to build and test the platform. That early validation opened doors for more funding, including investments from accelerator programs and venture groups across the country. “It’s so important to get your business standing on its own two feet as quickly as possible,” Hill says. “When you do that, you can choose the investors you want to work with, and that makes all the difference.”
For Hill, finding the right investors has been as important as finding funding itself. “As a founder, you have to do your due diligence on investors just as much as they do theirs on you,” she says. “The best investors bring not only capital, but energy, experience, and shared conviction.”
Entrepreneurs’ Center (EC) has played a vital role in Unlisted’s growth, connecting Hill to mentors, investors, and programs that accelerated development. Its Catalyst program, in particular, helped her bring in engineering talent early on—critical to building a strong product foundation. “As a founder, you have to use every resource available to you,” she says. “Entrepreneurs’ Center gave us the guidance and support we needed right from the start.”
Today, Unlisted is growing into a platform that helps homeowners and buyers connect more meaningfully while creating a lasting data record that moves with each property. It’s a new way to think about real estate—one that values relationships as much as transactions.
Big ideas thrive when people make meaningful connections. If you’re a founder looking for the right partners to help your business grow, let’s connect. If you’re an investor who wants to help empower the next generation of innovators, reach out here.
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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
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.