Free programs, workshops, panels, competitions available to all levels of entrepreneurs — and the ‘small business-curious’
Weekend warriors, bootstrappers, thinkers, dreamers, doers, makers, entrepreneurs and small business owners are all invited to roll up their sleeves and immerse themselves in three days of workshops, panel discussions, networking events and more programs during Launch Dayton Startup Week, presented by Fifth Third Bank.
The free conference is fully back in-person, today through Thursday at the Dayton Arcade and The Hub Powered by PNC. Park at the Reibold Garage on Fifth Street, or park at on-street meters available around the building. Enter the conference through the Arcade Rotunda entrance at 35 W. Fourth St.
“Startup Week is the largest event of its kind for Dayton’s entrepreneur community, drawing more than 1,000 attendees annually to celebrate, inspire and equip the Dayton region’s startup founders and business owners,” said Audrey Ingram, marketing manager for Parallax Research, the nonprofit organization behind Startup Week and other Launch Dayton initiatives. “Our goal is that you can find talks and workshops that interest you every day of the conference, no matter your industry or stage of business.”
Topics include financial and capital, business planning, marketing, retail and food-based business, future tech, working with Wright-Patt Air Force Base, arts and cultural business, and even Business 101 workshops for those who might be in the early ideation phase but need some help fleshing out their concept. There’s also a chance to see real businesses compete for cash and a chance to promote their startups during a pitch competition at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
Attendees will get to know up-and-coming industries taking off in Ohio, like flying cars, human-like robots or food production in space. Guests will hear from folks in the field who can offer a big picture view of what to expect in these new markets and learn how their startups can capitalize on these emerging opportunities.
There will also be programming committed to elevating under-represented communities. “The organizing team is committed to hosting a conference that is representative of the community we serve,” said John Owen, Parallax Research Program Manager. “Last year, main-stage speakers were 50 percent women and 50 percent people of color. This year, we are working to meet or exceed those ratios across all conference stages.”
Those who want to challenge their brains and put their problem-solving skills to the test should check out the Gemtec Hackathon where crowd-sourcing innovation happens in real time. Local company Henny Penny produces cooking equipment for some of the biggest names in fast food. Many of their machines are connected online. They collect a wealth of valuable data ranging from controller id and oil temperature to error codes and element currents.
Henny Penny wants a tool to help pull insights out of this data. They want a solution with a web-based front end that allows the user to select parameters to help sort, filter and analyze the data. Ideally, they’d also like to plug in a little artificial intelligence to gather insights they don’t know to look for yet.
Anyone with an idea is invited to build their team in real time, or bring a team to the Gemtec Hackathon and build out a solution in three days to pitch to Henny Penny leaders for a shot at $10,000 to develop.
The week concludes with the Startup Week closing party, art. food. tech. fest! This event is also free and open to the public. The event features aerialists, live music, tech demonstrations, spoken word poetry, dance performances and much more. Continue the evening in Dayton by popping over to the free concert at the Levitt Pavilion after the party, then head back to the Tank for Culture Works’ After the Levitt.
