“Nationally, only about a third of small businesses make it to the 10-year mark, which makes this anniversary especially meaningful‚” said Sarah Caplan, outreach program manager for the Entrepreneur’s Center. “Just as Startup Week has weathered challenges and evolved over the past decade, we want to equip founders with the tools, networks, and support they need to thrive for the long haul.”
The event kicks off at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday with Nate Sowder of Fifth Third Bank expected to “set a powerful foundation for the rest of the event,” said Leslie Klenke, director of marketing for the Entrepreneur’s Center.
Brent Johnson and Josh Stucky, co-founders of Square One Salons & Spas, will be Wednesday’s keynote speakers. The event’s annual pitch competition, where both tech startups and “Main Street” businesses will compete for cash, will be held at Yellow Cab Tavern the evening of Sept. 9.
Startup Week was originally started by Parallax Advanced Research in 2015, a week-long event primarily focused on tech startups. Nowadays, the event has an audience of both technology-focused startup and “Main Street” brands, including restaurants and retail.
The Entrepreneur’s Center acquired the Launch Dayton brand last year.
Organizers say they moved the event to a two-day event because many business owners couldn’t get away for a full week.
“We found that attendance and energy peaked on the first and last days of the previous year, so we wanted to capture that momentum across the entire event,” Klenke said. “A shorter format also makes it more feasible for small business owners, who can’t always commit to multiple full days away from their operations.”
Startup Week originally took place in the 444 Building on East Second Street, and moved to venues around the Dayton area for a number of years. After going remote during the COVID pandemic, the event has taken place at the Hub in the Dayton Arcade ever since.
Additionally, the Entrepreneur’s Center brought back Launch Pad in 2025, a monthly series of talks that focused on marketing, money, and business fundamentals. The series had more than 300 attendees for the series, which concludes with Startup Week.
“We heard loud and clear from our community that they wanted more opportunities to connect, learn, and collaborate throughout the year, not just once during Startup Week. LaunchPad was reimagined to meet that need,” Caplan said.
Tickets are available at no cost at launchdayton.com/startupweek.
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