5 things to know about Dayton Startup Week


STAYING WITH IT

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Dayton organizations and businesses are gearing up to support the region’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Business leaders announced they will host the first Dayton Startup Week, a “free, five-day celebration of our community that builds momentum and opportunity around entrepreneurship.” The event is set for Sept. 12 - 16.

Tiffany Ferrell, marketing and communications manager for the Wright State Research Institute, told the Dayton Daily News five facts the community should know about the new event.

Dayton Startup Week was born out of the desire for a more connected community. Leaders started to ask entrepreneurs: "What's the thing you wish you had most in Dayton?" Many of them said they wanted a network of other people who were working on startups.

“We’ve just been trying to create opportunities for our startups to be able to get together, to form relationships, and to get to know one another beyond superficial networking,” Ferrell said.

Startup week will offer entrepreneurs more than just networking. Attendees can learn from CEOs, serial entrepreneurs like Chris Wire of Real Art, a Dayton-based creative agency. Daily social events and open mentoring hours will be available throughout the week, Ferrell said.

“We’re trying to facilitate this cultural shift in Dayton,” she said. “When you look at the culture of bigger ecosystems, if you fail at something then you just learn from it and pick yourself up. You keep going until you find that thing that’s really successful.”

Organizations across the city are partnering for the week-long event. The main sponsors are Tech Town, Wright State University, The Entrepreneurs Center and Ascend Innovations. The other organizations involved are Downtown Dayton Partnership, Nucleus CoShare, and Dayton Metro Library.

Event leaders want to inspire entrepreneurs to launch their ideas.

“I see the future of Dayton in the hands of this bright community,” Ferrell said. “We have creativity. We have the brains. It’s just a matter of inspiring people to take the next step. Go out on your own and start something. Start something, change something.”

Registration for the event goes live on Aug. 1. As planning continues, event leaders will announce more details. The week schedule will also be featured on the Dayton Startup Week website, with a list of speakers and locations for events.

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