A Covington accelerator just received a boost to its Dayton branch thanks to a grant from one of Ohio's well-known economic development initiatives.
Female-focused Aviatra Accelerators received the $216,000 grant from the Ohio Third Frontier, a sub-grantee of the Entrepreneurs’ Center of Dayton. The funding will be divided over a three-year-period to help the nonprofit cover operational expenses and expand programming for female entrepreneurs in the Dayton area.
Headquartered in Covington, Aviatra expanded to Dayton in 2020. The nonprofit also has an office in Cincinnati.
“This funding is a game-changer for Aviatra in Dayton – it will truly allow us to focus on the bold community of female entrepreneurs and help to create a meaningful contribution to the local economy,” Kourtney Terry, program manager for Aviatra Dayton, said in a statement.
Here are some of the current programs Aviatra Dayton offers for female entrepreneurs at any stage of business:
- Explore Bootcamps: for new women entrepreneurs to validate their business idea and learn how to set up their business for success.
- Women’s Mastermind Hot Seat Cohort: Created by Aviatra and the Women in Business Network (an initiative of the BBB), this year-long cohort is for women entrepreneurs to give and get business advice in hot seat-style gatherings. The cohort meets quarterly, with the first event on May 12.
- SOAR workshops: Held around the Dayton area for women in any stage of business, these workshops provide valuable information from experts in areas such as marketing, entrepreneur mindset, legal and more.
- Side Hustle without the Hustle workshop: For anyone with a business idea, these free workshops, with workbook, share the steps to set up a side business in seven days.
As an added benefit to the sub-grantee funding, Aviatra Accelerators will have access to the resources of the Dayton Entrepreneurs’ Center’s programs, interns, mentors and other business support.
Aviatra, formerly known as Bad Girl Ventures, offers education, coaching, mentoring, networking and access to capital, and its programs are tailored to meet the needs of women entrepreneurs at all stages of the business cycle. Since its founding in 2010, the organization has helped more than 3,000 female entrepreneurs create 15,000 jobs, has awarded millions in funding, and its entrepreneurs have generated a cumulative total of more than $1 billion in earned revenues.
Some of its more recent alumni include Cincinnati travel firm Aclipse Campervans, specialty retailer Pet Wants, St. Bernard-based popsicle maker Streetpops, and Burlington-based Three Keys Distilling.
Aviatra’s funding was awarded by the Entrepreneurs’ Center as part of the $14.9 million Ohio Third Frontier grant it received in 2022.
