A new Inno Madness startup champion has been named in Dayton. The second annual Inno Madness bracket-style voting contest was held over five rounds during the month of March.
We asked the public to narrow the field from 32 startup companies down to a final standing champion based on the question: “Who would you invest in?” Nearly 3,500 votes were cast to ultimately name the winner in Infinity Labs, a technology defense startup, based in downtown Dayton.
Here's a closer look at the Top 4:
Winner: Infinity Labs
Infinity Labs is a growing defense startup that performs transformational research and development. The company is in the midst of a $17 million project to transform one of downtown Dayton's oldest buildings into a research and development facility and their corporate headquarters.
The technology company is awaiting word on up to $7 million in federal funds to support its transformation of the former Dayton Power & Light steam power plant. The building on East Fourth Street was built in 1887.
The startup was founded in 2020. Their work centers around modeling and simulation, cybersecurity and advanced research and development.
Infinity Labs, led by CEO Ken Edge, has partnerships with higher education institutions including Wright State University and Clark State College.
“A centerpiece of Infinity Labs’ core strategy includes STEM engagement and cooperative education opportunities,” previously said Jason Molnar, co-founder, and chief strategy officer for Infinity Labs.
The company has grown in the last three years to over 50 employees. The company leadership offers competitive salary, benefits and team building nights.
“What makes us so special is our people. We appeal to a lot of folks that have a desire to make an impact either on the national defense side or on the commercial product portfolio side,” Molnar said.
Infinity Labs was founded by three U.S. military veterans, a former civilian from the Air Force Research Laboratory and three executives with experience in modeling, simulation and analysis.
The company has also been a Best Places to Work honoree and was the Rookie Business of the Year in 2022.
And rounding out the Top 4:
2) Lunnie
Lunnie is a Dayton-based brand focused on postpartum products. The company is one-year out from its successful launch of a nursing bra in 2022.
The startup was the 2022 winner of the University of Dayton Flyer Pitch Competition, taking home a $50,000 prize.
Lunnie, which is part of the Entrepreneurs' Center portfolio, has successfully earned over $100,000 through grants and pitch competitions. With expansion on the horizon, Lunnie is open to strategic investor opportunities, projecting four times growth in 2023, says founder Sarah Kallile.
With only herself and an intern on staff, Kallie is currently expanding her employment by two to fulfill operating and marketing needs.
In 2023, Kallile says she will begin to market more and is switching manufacturing operations to a larger U.S.-based manufacturer. She’s also selling her bras inside of Shoppe Smitten in Oakwood.
“I've been successful to this point, but I know that I can expand my footprint and that there's such an appetite for this bra,” Kallile said previously.
Lunnie is in development now for a pumping bra and camisole with leakproof components.
3) UNLISTED
This Dayton-based startup created a software platform to aid in the homebuying process. The tech startup presents a new opportunity to start conversations about property plans among neighbors, allowing homeowners, homebuyers and real estate agents to tap into the property market before a house is officially “for sale.”
Homebuyers and agents can search the address of a home or multiple homes they are interested in that are not on the market. UNLISTED will then do an outreach campaign to the homeowners, sending a proposal in the form of an eye-catching golden package.
The $25 package includes a letter from the interested party to the homeowner about why they like the house and a secure and anonymous invitation code. The code enables the homeowner to engage in conversation with the seller and the seller’s agent to see if there’s a deal to be had.
The platform went national in November of 2022. Founder and CEO Katie Hill said the platform sold its first house in Oakwood in collaboration with Kunal Patel of Coldwell Banker Heritage.
Hill said the startup is encouraging people to register their homes for free at unlistedhomes.com/register-home.
“It's easy and fun and gives homeowners the opportunity to collect interest in their homes well before they're ready to sell,” Hill said.
UNLISTED is a finalist in the current University of Dayton Flyer Pitch Competition, which will announce winners in April. UNLISTED is a finalist in the ESP/Tech track.
4) The Blooming Circle
The Blooming Circle is a digital health and wellness advocacy education and navigation system. It is designed to create and maintain inclusive communities of care to be utilized by medical, health, and wellness providers, and Black, Indigenous and Women of Color seeking care in the Greater Dayton community. It is called the Blooming Circle because the goal is to grow (bloom) the number of people and resources dedicated to advocacy for women of color.
The Blooming Circle Health Advocacy System is a service of HUES Women’s Health Advocacy Institute, a nonprofit advancing health and wellness equity for women of color in Greater Dayton.
The Blooming Circle is a finalist in the current University of Dayton Flyer Pitch Competition, which is approaching its completion later this spring. The competition takes place over five months from October to April in three phases.
The Blooming Circle is a finalist in the nonprofit track. The final round of the pitch competition will take place on Saturday, April 22. In 2022, $150,000 in cash and in-kind prizes were awarded.
