The Gem City is shining brightly as it continues to live up to its rich history of innovation and collaborative idea sharing. Local startups, manufacturers, nonprofits and technology companies are leveraging millions of dollars in grants, government funds, venture capital and sweat equity to propel the region forward with new ideas.
To recognize the region’s fastest-growing, most innovative and impactful organizations, Dayton Inno introduces its second installment of the Fire Awards. It's a recognition for the companies and people setting the local innovation economy ablaze.
Honorees — 15 in total across four categories — were sourced by nominations within the startup Dayton ecosystem and selected by the Dayton Inno editorial team.
Today, there are rising stars in categories like aviation and defense, technology, food service, health care, finance and arts.
Related: The Fire Awards: These Dayton nonprofits are blazing economic paths
These are the honorees and the top Blazer winner in the category of Technology:
Ohio Federal Research Network (Category Blazer Winner)
Sound the alarm, for the Ohio Federal Research Network (OFRN) is on fire. Managed by Parallax Advanced Research in collaboration with The Ohio State University and funded by the Ohio Department of Higher Education, OFRN has achieved remarkable milestones and contributions in the past 12 months.
Notably, it acquired follow-on funding worth $832,000 to set ablaze seven research projects, alongside a cost share of nearly $2 million, which further fueled the technological flames.
OFRN-funded research and development projects in Fiscal Year 2023 resulted in the creation of 31 jobs.
OFRN’s mission is to create a collaborative research hub designed to expand Ohio’s cutting-edge research capability and create new economic opportunities for Ohio in the areas of defense, aerospace, energy, and health. The group has partners in federal government, academia, and industry to drive innovation and commercialization.
Ignited in 2014, OFRN has effectively advanced research to address emerging national security requirements and fostered collaborations with approximately 21 academic institutions and nearly 88 Ohio-based companies.
“OFRN's impact also extends beyond funding and research, as it plays a significant role in job creation and retention in Ohio,” said Mark Bartman of Parallax Advanced Research. “Overall, OFRN's collaborative and innovative approach, coupled with its impressive funding and economic impact, position it as an exceptional organization in its industry.”
GoHypersonic Inc.
GoHypersonic Inc. (GHI) has been on fire in the past 12 months, making significant accomplishments and contributions that distinguish them in their industry. The Dayton-based tech company performs research and development on hypersonic propulsion systems.
Earlier this March, the nonprofit was selected as a priority project recommended to receive federal support by the Dayton Region Priority Development & Advocacy Committee. The group is seeking $22 million in government support for its GoHypersonic Inc. High-Speed Test Center.
The organization is seeking to build a cost-effective freejet test facility equivalent to larger-scale government installation hypersonic wind tunnels. The facility will be tailored to the needs of small businesses that work with both the Department of Defense and civilian hypersonics applications. The facility would also provide a space for the extended testing of vehicles, engine components and materials to qualify weapons systems prior to fight testing.
GHI — led by president Dr. Lance Jacobsen — has experienced significant growth in the past year. Their groundbreaking achievements and contract awards have driven their need to expand their workforce and double in size. The increased workload has pushed GHI to scale up their operations, invest in research and development, and attract top talent in the industry.
Spintech Holdings
A Miamisburg-based manufacturer is seeing significant growth in the last year.
Spintech Holdings Inc. has experienced growth of 114% in past year, raising $3 million capped at $4 million for remainder of a Series B Capital raise, said CEO Craig Jennings.
Spintech Holdings is a major player in game-changing aerospace and defense platforms from blue chip companies. The company provides novel composite manufacturing solutions and high value composite parts for aerospace and manufacturers worldwide.
In the last 18 months, Spintech Holdings moved into a new facility at 1964 Byers Road near Austin Landing. The company expanded two primary divisions: Smart Tooling and Hawthorn Composites.
Smart Tooling provides composite tooling solutions for manufacturing composite parts for the aerospace and defense industry.
Hawthorn Composites uses dry carbon fiber, resin infusion, and novel manufacturing methods to make composites parts that are equal in performance and quality to baseline manufacturing methods at a significantly lower cost.
Spintech Holdings was founded in 2010 and has grown to generate $3.5 million in annual product sales.
