A Dayton-area firm is gaining steam.
Aviatra Accelerators is ready to take its entrepreneurial services for women business owners to the next level.
Aviatra Dayton opened during Covid to help local women start their journey in entrepreneurship and overcome barriers for obtaining capital and working with local professional services. Over the last year, the company has established relationships with local banks, credit unions, branding specialists, law firms, accountants and more who are open to working with small businesses that go through Aviatra’s programs.
Aviatra Dayton director Pamela Cone hopes to continue to help local women to find a space for equity and inclusion within the entrepreneurial world through their expanded offerings for 2022.
We’ve been able to partner with people in the community and find those that are willing to invest and support (in small businesses),” Cone said. “I think once we become a greater staple in the ecosystem. I'm sure we're gonna get more support from the community.”
For 2022, the company is looking to start its new Launch Program, offering about 10 local businesses a specialized set of workshops and help to take their business to the next level. Cone anticipates the first wave of the program to begin in summer 2022. A formal application date has not been set for the $600 program.
Additionally, Cone said Aviatra Dayton will offer additional Explore programs and public workshops for the upcoming year to its expanding clientele. The Explore program currently offers early-stage entrepreneurs a chance to pitch their business and receive proper feedback and resources.
Cone said the startup world is tough in Dayton, so the company works with local operations willing to take chances on small business owners after going through the $325 program. Women exit the Explorer program with an SBA certified plan for their business known as Canvas, which they can provide to banks and investors.
Recruitment is currently open for Dayton Aviatra’s fourth group of Explore cohorts which is expected to launch in February 2022, sponsored by U.S. Bank and First Financial.
Cheryl Stamm, Cincinnati advisory board chair and 10-year Aviatra volunteer, said Aviatra Dayton offers its entrepreneurs a sense of community and connections with one another. Stamm said Aviatra pulls away from setting its entrepreneurs off to make large strides alone in the business world and regularly checks in on program graduates to set businesses on their next path or resource connection.
Aviatra Dayton is industry agnostic, working with owners who want to achieve all levels of success, from million-dollar companies to lifestyle companies wanting to maintain $40,000 yearly averages. Aviatra currently is working to identify more barriers for local businesswomen in the entrepreneurial space and working to be cognizant of the different nuances of the Dayton entrepreneurial market compared to other area where Aviatra operates.
Aviatra Dayton is housed in The Hub in Downtown Dayton. Cone said the space has been a huge player in exposure and partnerships with other entrepreneurial help organizations.
“(Being in the Hub) has contributed to a level of our success and also being transparent, visible and ecosystem friendly,” Cone said. “We’re not an outsider; we’re an addition to the community and that helps as well.”
Aviatra Accelerators, a nonprofit, was founded in 2010 in Cincinnati to provide capital investment to women-owned startups. The company has since expanded with two more branches in Kentucky and Dayton, offering women in entrepreneurship education, coaching, mentoring, networking and access to local resources. Aviatra Dayton has offered help to more than 175 local businesswomen through its programs.
