Dayton residents will soon have the opportunity to attend a seminar that will help them launch their startups.
On February 24-26, LaunchHack DYT will host a weekend-long seminar where attendees will share ideas, team up, and launch startups.
Based on Techstars Startup Weekend, LaunchHack DYT is a jumping off point for entrepreneurships. LaunchHack DYT organizer Matt Veryser has participated and facilitated Startup Weekends and “hackathons” across Columbus, Miami University, Ball State University, Davidson College, and Winston-Salem State University.
“I love Startup Weekend because it is the single most catalytic entrepreneurial experience that I’ve ever witnessed,” Veryser said. “Firsthand, I’ve seen it change the career paths of three or four dozen people by changing the way they see the world.”
The goal of LaunchHack is to create an environment where passionate, driven, and like-minded people can come together to get things done – to learn network, bridge the gap between trades, expose potential, and see actual results.
The weekend seminar will include team gathering, idea pitching, and model developing.
- On Friday evening, participants will gather and pitch their ideas. Teams will be formed around the most popular ideas pitched.
- Saturday, teams will return to develop the idea, validate their product/technology/business model, and hack together a minimum viable product.
- Sunday, teams will put together their decks, then pitch their startups for prizes, including services to help their startup grow.
On Saturday and Sunday, entrepreneurs and experts from the community will volunteer to serve as mentors for the LaunchHack DYT teams, helping them develop their business strategies and prototypes.
One of last year’s winners described the experience as “fantastic” and suggests that more students should get involved.
“I went into college to study engineering with no experience in entrepreneurship outside a few personal things I wanted to pursue,” said Joe Fuchs, University of Dayton engineering student and first-time attendee. “This contest has brought me a holistic idea of what it would look like to go into this space. I recommend a lot more students get involved in it.”
Early-bird tickets are on sale for $45 until Jan. 31, then after that date, tickets will rise to $75. The event will be held at The Hub at the Dayton Arcade on 31 S. Main St.
