A prominent, growing downtown Dayton economic development group with one of the sector’s largest regional operating budgets – reported at $7.8 million – is preparing to expand its services in 2023. The changes are the result of a contract with the State of Ohio which became effective at the start of the year.
Although it resides in one of the smaller regions in the state, the Entrepreneurs’ Center (EC) in downtown Dayton stands as the second largest ESP providers in Ohio – only second to Cleveland.
“It keeps getting bigger and 2023 will be the same,” said Scott Koorndyk, EC president.
Dayton’s ESP Program in 2023
In July 2022, the EC was awarded a $15 million Entrepreneurial Services Provider (ESP) Program grant. The record amount of funding was a 60% increase over the 2019 allocation when combined with a required local match from project partners.
In total, the Entrepreneurs' Center has $29.8 million to fund its ESP project, which aims to fill gaps in the local entrepreneurial system. The funding will support the ESP program from 2023 to June 30, 2025. Koorndyk said their funding growth a reflection of their portfolio which since 2015 has grown to encompass 100 clients.
EC clients have accumulated more than $100 million in third-party investments, created more than 800 new jobs and generated product sales above $180 million. According to a previous DBJ report, for $1 million invested by the Ohio Third Frontier Commission, more than $30 of return was generated.
With the start of their contract underway, Koorndyk and the EC are focusing their efforts and funding on expanding collaborations with their 14 partners (like Sinclair and Parallax) while doing more directly for their entrepreneurs.
“When you go from something like $23 million program to a $30 million program, where do those dollars go?” Koorndyk said. “We really want to focus those dollars on entrepreneurs. So as entrepreneurs evolve and grow, the things they need support with are a little bit more expensive, complicated and complex.”
Koorndyk said the funding will help the EC do reprogramming, adapting to changing conditions in the community and adjust their services as the year progresses. It also enables them to work more deeply with their Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR), bringing additional daily hands-on opportunities to their entrepreneurs.
“On behalf of the Entrepreneur Center, thank you all for your support,” Koorndyk said. “Thank you all for the really important day-to-day support you give us. It's not lost on us as an ESP, we're deploying taxpayer money. All of you are in some way contributing to what we do and so we want to use that money in the right way to help our entrepreneurs.”
Startup Storytellers
In an effort to highlight and further the reach of their client portfolio, the EC jump started a new annual Startup Storytellers event. brings in a set of experienced entrepreneurs to share their stories with the Dayton community. All of the entrepreneurs were ESP recipients who create jobs in the region with products that currently are and eventually will impact the region and others well-outside state lines.
“We want 2023 and the future to be about entrepreneurs,” Koorndyk said. “It's always been about our entrepreneurs but we want to be a little bit more intentional about having our entrepreneurs tell their stories. We do remarkable work. They do the heavy lifting.”
Startup Storytellers was originally inspired by VH1 Storytellers, where famous artists performed in front of a live audience and told stories about their music, writing experiences and memories. The Dayton equivalent aims to do the same on a more localized level in a different sector.
The first event took place earlier this week with future events yet to be announced. Here are the startups you missed but can look forward to seeing updated coverage from DBJ in the coming months:
- Lunnie – A brand focused on postpartum products to make moms feel pretty and powerful, specifically through the production of a nursing bra which launched in March 2022. Lunnie is now prepped to grow its product line and will launch nursing bra in local store Shoppe Smitten in Oakwood this Friday.
- Skuld – A Springfield manufacturer using Additive Manufacturing Evaporative Casting (AMEC) to provide a cheaper alternative to tooling.
- AIMM – A Beavercreek research and development startup, creating an innovative water treatment device to provide more access to clean water across the world.
- Bowerbags – Creator of a handful of versatile bags which transform into one do-it-all-super-bag for both commercial and militarized uses to be manufactured both within the United States and overseas. Pre-orders are not yet underway.
