New Start Downtown Initiatives Help Encourage Entrepreneur Growth
Since 2011, more than 100 new startups have launched here, and small businesses are really the backbone of downtown's economic community.
New Start Downtown Initiatives Help Encourage Entrepreneur Growth
There have been many changes to downtown Dayton’s landscape, from the physical presence of new buildings and amenities to the groundswell of small businesses, downtown is a very different place. The proliferation of new businesses including retailers, tech companies, restaurants, creative services firms, and a new attitude embracing the collaborative spirit of the urban core have been driving groups of passionate individuals to follow their dreams to own their own business.
“We’ve witnessed a surge in startups downtown,” said Downtown Dayton Partnership (DDP) VP of Economic Development Scott Murphy. “Since 2011, more than 100 new startups have launched here, and small businesses are really the backbone of downtown’s economic community. We’re stepping up to ensure those entrepreneurs have the support they need as well as the creative, collaborative environment they desire for a place to do business.”
Community and civic leaders looked for ways to spur this development further, and in May, the DDP, City of Dayton and the Dayton Development Coalition hosted a series of discussions on challenges and opportunities to help more small businesses “Start Downtown.” About 100 engaged professionals participated in the “introductory collisions,” which were supported by economic development professionals from the DDP, DDC, Nucleus (The Entrepreneurs Center and Nucleus CoShare), and other startup cohorts.
Smaller groups of dedicated volunteers launched several task force groups whose goals each focused on one area for improvement. Tonight, those new programs will roll out as the next phase in the Start Downtown initiative.
Project leaders will introduce their new programs at tonight’s launch event, which will take place from 4-5:30 p.m. at K12 Gallery & TEJAS, 341 S. Jefferson St. Project topics include:
- Pop-up Coworking: This team will host several co-working opportunities that will “pop up” in non-traditional work spaces.
- Dayton Kiva Team: Access to funding was a critical issue for startups. This team will launch a Dayton Kiva network in which funds are circulated in revolving loans.
- Innovation/Improvement Challenge: This team will match established businesses with startups to solve challenges at the established company that will yield significant returns on investment.
- Dayton Collaboration Network: Local business leaders can join a network that will support startups by providing discounted services and mentoring.
- “I Started Downtown”: This marketing initiative shares downtown entrepreneurs’ personal stories, highlighting their reasons for choosing to do business downtown.
The volunteer teams will continue to receive support from the founding partners, who conducted an extensive amount of research in support of Start Downtown. This includes looking at best practices from other cities and an examination of the gaps and needs here in Dayton. In addition to launching these new projects, Start Downtown has published a set of priority recommendations for the Dayton community. The recommendations can be downloaded here.
“Dayton has huge potential to reclaim its title as an innovation center,” said Rick Peters, CEO at Ascend Innovations and volunteer chair of the Start Downtown initiative. “This grassroots effort aims to capitalize on the current business climate and encourage more small businesses to launch in our center city.”
To find the full recommendations and project list for Start Downtown, as well as other business and economic development programs from the DDP, visit downtowndayton.org.
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Downtown Dayton Partnership.
