Launch Dayton at 10: A Decade of Startup Momentum Rooted in Collaboration
This September marks the 10-year anniversary of Launch Dayton Startup Week, the region’s flagship gathering of innovators, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. What began as a grassroots experiment has grown into a cornerstone of Dayton’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, drawing hundreds of founders each year and fueling a culture of innovation across the Miami Valley.
Born from collaborative discussions with industry and academia, and with economic development partners like The Entrepreneurs Center (EC), the Wright Brothers Institute (WBI) played a foundational role in developing Startup Week. As an innovation institute for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), WBI helped bridge defense-research and civilian innovation ecosystems. The AFRL Small Business Hub—established in 2014 via WBI and AFRL—has been a critical engine facilitating tech commercialization, detangling the complexities of defense contracting, and nurturing startup-friendly networks.
WBI’s early presence connected the Startup Week stage with amplified Air Force mission. AFRL’s own Ryan Helbach, Chief Intrapreneur, and Anissa Lumpkin, with the AFRL/SB office, coordinated six Air Force related presentations at WBI’s 444 facility. “Startup Weeks are an excellent path for businesses to grab the attention of government agencies.” That direct engagement helped legitimize tech startups using defense-grade research and demonstrated AFRL’s openness to external innovation.
In those early years, Startup Week introduced many to the concept of an “innovation district”—a neighborhood where research labs, startups, corporations, and investors collide, sparking unexpected partnerships. Over the past decade, this ecosystem has matured into a recognizable hub that has attracted federal contracts, venture capital, and new jobs.
The historic Dayton Arcade, a stunning complex of nine interconnected buildings with a glass-domed rotunda, received a massive injection of funding—about $162 million—to transform it into a mixed-use development featuring offices, housing, classrooms, an innovation hub, retail, restaurant and event space, plus a hotel.
Between 2021 and mid-2024, Greater Downtown Dayton saw $520 million in privately managed projects, leveraging $13 million in direct city investment and $40 million in public infrastructure improvements—a public-to-private multiplier of approximately 1:10.
EC has served more than 450 small businesses across the U.S. in partnership with the AFRL, advancing commercialization of technologies with national security significance.
Through programs like WBI Collider events, training, and accelerator-style sessions, the Small Business Hub continues to physicalize the Air Force–startup connection in the heart of downtown Dayton.
With the maturation of the event, and national endorsement from Tech Stars, a global network that supports founders, mentors, investors, and partners in building the future of business, WBI moved from programming partner to event sponsor. Today, Launch Dayton Startup Week welcomes nearly 1,000 participants annually, spanning both high-tech and Main Street businesses. It remains free to attend, ensuring that entrepreneurs from every background have access to mentorship, workshops, and networks that can accelerate growth.
Launch Dayton Startup Week’s 10-year journey is more than an anniversary—it’s a narrative of ecosystem building. WBI’s early participation and AFRL’s ambition to see research turned into innovation have shaped Dayton’s tech landscape. Together, they helped shift ideas from lab benches into startups, fueling an innovation district that’s as rich in connections as it is in potential.