It's been really interesting to read recent posts from fans of commercialization in the Dayton, OH region. It makes sense to see so much passion at this time; the region is hosting a Commercialization "show" on Friday (http://daytoncatalyst.com/) while also attempting to reengage the State of Ohio's Third Frontier ESP to support entrepreneurship in the region. The program supports several regions in the state (Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Athens, and Toledo).
I hope we get the program, because the region needs as much local emphasis as possible. I moved from Atlanta, Ga to Dayton about 2.5 years ago. I spent a year looking for technology startups to get involved with in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton. I had a lot more traction in Cincinnati and Columbus largely due to the access through CincyTech and Rev1, respectively each town's ESP. They were great connectors and had great vision into the pipeline in each city. Even though I lived in Dayton, I found very little of that connectivity locally. Dayton lost its ESP about the time I showed up (I'm not responsible for this!). Each pool of technology opportunities (Wright State, U of Dayton, Accelerant, AFRL) and every company was disconnected. Additionally, Rev1 and CincyTech were no more than 80 minutes away, had plenty of resources to spare, but also minimal presence in Dayton. In my experience engaging in commercialization in literally dozens of towns worldwide, this apparently short distance is a real barrier between ecosystems; entrepreneurial support and resources are provided from within.
Read the full article here (originally published on Linkedin December 8, 2016).