PDF The Dayton Region Entrepreneurial Signature Program (ESP) is a key initiative of the Dayton Development Coalition’s strategy to grow the Region. With over 60 start-up businesses in the program’s portfolio since its inception in September 2007, the program is making a significant difference in growing the Dayton Region’s focus areas: Aerospace Systems, Advanced Materials & Advanced Manufacturing, IT & Advanced Data Management, Human Sciences & Healthcare.
The program’s goal is to make investments that support individual entrepreneurs and grow the Region’s key cluster areas.
In 2011, ESP broke the $100 million mark for outside market validation, a measurement used by the State of Ohio to assess how companies are performing in the marketplace. This has significant meaning to the program, validating that sound investments have been made, but more importantly, that ESP companies have been growing and expanding, creating high skilled jobs, and high wage jobs.
For every one dollar of ESP investment and development services awarded, ten dollars in market validation has been realized. This is yet another testament to the quality of the technology companies in our Region and the strong market demand for their products.
In addition to the high return on investments, the program itself has managed to be efficient. Expenditures on overhead and entrepreneurial programs delivered twenty-three dollars in market validation for every dollar spent.
A concentrated effort includes increasing outreach efforts in key industries and throughout each of the 13 counties. As a result, new and expanding efforts have developed, creating greater distribution of portfolio companies:
The Dayton Region ESP is supported by the Ohio Third Frontier and local investors who have raised $22.5 Million to grow the Dayton Region’s entrepreneurial talent and spur economic growth.
To learn more or apply for the program, please contact Betsy Westhafer.
