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Small Business Info

Small businesses in the Dayton Region can benefit from a strong network of resources focused on their needs. The DDC’s experienced Defense and Aerospace team and the entrepreneurial experts on our Accelerant team provide support and guidance for small businesses as they work to commercialize an idea or explore government contracting.

Small businesses in Dayton understand that proximity matters. Since 2013, the U.S. Air Force has steadily increased obligations to Ohio and Dayton Region businesses through the Small Business Innovation Research Program, or SBIR.

  • In FY’17, the Dayton Region received 92% of AFRL’s Ohio obligations. That’s up from a yearly average of approximately 78% since ’13.
SBIR/STTR

Congress established the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program in 1982 to fund research and development (R&D) by U.S. owned and operated businesses of less than 500 employees. SBIR, the nation's largest source of early-stage technology financing, is administered by the Small Business Administration through 11 federal agencies and is funded at more than $2 billion annually. The Department of Defense (DoD) accounts for more than half of the federal government's total SBIR/STTR program.

The three-phase SBIR Program directly funds up to $1.15 million in early-stage R&D by small companies. Eligible projects must fulfill an R&D need identified by the DoD and have the potential to be developed into a product or service for commercial or defense markets.

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Wright Brothers Institute

Wright Brothers Institute provides fast, agile innovation to solve the Air Force Research Laboratory’s most complex challenges.

With a focus on innovation and commercialization, WBI understands the needs of small businesses. WBI’s Small Business Toolkit is an excellent place for companies to start.

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444

AFRL Small Business Hub at the Wright Brothers Institute provides a space for the Air Force to collaborate with organizations, startups and universities in the Downtown Dayton Innovation District. This collaborative environment includes meeting spaces equipped with the latest technology, proximity to many potential partners in the region, and a steady flow of subject matter experts from many backgrounds.

As an Intermediary facility outside the gate, it is very easy have access to the 444 facility, not a typical office environment, but a wide, open space which exudes creativity where young engineers, entrepreneurs, startups, millennials, and older professionals can gather – they are going to want to hang out here and collaborate with each other. It facilitates the velocity of ideas and the velocity of innovation and collaboration.

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Accelerant

The Dayton Development Coalition’s Accelerant Fund I (AFI) is a $9.1 million, 10-year seed-stage venture fund focused on the Dayton Region. Accelerant’s mission is to strengthen the regional economy by driving talent and capital into scalable technology companies in Western Ohio.

Learn more

HUBZone

The Dayton Region includes several areas designated as HUBZones through the program operated by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) program helps small businesses in urban and rural communities gain preferential access to federal procurement opportunities. These preferences go to small businesses that obtain HUBZone certification in part by employing staff who live in a HUBZone. The company must also maintain a "principal office" in one of these specially designated areas.

Learn more

The Entrepreneurs Center

The Entrepreneurs Center (TEC) is a technology accelerator and business incubator in Dayton, Ohio. TEC is also the Entrepreneurial Services Provider (ESP) for the Dayton Region.

The ESP program offers development services to startup technology companies to help them achieve entrepreneurial success. ESP was created by the Ohio Development Services Agency as a program offering of the Ohio Third Frontier. The goal of the program is to increase technology-based entrepreneurship and commercialization outcomes in the State of Ohio, ultimately creating jobs and attracting investment to the state. Each ESP represents a coordinated network of services that are accessible to technology-based entrepreneurs. The ESP approach integrates deal flow, entrepreneurial support, and capital to support and advance technology-based entrepreneurs.

Learn more

Congress established the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program in 1982 to fund research and development (R&D) by U.S. owned and operated businesses of less than 500 employees. SBIR, the nation's largest source of early-stage technology financing, is administered by the Small Business Administration through 11 federal agencies and is funded at more than $2 billion annually. The Department of Defense (DoD) accounts for more than half of the federal government's total SBIR/STTR program.

The three-phase SBIR Program directly funds up to $1.15 million in early-stage R&D by small companies. Eligible projects must fulfill an R&D need identified by the DoD and have the potential to be developed into a product or service for commercial or defense markets.

Read More

Wright Brothers Institute provides fast, agile innovation to solve the Air Force Research Laboratory’s most complex challenges.

With a focus on innovation and commercialization, WBI understands the needs of small businesses. WBI’s Small Business Toolkit is an excellent place for companies to start.

Read More

AFRL Small Business Hub at the Wright Brothers Institute provides a space for the Air Force to collaborate with organizations, startups and universities in the Downtown Dayton Innovation District. This collaborative environment includes meeting spaces equipped with the latest technology, proximity to many potential partners in the region, and a steady flow of subject matter experts from many backgrounds.

As an Intermediary facility outside the gate, it is very easy have access to the 444 facility, not a typical office environment, but a wide, open space which exudes creativity where young engineers, entrepreneurs, startups, millennials, and older professionals can gather – they are going to want to hang out here and collaborate with each other. It facilitates the velocity of ideas and the velocity of innovation and collaboration.

Read More

The Dayton Development Coalition’s Accelerant Fund I (AFI) is a $9.1 million, 10-year seed-stage venture fund focused on the Dayton Region. Accelerant’s mission is to strengthen the regional economy by driving talent and capital into scalable technology companies in Western Ohio.

Learn more

The Dayton Region includes several areas designated as HUBZones through the program operated by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) program helps small businesses in urban and rural communities gain preferential access to federal procurement opportunities. These preferences go to small businesses that obtain HUBZone certification in part by employing staff who live in a HUBZone. The company must also maintain a "principal office" in one of these specially designated areas.

Learn more

The Entrepreneurs Center (TEC) is a technology accelerator and business incubator in Dayton, Ohio. TEC is also the Entrepreneurial Services Provider (ESP) for the Dayton Region.

The ESP program offers development services to startup technology companies to help them achieve entrepreneurial success. ESP was created by the Ohio Development Services Agency as a program offering of the Ohio Third Frontier. The goal of the program is to increase technology-based entrepreneurship and commercialization outcomes in the State of Ohio, ultimately creating jobs and attracting investment to the state. Each ESP represents a coordinated network of services that are accessible to technology-based entrepreneurs. The ESP approach integrates deal flow, entrepreneurial support, and capital to support and advance technology-based entrepreneurs.

Learn more

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