Stitt Scholars Program (SSP)

Through a generous donation by Jim '71 (chairman of Cutco Corporation and Chairman of Olean Business Development Corporation) and Carol Stitt, the Stitt Scholars Program (SSP) was created to offer multidisciplinary collaborative experiential learning opportunities for Business and Engineering students at the University of Dayton. The first cohort of twelve students started during the fall of 2021 Students in the program commit to one academic year by working with entrepreneurs and startup companies at the HUB (Powered by The PNC Bank). Each semester, multidisciplinary teams work on multiple client-based projects with our community clients. During the 2021/22 academic year, the students worked on over ten unique projects Our clients provide a unique learning opportunity for the Stitt Scholars, while the students also create value (pro bono) to support clients’ entrepreneurial efforts. The scope and nature of the projects vary. While some projects have significant technical business and engineering content, others are also exploratory in nature.

In one project, students designed an experiment to determine the absorbency of a material. Another team also helped a client improve traffic to their business site by conducting social media and website audits. In June of 2022, Grace Silverberg, one of the Stitt Scholars in the first cohort presented one of the projects she worked on at the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) national conference in Minneapolis, MN. The second cohort in the SSP also had an eventful 2022/23 academic year.

The program expanded to include students from the College of Arts and Sciences, and they presented at the Spring 23 Stander Symposium Teams of two to three students took turns to share with the audience the projects they have worked on, and the impact they’ve made in our community The deliverables from one of the projects helped the client to secure $75,000 to support the renovation of the Courthouse Square in downtown Dayton, Ohio The next cohort of 15 students will start at the beginning of the 2023/24 academic year. We are looking forward to creating more value for startup companies and entrepreneurs in the Dayton area while providing multidisciplinary student teams with invaluable experiential learning opportunities.

If you are interested in working with the Stitt Scholars, or if you want to learn more, visit the website below and contact Mike Moulton (mmoulton1@udayton.edu) and Dr Philip Appiah-Kubi (pappiahkubi1@udayton edu) if you have any questions https://udayton.edu/engineering/connect/stitt-scholars/index.php

Established in 2010 via a generous alumni donation, Flyer Angels is a seven-figure startup investment fund As part of UD’s signature lineup of experiential education programming, Flyer Angels is managed and operated by undergraduate students interested in careers in venture capital, private equity, and startup companies. Through this unique opportunity, students analyze deal flow, conduct due diligence, make investment decisions, manage investment portfolio, and network with local venture capital and angel investment groups

Flyer Angels primarily makes seed and/or Series A round investments in nascent ventures doing business in knowledgeintensive/high tech industries in Ohio (and surrounding regions) Student leaders believe that the growth of the tech industry and the increasing demand for innovation drive the success of Ohio-tech based startups and actively seek out companies led by a strong management team, have a direct solution to problems in the market, and align with the University of Dayton’s Marianist values.

To date, Flyer Angels has deployed over $200k in venture capital and have generated returns from several successful venture exits. In 2022, Flyer Angels restructured in order to include network management as a core focus In this way, Flyer Angels intends to enhance its relationships with other University-based student investment groups in hopes of developing synergies and enhancing learning opportunities. Likewise, network management allows for growth within the Ohio-based startup investment ecosystem by focusing on accelerator/incubator and investment group relationships to increase internship and career opportunities for program members. Also, in 2022 Flyer Angels developed goals to boost its reach to a more diverse set of startup founders by devising plans for DE&I focused investments.

If you are interested in working with Flyer Angels, or if you want to learn more about the program, visit the website below and contact Missy Oei (oeim01@udayton.edu) and Izzy Abreau (abreui1@udayton.edu) if you have any questions.