daytondefense

What daytondefense does

DaytonDefense is a Dayton, Ohio-based nonprofit industry association, founded in 1995 and co-located with the Dayton Development Coalition at 1401 S Main St, Suite 200. The organization operates as a membership-based community of defense contractors, government and military leaders, and academic institutions serving the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base defense ecosystem. Its core offering is tiered annual memberships (Individual $100, Small Organization $150, Medium $250, Large $500) that grant access to exclusive events, a members-only portal, a LinkedIn community, teaming opportunities, and job postings. The portfolio includes two flagship annual conferences — Life Cycle Industry Days (LCID) and Wright Dialogue with Industry (WDI), scheduled for July 27-31, 2026 — and the Digital Dayton program of roundtables and white papers on digital twins, digital engineering, and autonomous systems.

Revenue is generated through three streams: recurring annual membership dues, event sponsorship packages (Platinum $20K, Premier $15K, Bronze $6K, Chalet $5K), and one-time publication advertising ($1,000-$1,500 per placement). Sponsorship packages include booth space, registrations, VIP access, and brand visibility across events, website, emails, virtual events, and Dayton Airport advertising. Distribution is direct via daytondefense.org and the Wild Apricot membership platform. Strategic partners include the Dayton Development Coalition, the Air Force Digital Transformation Office, University of Dayton Research Institute, Sinclair Community College, SOCHE, AIAA, KBR, AFIT, AFOSR, and the Air Force Association.

The organization's value proposition centers on convening the Dayton defense community for networking, intelligence-sharing on government technical priorities, workforce development, and advocacy for defense-sector jobs. No revenue, headcount, funding rounds, or executive leadership bios are disclosed in the source material.

Name

daytondefense

Legal name

DaytonDefense

Website

https://daytondefense.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Short description

DaytonDefense is a Dayton, Ohio-based nonprofit industry association, founded in 1995, that connects regional defense contractors, government leaders, and academic institutions through tiered memberships, flagship events (LCID and WDI), sponsorships, and the Digital Dayton program on defense digital transformation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Industry Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Mine Action & Explosive Ordnance Risk Reduction (EOD/ERW) (BPADAFAH)

Keywords

• Defense industry association
• Defense contractor networking
• Membership organization
• Industry events
• Workforce development

Headquarters

HQ city

Dayton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual subscription-based memberships scaled by organization size. Membership provides access to exclusive events, member portal, LinkedIn community, and marketing opportunities.
2. Event Sponsorships: Sponsorship packages for LCID and WDI events including Platinum ($20,000), Premier ($15,000), Bronze ($6,000), and Chalet ($5,000) tiers with benefits including booth space, registrations, and VIP access.
3. Publication Advertising: Advertising space in annual DaytonDefense publication including half-page ($1,500) and quarter-page ($1,000) advertisements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DaytonDefense is a nonprofit industry association that connects defense contractors in the Dayton, Ohio region through tiered organizational memberships, exclusive events such as Life Cycle Industry Days (LCID) and Wright Dialogue with Industry (WDI), the Digital Dayton program featuring roundtables and white papers on defense digital transformation, networking opportunities with Air Force and government leadership, and workforce development initiatives. The organization operates as the primary convening body for the Dayton defense ecosystem since 1995.

Product overview

DaytonDefense is a nonprofit membership-based industry association, not a product company. The organization offers membership tiers (Individual, Small Organization, Medium Organization, Large Organization), major annual events (Life Cycle Industry Days and Wright Dialogue with Industry), and the Digital Dayton program featuring roundtables and white papers on digital transformation topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DaytonDefense Membership Tiered organizational membership providing defense contractors with access to exclusive events, member-exclusive LinkedIn community, member portal, teaming and job opportunity listings, networking with Air Force and government leadership, and brand awareness opportunities at premier defense events.
• Life Cycle Industry Days (LCID) and Wright Dialogue with Industry (WDI) Annual combined conference events bringing together defense contractors, Air Force leadership, government officials, and academic leaders for defense sector networking, technical priority discussions, and collaboration. The 2026 event is scheduled for July 27-31.
• Digital Dayton Program Program featuring Digital Dayton Roundtables, white papers, and materials covering digital twin, digital engineering, autonomous systems, and digital transformation topics for the defense community. Includes content on Autonomous Attritable Collaborative Digital Twin Centers of Excellence, Digital Twin for Sustainment Mods and Upgrades, and Digital Engineering for Advanced Air Mobility.
• Event Sponsorship Packages Annual sponsorship packages for LCID and WDI events with tiered benefits including booth space, event registrations, VIP reception access, logo signage, podium recognition, and corporate visibility through publications, emails, virtual events, and Dayton Airport advertising.
• Publication Advertising One-time advertising placements in the annual DaytonDefense publication with half-page ads at $1,500 and quarter-page ads at $1,000. Art must be provided at least 30 days prior to event.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Air Force Digital Transformation OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaborates on Digital Dayton initiatives including roundtables and working sessions. The DAF Digital Transformation Office contributes to defense digital transformation discussions and provides public website content for the ecosystem.
• Dayton Development CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1995DaytonDefense is c/o the Dayton Development Coalition at 1401 S Main St, Suite 200, Dayton OH 45409. The organizations work together to support the Dayton defense community and economic development.
• University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes white papers and expertise on digital twin technologies, sustainment modifications, and upgrades for defense applications.
• Sinclair Community CollegesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in Digital Dayton Roundtables, sharing digital thread initiative updates and contributing to workforce development discussions.
• SOCHE (Southwest Ohio Higher Education Consortium)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on Digital Dayton initiatives, contributing to defense workforce development and education programs.
• AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes to Digital Dayton Roundtables and workforce development discussions, providing industry expertise on defense digital engineering.
• KBRsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in Digital Dayton Roundtables, sharing expertise on defense digital transformation topics.
• AFIT (Air Force Institute of Technology)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes to Digital Dayton Roundtables, providing defense digital transformation insights and workforce development perspective.
• AFOSR (Air Force Office of Scientific Research)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts annual AFOSR Basic Research Collider Days events, bringing together researchers and defense stakeholders.
• AFA (Air Force Association)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganizes the annual Air Force Ball, a premier defense community event hosted in partnership with DaytonDefense.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• San Diego Military Advisory Council (SDMAC): Regional defense industry association serving the San Diego defense community around Navy and Marine Corps installations. Closest functional analog to DaytonDefense—same model of convening regional contractors with the local military buyer community.
• NDIA Great Lakes Chapter: Regional NDIA chapter covering the Great Lakes / Ohio defense corridor, including Wright-Patterson-area engagement. Directly comparable as a regional defense association competing for overlapping members and sponsors in Dayton-adjacent markets.

Others

• Dayton Development Coalition: Regional economic development organization that houses DaytonDefense at its headquarters. Operates as an adjacent enabling institution—overlapping on Dayton-region defense economic development but broader in scope (workforce, site selection, business attraction).
• AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics): International professional society for aerospace engineering. Already a DaytonDefense partner on Digital Dayton Roundtables; comparable as a defense-adjacent membership body with content programming, though focused on engineering disciplines rather than regional industry convening.

Broad incumbents

• Aerospace Industries Association (AIA): National trade association representing major aerospace and defense manufacturers in the U.S. Overlaps with DaytonDefense on defense-industry convening and advocacy, but serves large primes headquartered across multiple regions rather than a single local ecosystem.
• Air Force Association (AFA): Independent aerospace and cyber association supporting the U.S. Air Force and Space Force community. Already a DaytonDefense partner via the Air Force Ball; structurally similar as an Air Force-aligned membership organization with events and advocacy.
• National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA): The leading national trade association for the U.S. defense industrial base, offering networking, events, policy advocacy, and publications. Comparable to DaytonDefense as a defense industry membership body, but operating nationally with chapters rather than a single regional footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dayton-area-defense-contractors-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about daytondefense