The Dalton Innovation Accelerator in downtown Dalton, Georgia is a premier startup incubator located in the Historic Landmark Building. DIA is the combined brainchild of local business leaders with a goal of fostering Dalton’s entrepreneurial spirit and participating in the downtown revitalization efforts spearheaded by Believe Greater Dalton, a strategy of the Dalton Chamber of Commerce. DIA facilitates new business growth by capturing, inspiring, and strengthening the creativity of nascent entrepreneurs. Combining the services of an incubator and accelerator, DIA is equipped with the resources and programming necessary to assist businesses in every stage of development. The goal – steer small businesses to success. Volunteers are critical to this mission.
At the Dalton Innovation Accelerator, students from the Wright School of Business work with entrepreneurs, assisting them with projects where they can provide expertise and apply the knowledge they have acquired in the business classroom. Projects include developing content for social media, editing videos in their studio, crafting landing pages, revising business plans, aiding with workshops, attending networking events at DIA, and more. Students interact with other interns, volunteers, DIA staff, entrepreneurs, and community leaders.