DALLAS — In partnership with The DEC Network, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson created the Mayor’s Startup Package, a collection of discounted and free services to help the city’s entrepreneurs succeed.  

What You Need To Know

  • Mayor’s Startup Package provides more than $500,000 of in-kind offerings and helps entrepreneurs start, build, and grow their businesses

  • Businesses will be able to use it to save money on a variety of services

  • The goal is to assist startups in growing and sustaining their business in Dallas. 

The Mayor’s Startup Package provides more than $500,000 of in-kind offerings — including discounts and pro-bono services — to help entrepreneurs start, build, and grow their businesses. The package includes services from Amazon, IBM, Google, Dell, Microsoft, and others. 

Businesses will be able to use it to save money on cloud services, software, technological consulting, training and education, inbound marketing, networking, events, and accelerators. 

“Dallas is a city of opportunity, and entrepreneurship and innovation are part of our city’s DNA,” Johnson said. “Risk-takers and business pioneers are the keys to our goal of becoming an internationally recognized hub for entrepreneurs. The Mayor’s Startup Package can help take their work to the next level and provide the critical support that our startups need most.” 

Anthara Patrice is the founder of Think Safe, a woman-owned and minority-owned, non-flammable and non-toxic cleaning product and sanitation hardware company in the Dallas area. Patrice applied for the package hoping it will bring direct access to funding, mentorship and community partnerships. 

“When I first heard about the package, my initial reaction was I was elated just because I know that Dallas is growing and expanding and being more innovative. That also made more direct opportunities to build partnerships, networking, and of course, funding access." 

Patrice started her company with $7,000 and now it’s made multiple figures. Like a lot of entrepreneurs, Patrice had a slight detour in her life. With a background in chemistry and psychology, she originally thought she would go into child psychiatry. It wasn’t until she partnered with her nuclear chemist friend that she went into the cleaning product business, which has spiked in demand during the pandemic. 

“The demand took us from light manufacturing into manufacturing. So just to give you an example, the average cost of manufacturing is $238 per square foot, we did it at $12 per square foot. So when you look at the difference and just looking at that barrier of entry, there's a huge gap there,” Patrice said. "When you look at the history of the financial industry, it is still very conservative, and you do have to understand that startups, we’re innovative right? So no matter how much entrepreneurship changes, the financial industry is still very conservative. So if you don't have two years of profit and loss and things like that, you can't qualify for 15-20,000 square feet of space and you can't qualify for $150,000 of a loan and things like that that are really important to being successful past a year or two."

The Mayor's Startup Package is a product of the feedback given to Johnson by the Dallas business community through the Mayor’s Task Force on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. That group formed in January 2021, and put together an official report with recommendations on how to attract, retain and support companies. The DEC Network Program Manager Will Akins says the goal is to assist startups in growing and sustaining their business in Dallas. 

"I’m from Florida, but I've noticed that just since I've been here being in the business community, there's an atmosphere where people want to help you succeed, and this package very much showcases that,” Akins said. "When you're starting a company, getting started is the first step. You don't know everything. I mean, research is key and educating yourself, but you can't always know how to do everything. And that's where the community aspect comes in. That's where connecting to incubators or accelerators, or coworking spaces or meetup groups that are happening in the community, or connecting to the DEC Network or Dallas Builds, any of these organizations, they're there to help connect you to the right resources.” 

Akins encourages any startup to apply to the Mayor’s Startup Package who think it may benefit from the package services. 

"Dallas has all the pieces it needs to be an innovation hub that's internationally recognized, and I think that we can do that and I think bringing together those resources and making people aware of the kind of resources that are here is exactly what we need to do that,” Akins said. 

Patrice knows the value of these kinds of resources and is looking forward to her company’s future. 

“Think Safe should definitely be a part of the startup program because we have shown a product market fit, we've been revenue-positive, we've been able to establish jobs. We are woman-owned, minority-owned. We have all the checks. And outside of that, I'm from Dallas, I love Dallas and I would love to continue to grow this company here in Dallas,” Patrice said. "What sets Think Safe apart is that we do not take no for an answer and we also provide jobs to what some may consider the unemployable. So those who may have made a mistake in their past or those who are reentering the workforce, and those who are willing to learn and try something new.” 

Startup businesses interested in the Mayor’s Startup Package should apply here.