Key Takeaways:
- The Event: Dwain Kyles, Managing Member of DX Capital Partners, LLC, will represent Dream Exchange at the inaugural "Built Different" Entrepreneur Dinner in Chicago on July 10, 2026.
- The Problem: The total number of companies publicly listed U.S. stock exchanges has fallen by nearly 50% since 1996, disproportionately cutting off capital for early-stage and minority-owned businesses.
- The Solution: Dream Exchange is advocating for legislation similar to the Main Street Growth Act to create venture exchanges, restoring the small-cap IPO market and expanding wealth creation.
CHICAGO, June 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dream Exchange is pleased to announce that Dwain Kyles, Managing Member of DX Capital Partners, LLC, will be a featured participant at the inaugural Built Different Entrepreneur Dinner on July 10, 2026, at The Duplex restaurant in Chicago. While the event marks the launch of a multi-city tour dedicated to legacy and economic empowerment, Kyles's participation underscores Dream Exchange's primary mission: bridging the critical gap in capital access for small to mid-sized business enterprises (SMEs).
"Built Different is more than a dinner series. It is a platform dedicated to entrepreneurship, leadership, legacy, economic empowerment, collaboration and community impact," said Build Different Creator and past recipient of the NBCC & Dream Exchange Entrepreneurship Award Lorri Dotson. "The event will feature a curated dining experience, inspiring panel discussions, business matchmaking opportunities, and authentic conversations with leaders who have overcome challenges and built success on their own terms."
For decades, SMEs have been increasingly cut out of the public capital markets, particularly those founders who are minorities or are generally underrepresented. In fact, the total number of companies that are publicly listed on the U.S. stock exchanges has fallen by nearly 50% since its peak in 1996. This structural shift has stunted localized job growth and limited wealth creation opportunities for the middle class. Dream Exchange is actively engaging with local business ecosystems at curated events like Built Different to connect directly with the entrepreneurs who stand to benefit most from a modernized, inclusive financial system.
"Connecting directly with founders at events like Built Different highlights the incredible innovation happening in our communities," said Kyles. "These SME entrepreneurs do not lack talent, ingenuity, or drive; they lack access to public capital. At Dream Exchange and DX Capital Partners, our goal is to build the market infrastructure necessary to close this gap and ensure that accomplishments, not just connections, determine success."
To provide better access to capital for these businesses, Dream Exchange is actively championing the enactment of a new law that would create a new, regulated avenue for capital formation known as a venture exchange. These specialized marketplaces are geared specifically to the unique needs of early-stage and emerging growth companies. A venture exchange aims to:
- Provide Tailored Marketplaces: Serve the specific capital formation needs of early-stage and emerging growth companies.
- Restore the Small-Cap IPO: Offer a vital lifeline to diverse founders who are currently excluded from traditional public markets.
- Expand Wealth Creation: Allow everyday retail investors the ability to invest in early-stage growth and wealth creation.
"The current capital markets are simply not designed to serve the majority of everyday American businesses," stated Joe Cecala, Founder and CEO of Dream Exchange. "By advocating for the enactment of laws like the Main Street Growth Act and the establishment of venture exchanges, we are building a transparent, well-regulated pathway. This is about providing vital public capital to the small and mid-sized companies that truly drive our economy, while giving Main Street investors a seat at the table."
Through continuous legislative advocacy, community engagement, and the development of a registered national securities exchange, Dream Exchange remains steadfast in its commitment to expanding entrepreneurship, investment, and economic equality across the broadest possible marketplace.
About Dream Exchange
Dream Exchange will be re-filing its Form 1 application with the Securities and Exchange Commission, seeking registration as a national securities exchange and authority to be a marketplace that facilitates the trading of securities in the national market system. While it builds its registered stock exchange and develops the necessary infrastructure, it will also focus on providing an "on-ramp" for small to mid-sized companies (where minority entrepreneurs heavily populate the small business sector in the US) to access the public markets once legislation like the Main Street Growth Act is enacted into law and venture exchanges are created. Learn more at www.dreamex.com.
Media Contact
Robert Todd, PR Manager, Dream Exchange
773-914-1182
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d232030f-8249-4388-916d-4f8e19b7163a
