Modelling Connective Spectra via Multicategories

We put a model structure on a full subcategory of based multicategories in which the weak equivalences are created by the K-theory functor of Elmendorf-Mandell, providing a model categorical lift of Thomason’s theorem on the modeling of connective spectra by symmetric monoidal categories. We note that this lifts to a semi-modelstructure on based multicategories itself. As a corollary we show that to model connective spectra up to stable equivalence it suffices to restrict to symmetric monoidal groupoids.