The ETC (Emerging Technology Center), Baltimore City’s award-winning technology and innovation center, announced today that five companies have been selected to participate in its AccelerateBaltimore™ (AB) 2020 program, each receiving $50,000 in seed funding from the Abell Foundation. This year, the AB program sought applications focused on solving major city issues and was designed to create a clear pathway for each company to bring their solutions to market. After careful consideration, all five companies below were unanimously selected by a panel of ten judges from a diverse cross-section of professionals:
Made @ Dent
A 'maker space' social enterprise between Baltimore youth and Dent Education focused on design and production of PPEs (currently face shields)
Fight Blight Bmore
A reporting application for informing residents and reporting to city officials about blight and remediation efforts in Baltimore
FullBlast STEAM
An entertainment/ed-tech company bridging the digital divide by engaging youth in robotics, drones, 3D printing, AR/VR
Supir
A platform for transit companies to fill short-term personnel gaps with the real-time deployment of 'contract' drivers and route guidance.
The Black Brain Trust (TBBT)
A Justice/Equity/Diversity/Inclusion (JEDI) scoring system created as a standard for companies to measure how equity is centered in their business practices
ETC received over 85 applications, with the majority addressing healthcare (31), and education (18) solutions. With the support of a review committee, ETC narrowed down the applicant pool to 10 finalists. Each finalist was required to provide a 5-minute pitch video and participate in a 20-minute Q&A session with the selection committee. The finalists including Sankofa Community Network, Compassionate Response Network, 1 Additional Life, Rap Research Lab, and SchoolUs, as well as all other applicants, are invited to audit the program sessions in hopes of providing support.
As a noteworthy part of the HACK Baltimore-ETC Accelerate Challenge, a team of HACK Baltimore volunteers worked with six companies to help them prepare applications for the 2020 Accelerate Baltimore cohort, three of which were selected as finalists. “We are excited to have 3 HACK Baltimore teams part of the Accelerate Baltimore cohort and look forward to continuing working with them throughout the program as advisors. Our partnership with the ETC has helped to provide emerging entrepreneurs in our communities access to the resources, advice, and support offered in a program like Accelerate Baltimore,” shared HACK Baltimore co-chairs Dionne Joyner-Weems and Delali Dzirasa.
The 13-week program will kick off on Tuesday, September 15 at 5:00 pm with a virtual Opening Ceremony & Orientation. Tickets are free to the public, but registration is limited. The AB cohort will be welcomed by Program Director John W. Davis and will hear from a group of speakers who celebrate the AB focus on the urgency of now. “Now is the time to make intentional collaborations within the innovation community to create solutions for Baltimore that can scale to work in other cities across the nation,” said John W Davis. “This year’s AB program is driven by the belief that Baltimore and other cities are currently critically challenged in ways entrepreneurs are poised to address. AB is committed to assisting these companies in creating impactful solutions and improving the lives of Baltimore citizens” said Davis. Featured speakers are national leaders including General Michael Hayden (Former Director, CIA), Daniel Porterfield (CEO, Aspen Institute), and Verna Myers (VP, Inclusion Strategy, Netflix) as well as local economic development leaders, including Colin Tarbert (President, Baltimore Development Corporation).
The weekly sessions will be a combination of panel discussions, workshops, and mentorship sessions. The program will begin by introducing the I-Corp customer discovery process and navigating the online Foundation Course Pitch Creator, a recommended resource for preparing a pitch to investors. Then, AB will focus on working in the public sector including building and managing partnerships, contracting, accounting and insurance, working capital funding, and the public sector customer. Finally, the cohort will discuss product/market fit, financial projections, post-AB funding, and pitch/investor readiness.
"Baltimore has a vibrant and creative start-up community and entrepreneurs who are passionate about making a positive impact on their city and its residents," said Colin Tarbert, president and CEO of the Baltimore Development Corporation. "The AB program has been successful in providing access to capital, mentoring and other assistance businesses need to bring their ideas to fruition and we are excited to see the impact these companies will have in addressing the challenges many cities are facing today."
AccelerateBaltimore is an Abell Foundation-funded lean startup accelerator. AB was the region’s first seed-stage accelerator, launched in 2012, and has successfully assisted 47 companies. Of the 47 companies, 66% remain in business and 66% are minority or women-owned businesses. In total, they have raised an additional $35,478,000 in follow-on funding, with three successful acquisitions.
About ETC
The ETC, a venture of the Baltimore Development Corporation, is a 501(c) (3) technology and innovation center focused on growing early-stage companies. The ETC provides four programs for entrepreneurs: a tech focused incubator, IncubateBaltimore, a seed accelerator program, AccelerateBaltimore, a coworking space open to innovative individuals and teams, BeehiveBaltimore and now their newest pre-accelerator program, PioneerBaltimore. The ETC promotes economic development, providing business, technical, and networking connections to help these companies grow. Since 1999, the ETC has provided assistance to over 720 companies, 80% of which are still in business, creating more than 4,000 jobs and raising more than $2.4 Billion in outside funding. To learn more, visit www.etcbaltimore.com.
