The Startup Maryland Roadshow stopped in Dorchester County on its statewide tour. Striving to connect innovation communities to the innovation economy, the tour focuses on four main initiatives; connection, celebration, coaching, and capital. The annual tour provides startup’s with access to the coaching, capital and connection that they may not be privy to otherwise.
The tour stop in Dorchester began at Hooper’s Island Oyster Aquaculture in Hooper’s Island. Then the next morning the bus stopped at Factory F on Dorchester Ave in Cambridge. Several stakeholders including the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and Preservation Maryland gathered for the morning visit in support of the vision of Factory F. Later in the afternoon the bus stopped at the Eastern Shore Innovation Center. Several businesses and resource partners including the Maryland Department of Commerce, TEDCO and the Dorchester Chamber attended. Two businesses pitched their idea on the bus. Immediately after the ESIC visit an impromptu pop-up party at Factory F began. The community was invited and welcomed to take a look at the possibilities for the building. The day ended at RAR with large group gathered to support the tour and celebrate entrepreneurship and a “Where are they now” for Hoppers Island Oyster Aquaculture and RAR since they were two of the first businesses to pitch on the bus. There was even a late night pitch on the bus. It was a fun filled special day with several community members in attendance to support entrepreneurship and innovation in the county.
“Maryland and the broader Mid-Atlantic is clearly winning with regards to workforce talent, entrepreneur hustle and the assembly of resources needed to support high-growth ventures – we call this ecosystem,” stated Michael Binko, Founder|CEO of Startup Maryland. “The broad base of industry sectors owned credibly by Maryland is all but unmatched. From health/wellness, edtech and life sciences/bio, to cloud computing, cyber-security, creative/arts, clean energy, manufacturing, sustainability, to autonomous systems and the Internet-of-Things (IoT), Maryland entrepreneurs are breeding ventures that disrupt a wide array of industries. The STRT1UP Road Show proudly shines a spotlight on the diversity of our innovation categories and the ecosystem supporting them.”
More than 1000 Startup Maryland companies; 800+ participated in tour events from 2012 to 2015; 168 startups “pitched” in 2012, 161 in 2013, 170 in 2014 and 165 in 2015, 42 tour stops in 2015; 35 in 2014; 32 in 2013; 25 in 2012.
To learn more about the Startup Maryland tour please visit startupmd.org.