1. Maryland Innovation Center (MIC) partnered with us on their inaugural Investor Showcase where 12 seed startups presented crisp 3 min pitches on March 26 in Columbia, MD. Startups are still in talks with investors and one got soft commit at the event. We are gearing up for 2027! (News coverage)

2. We’ve partnered with Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA) to support their Life Sciences Business Development! This includes recruiting applicants and judges for their MedTech Market Pulse pitch competition on May 12. More info and apply here. Don’t delay! - Applications are on a rolling basis until filled.

3. New! Aurelius Pitch Deck Template - invite-only early access. You asked, we listened. Available on a select invite-only access as we continue to refine our new template and guide. Request access here.

4. We’re judging for SelectUSA Investment Summit Tech Pitch 1 on May 4! (News coverage)

5. R.E.P. Program - We taught pitch classes for returning citizens and justice-impacted folks. This eager and bright cohort graduates later this month. We’re looking for local municipal representatives and business leaders who are interested in saying a few words at the ceremony on Saturday April 24.

6. Isabel is returning to the College of Staten Island CUNY Innovation Hub this season as a mentor and to teach a session on investment readiness for growth stage AI startups.

7. Isabel was nominated for a Moxie award!

8. New testimonials and more clients we’ve helped:

   1. Potomac24 - finalist at Shore Hatchery competition this month.

   2. Wearable Lessons

   3. Freedom Buckets

   4. Stealth Startup

   5. KLEENUP - won 1st place at Howard County Innovation Summit

   6. Nowy - won another prize! 2nd place at Howard County Innovation Summit

For MENTORS AND ADVISORS

WORK WITH US! We’re always in need of additional experts to help our startups (paid and unpaid).

We have some exciting projects on the horizon and will need your help. If you’re interested, please fill out this quick form to indicate your interest and availability.

1. DC DMPED Technology Ecosystem Fund – RFAs Open until May 29. Grant funding to organizations that support the creation, incubation, acceleration, relocation, and growth of technology companies in DC. In 1) Incubator, Accelerator, or Venture Studio Programs, 2) Events, Summits, Convenings, and Sector-Related Programming, or 3) Innovation Ecosystem Support. Awards $250k to $1.25M totaling $2M.

2. TEDCO Equitech Growth Fund - RFAs Open until August 7. Grants for infrastructure and workforce development initiatives that support Maryland’s economic competitiveness, foster economic opportunity for all and accelerate growth of emerging and advanced industries in the State. Public, Nonprofit, Private entities Public-private partnership, Higher Education, and Institutions may apply. Infrastructure awards up to $1M, Workforce awards up to $250k.

3. NSF Tech Labs Request for Information (RFI) - Designed to launch and scale a new generation of organizations focused on independent research, development and innovation. Address technical challenges and bottlenecks that university and industry labs cannot easily solve via traditional methods. To help shape the Tech Labs initiative, NSF TIP issued a RFI and received numerous positive and constructive responses from the broader community, including academia, policymakers, nonprofits, philanthropy, state and local government, venture capital and the private sector.

Opportunities from our Partners:

Project Volunteer Matching: EmpowerBio is connecting biotech companies with PhDs transitioning into project management careers. These are PhDs who are currently pursuing or recently completed their PMP Certification (project management professional). Volunteers would contribute 8-10 hours  on project management initiatives. A win-win for startups gaining skilled support and professionals gaining real-world PM experience. If interested, please contact Amrita Madabushi at am@empowerbio.org.

• Funders Anonymous: The Delicious One - Monday 4/13 5:30-8:30pm - Arlington, VA // Active Investors Only. No pitching allowed unless asked. Intimate and almost sold out.

• Big Idea Connectpreneur Forum - April 16 8am-12pm - Washington, DC // Showcase of Emerging tech companies and networking with investors and industry experts.

• DC Climate Week - Washington, DC April 20-26

• Innovation Spotlight - MedTech Startup Showcase and Pitch - April 23 5-8pm - Baltimore, MD // showcase featuring 10 startups, rapid-fire pitches, and powerful networking by Amplify Medtech.

• MedTech Market Pulse - Columbia, MD - May 12

• SelectUSA Investment Summit - National Harbor, MD - May 3-6

  • We’re judging the Tech Open 1 session on Monday May 4 at 10:45am alongside Guc Ozenci (Founder Institute), Danny Bernstein (Reservoir), and Rosibel Ochoa (Technology Partnerships University of California, Riverside).

• NY Tech Week - New York, NY - June 1-7

  • College of Staten Island CUNY Demo Day - June 6

• Are you fundraising or helping those that do? If you fill out our 5-Minute Survey Prioritizing Your Next Funding Toolkit, you'll help us decide what to build next for people like you and you'll get a discount on it. Feel free to share the survey.

• Life Science Pathways - a free step-by-step guide for launching and growing startups in life sciences, med device, and biotech.

• BMore Tech Connect - the one-stop digital platform for startup resource navigation in the Baltimore Region. Click to check out upcoming events, live resources, recent news and more!

• Video: AI Tools for Startup Communication (UMD Startup Fundamentals) - We hosted a free webinar on a comprehensive look at the AI tools and strategies changing how startups connect with their customers, investors, and teams. Watch here.

• Video: Startup Pitching 101 (UMD Startup Fundamentals) - We hosted a free webinar on a holistic look at pitch decks and live pitching. Watch here.

Keeping it short! We met so many amazing people this quarter. From DC to Austin; founders to funders and ecosystem builders and more. In order of appearance:

• Jazzy New Year with Howard County Economic Development Authority

• Women in Climate Investing & Finance DC chapter dinner

• Johns Hopkins Ward Infinity - Showcase & Pitch Competition

• MIC BRITE Series: Pitch & Present (we taught this one!)

• 2026 Maryland Student Venture Showcase & Pava LaPere Innovation Awards

• R.E.P. Program - Kick-off session

• Howard County Innovation Summit 2026

• Funders Anonymous: The One With the Cool Glasses

• SXSW in Austin, TX

• Maryland Innovation Center Investor Showcase 2026

• Maryland MedTech Summit 2026

• Howard County reception for Japanese External Trade Organization (JETRO) delegation at Shimadzu with MD Dept of Commerce, HCEDA, and Embassy of Japan

• National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine - GUIPRR Workshop

• Extra photos from SXSW