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STARTUPMARYLAND™ WELCOMES MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AS FULL TOUR SPONSOR FOR PITCH ACROSSMARYLAND
Maryland Cyber Leadership Takes Center-Stage at Several Stops During the Month-long Celebration ofMaryland Innovation and Entrepreneurship
September 12, 2014; All Waypoints, Maryland -StartupMaryland today announced Maryland'sCyber Development team as full-tour sponsor of the Pitch Across Maryland 2014, the third annual state-wide tour and celebration of entrepreneurship and startup companies. The Cyber Development team is part of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED).
Starting on September 15 and running through October 3 the Pitch Across Maryland tour will again traverse the state all in the name of celebrating Maryland's diverse communities of venture building. This year several Tour Stops will showcase Maryland's leadership in Cyber-related innovation and entrepreneurship.
"Maryland finds itself in an enviable position as the home-state for numerous federal agencies and commercial sector leaders in the areas of cybersecurity and IT risk mitigation," stated Michael Binko, founder of StartupMaryland and president|CEO of kloudtrack. "Ft. Meade particularly has become the epicenter of national defense cyber with anchor tenant NSA now being joined by DISA (Defense Information Systems Agency), Defense Media Activity and CyberCommand as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) initiatives. A natural extension of this expertise has witnessed the successful commercialization of security and cyber innovations into other industry sectors that matter to Maryland and the entire United States including healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, energy, education and agriculture among others," added Binko.
With a keen understanding of the economic and workforce impact this sector will have in the coming decades, Maryland has taken measured steps to stimulate and nurture this industry sector and related innovation categories
"Maryland's high-growth cybersecurity companies include recognized brands such as SourceFire, Tenable, KEYW, SafeNet as well as emerging startups including RedOwl Analytics, koolspan, ZeroFox, Integrata, LightPoint Security, Cyberpoint, kloudtrack and many others," stated Jeffrey Wells, Executive Director of DBED Cyber Development. "Whether you are talking about cloud, big data, analytics/reporting, IoT, autonomous systems, or mobility the simple fact is that our world is more interconnected and this interaction between humans and systems creates risks relative to sensitive information and data," Wells added.
With initiatives such as the Maryland Venture Fund and related tax-credit/incentive programs, DBED encourages entrepreneurs to Think Big and offers a wide array of resources to assist with their opportunity.
During the Pitch Across Maryland, StartupMaryland and Tour Co-Hosts and Sponsors like DBED organize rallies sharing information about the incredible entrepreneurial communities across the state. Additionally, entrepreneurs are provided coaching, guidance and support from business mentors and other leaders as well as active angel/VC investors.
As the tour unfolds, entrepreneurs climb onto the bus and pitch their idea/business in the mobileUpStart Show™ video studio. Videos are uploaded to YouTube® and then open to public viewing/voting. This aspect of the competition allows the entrepreneurs, sponsors, investors and tour hosts to activate social networks for even broader awareness and celebration for the month following the Tour. The eight Best Ventures for High Growth Potential Finalists are invited to present at the annual TEDCO Entrepreneur Expo which will be held this year on November 12 -www.innovatemd.com.
At the Expo, a Winner and Runner-up for the Pitch Across Maryland are selected by a panel of expert investors and entrepreneur peers. The Winner and Runner-up are automatically catapulted into the second round of the InvesMaryland Challenge - a startup pitch competition with more than $1 million in early stage investment and prizes awarded to high growth potential ventures.
PITCH ACROSS MARYLAND 2014 - TOUR STOPS: SEPT. 15 - OCT. 3, 2014
DAY
DATE
TOUR STOP LOCATIONS
Mon.
Sept. 15
Coastal / WiWo: Ocean City / Salisbury / HotDesks
Tues.
Sept. 16
East Bay: Dorchester (Hooper Island) / Talbot (Easton)
Wed.
Sept. 17
Mid-Bay: Best Pitch Bridge / Chestertown (GIS) / PRSGuitars
Annapolis: Naval Academy+CyberMaryland / State Capitol / After+VIP
About StartupMaryland:
StartupMaryland (www.startupmd.org) is a regions initiative launched out of the Startup America Partnership (now UPGlobal, www.up.co). Driven from within the community and led by entrepreneurs StartupMaryland strives to remain nimble and inclusive. StartupMaryland works to connect innovation communities and rallies entrepreneurs, supporters and other innovation stakeholders around four main initiatives: Connection, Celebration, Coaching, and Capital while also bringing together entrepreneurs in a community of support to drive greater economic outcomes.
About DBED:
The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development stimulates private investment and creates jobs by attracting new businesses, encouraging the expansion and retention of existing companies, and providing workforce training and financial assistance to Marylandcompanies. The Department promotes the State's many economic advantages and markets local products and services at home and abroad to spur economic development and international investment, trade and tourism. Because they are major economic generators, the Department also supports the Arts, film production, sports and other special events. For more information, visitwww.choosemaryland.org. - See more at: http://business.maryland.gov
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