Women-owned business seeks to combat loneliness at work
COLUMBIA, Md., (July 15, 2025) — TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a recent $500,000 investment in Keep Company, a startup innovating how employers connect and retain employees, particularly segments prone to burnout, such as caregivers, early-career professionals, and other groups across the employee lifecycle. This investment comes from the Pre-Seed Builder Fund, which is a part of TEDCO’s Social Impact Funds, aimed at supporting underrepresented startup founders across Maryland.
Keep Company, based in Bethesda, Md., is a group coaching and mentoring platform that works to fill the gap between employers’ unstructured Emergency Response Guidebook and their underutilized Employee Assistance Programs. The company’s patented matching technology aims to organize employees into curated peer groups, maximize human connection, and automate group management, scheduling and engagement tracking. Through the platform, coaches can facilitate curriculums that unlock the emotional skills needed to achieve and thrive today, both at work and beyond. As participants build community and strengthen human skills, employers receive insights from Keep Company’s platform, allowing organizations to hopefully identify trends in utilization, see group outcomes and proactively drive employee engagement.
“Amidst rapid changes in how we work - from remote work to AI adoption and many more generations in the workforce - organizations are seeing more employee disengagement and burnout than ever,” said Adrienne Prentice, Co-founder and CEO of Keep Company. “Our platform addresses this growing and urgent challenge, by leveraging technology to unlock more meaningful human connections. Our approach not only supports employee resilience and human skill development, but also gives companies the tools to instill real, lasting change in their workforce. Thanks to TEDCO’s investment, we are able to continue innovating in a time where human connection is more needed than ever.”
The funding will be used to support Keep Company as they work to scale their platform through increased partnerships. Their mission is to expand what's possible by connecting employees, as whole people, to each other, beginning in 2022 by addressing the 73% of the workforce who are parents or caregivers. Keep Company discovered that 66% of parents experience burnout, often citing loneliness. After seeing demand from every employee segment for more connection, Keep Company expanded their platform into mentoring and across the full employee lifecycle.
“Keep Company is tackling an under-recognized challenge in today’s workforce — the growing epidemic of loneliness and disconnection at work, and the drag that is putting on workforce productivity. Their data-driven, technology supported approach is an embodiment of TEDCO’s commitment to invest in scalable solutions that provide investment grade returns,” said Jean-Luc Park, senior director of the Social Impact Funds at TEDCO.
Keep Company has been a TEDCO portfolio company since 2022. During this time, the company has received several rounds of funding from the Social Impact Funds, and have taken advantage of our Network Advisors program.
“As home to the number one ranked best place to live for families – Silver Spring – and home to the top ranked city for home and community safety – Columbia – Maryland is a great place to not only start a family, but watch your family grow,” said Troy LeMaile-Stovall, TEDCO CEO. “Plus, with communities built for work-life balance, the state is the perfect place for entrepreneurs looking for community, growth and balance.”
For more information about our investment funds, visit our page at tedcomd.com/funding.