The Baltimore Innovation Initiative awards a total of more than $645,000 to 14 awardees
COLUMBIA, Md., (August 18, 2025) — TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced the first round of the Baltimore Innovation Initiative (BII) Pilot Program awardees, marking an important milestone for the organization. The BII Pilot Program falls under the Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII), fueling innovation and economic impact in the Baltimore region.
“The first round of BII awardees exemplify the innovation present throughout the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area,” said Abi Kulshreshtha, executive director, MII. “These awards will advance innovative technologies from seven colleges and universities, contributing to Maryland’s growing innovation ecosystem.”
The BII was created to support an equitable innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem within higher education institutions in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As part of Maryland’s matching contribution toward the Baltimore Tech Hub, the BII seeks to advance technology toward commercialization of a product or service and bolster support for entrepreneurs developing technology-based ventures.
“We received a number of excellent candidates – choosing the 14 awardees was a difficult process, but we feel these awardees are best positioned to utilize the funding provided to progress towards commercialization,” said Jalaycia Lewis, BII program manager.
The Technology Advancement Grant offers applicants support to commercialize a new or existing technology at an eligible institution while the Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Programming and Infrastructure Grant supports the creation or enhancement of entrepreneurship programs and commercialization infrastructure for technology-based ventures.
The eight Technology Advancement awardees include:
- Selena Shirkin, Fetal Therapy Technologies: Designing a novel port system for microsurgery; Johns Hopkins University
- Rebecca Greene, Semiautonomous Humanistic Algorithm for Reduced Effort and Enhanced Dexterity (SHARE2D) Control; Johns Hopkins University
- Anika Mistry, DevMinds: adaptive social-emotional learning to support neurodiverse kids beyond therapy sessions; Johns Hopkins University
- Oriol Cuxart, A breakthrough neuromodulation solution for Chronic Rhinosinusitis patients; Johns Hopkins University
- Michael Tangrea, advancing precision medicine through commercialization of the micropurification technology; Loyola University Maryland
- Kevin Tu, developing a secure and integrated fume hood management platform to reduce energy waste in research laboratories; University of Maryland, Baltimore
- Andres Londoño, DegreeMap: A smart degree planning platform for Maryland higher education; Towson University
- Debbie Sahlin, ACCESS-DP Advancing Coordinated Care and Emerging Smart Solutions for Disabled Populations; University of Maryland, Baltimore
The six Entrepreneurship Commercialization, Programming and Infrastructure Awardees include:
- Ian Ryu, AI Venture Studio Pilot; Johns Hopkins University
- Wendy Bolger, Support for the Baltipreneurs Accelerator; Loyola University Maryland
- Ryan Hoover, Launching the MICA Biodesign Program to Support and Diversify the Regional Bioeconomy; Maryland Institute College of Art
- Henry Mortimer, UBalt AI-Enabled Business Incubator; University of Baltimore
- Kenneth Wong, Center for Climate and Health Entrepreneurship; University of Maryland, Baltimore
- Jamie Gurganus, Embedding Entrepreneurial Mindset in Academia: Launching the Entrepreneurial Learning Lab at UMBC; University of Maryland, Baltimore County
“Innovative entrepreneurs thrive in Maryland with the support of programs like BII,” said TEDCO CEO, Troy LeMaile-Stovall. “As the number one state for minority-owned businesses, Maryland is moving the needle forward. By embracing diversity, we continue to see growth in a merit-based ecosystem that will not only bring the state to the forefront of innovation but will allow for sustainability.”
The MII was established as a collaboration between the State of Maryland and five academic research institutions, and leverages each institution’s strengths while promoting the commercialization of research conducted there. Since its inception, the program has invested more than $59 million in promising research commercialization, supported nearly 200 companies and generated almost 400 jobs. The success of the MII led to several pilot programs that expanded MII’s reach to two more comprehensive universities in addition to the creation of BII.
To learn more about the MII and BII programs, eligibility and application details, visit tedcomd.com/funding/maryland-innovation-initiative.