TEDCO’s Entrepreneur Expo to Host “Dual-Use Innovation and Its Role in National Competitiveness” Panel

Session will feature leaders from DARPA, SOFWERX and Army FUZE, moderated by TEDCO board chair David Tohn

COLUMBIA, Md., (September 21, 2026) — TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announces the “Dual-Use Innovation and Its Role in National Competitiveness” session at the upcoming 2026 Entrepreneur Expo taking place at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor on October 27, 2026.

The session will bring together Jennifer Thabet, office director of the Small Business Programs Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, where she established DARPAConnect to lower the barriers facing companies new to the agency and the national security space; Leslie Babich, director of SOFWERX, the Tampa-based nonprofit innovation platform partnered with U.S. Special Operations Command, and retired Air Force colonel; and Blaise Zandoli, portfolio manager at Army FUZE, the Army’s integrated innovation program, which brings xTech, SBIR/STTR, Manufacturing Technology and the Technology Maturation Initiative under a single coordinated framework — for a conversation moderated by David Tohn, chair of TEDCO’s board of directors and CEO of BTS Software Solutions.

Technologies developed for commercial markets increasingly find defense applications, and technologies developed inside federal laboratories increasingly find commercial ones. Bridging those two worlds is difficult in practice. Government acquisition timelines, contracting requirements and program structures are unfamiliar terrain for most founders, and the offices built to close that gap are not widely understood. This session examines how those bridges work and what Maryland companies need to know to cross them.

“The technology is rarely the hard part. The hard part is that commercial companies and defense customers operate on different clocks and speak different languages,” said Tohn. “Maryland has more of this infrastructure than any other state. The opportunity is to make it legible to the founders who could actually use it.”

Panelists will discuss how organizations built to connect commercial innovators with military end users evaluate opportunities, what makes a company a credible partner and where Maryland technology companies fit. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of the pathways available and how to approach them.

Few states are better positioned for this conversation. The U.S. National Science Foundation reports that federal obligations for research and development to performers in California and Maryland together account for nearly 27% of all such funding across the states, with $17 billion directed to Maryland, and the State hosts more than 78 federal laboratories, according to the Maryland Department of Commerce’s Guide to Tech Transfer in Maryland. Maryland has also built dedicated infrastructure for the handoff: the Maryland Defense Technology Commercialization Center (DefTech), a joint initiative between TEDCO and the Maryland Department of Commerce, connects Maryland businesses to Department of Defense laboratories for product development, cooperative research and access to federal lab facilities, equipment and expertise.

TEDCO’s award-winning Entrepreneur Expo shines a spotlight on regional entrepreneurship. Attracting more than 1,170 attendees, the event collects some of the region’s top entrepreneurs, business owners, innovators, venture capital investors, legislators and resources for a day of celebration. This year, the event will take place in Baltimore, one of the top 20 best cities for entrepreneurs, offering a full day of interactive workshops, insightful discussions and inspiring connections.

Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from the region’s top experts; secure your spot at this impactful event now at tedcomdexpo.com/event/2026/register.