The Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), along with leading business development organizations, announced today that “Digital Café” host and CNN and Today Show Tech Correspondent, Mario Armstrong, along with well-known Maryland tech entrepreneur David Troy will be featured guests at the first state-wide Entrepreneur Expo. TEDCO partnered with key organizations, including the Greater Baltimore Committee, the Greater Baltimore Technology Council, the Technology Council of Maryland, the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED), Johns Hopkins University and the University System of Maryland to create the conference, “Harnessing the Power of Innovation in Maryland.” The expo will take place on Monday, Nov. 14 at the BWI Airport Marriott in Linthicum Heights.
Armstrong will interview Maryland Chief Innovation Officer Bryan Sivak as part of a unique interactive afternoon plenary session. Troy, a leader in the Maryland innovation community, will be a featured panelist. The all-day expo will provide informational and educational programming and a platform for business leaders to share ideas and cultivate important relationships and connections. The agenda will include four tracks: Mentoring/Advising, Special Business Topics, Technology Transfer and Commercialization, and Financing.
“Maryland’s Inaugural Entrepreneur Expo is an opportunity to showcase our talented entrepreneurs, as well as the unparalleled infrastructure and resources we offer to start ups and early stage companies, including our recently passed initiative InvestMaryland,” said DBED Secretary Christian Johansson. “We are fortunate to have one of the highest concentrations of Inc. 500 companies, as well as women and minority-owned firms in the nation, and this Expo will help us continue to drive innovation and discovery.”
Armstrong is a digital lifestyle and technology expert whose commentary has been featured on CNN, the TODAY Show, the CBS Early Show, and WYPR. He served as Baltimore City’s first chief technology officer under then-Mayor Martin O’Malley. As a social entrepreneur, Armstrong created start-up TechTechBoom.com, which employs teenagers to create a social network for the next generation of digital leaders.
Troy is a central figure in the regional tech community. He founded regional Internet Service Provider ToadNet, created the simplified email platform Shortmail.com, and also developed Twittervision.com, which allows users to visualize Tweets coming from a particular geographic area at any given time. Troy currently serves as CEO of 410 Labs, a tech product studio that he helped found.
“We are lucky to have Mario Armstrong and David Troy as part of our regional tech community, and are honored to have them as participants in our first Entrepreneur Expo,” said Rob Rosenbaum, president and executive director of TEDCO. “They both serve as outstanding examples of the entrepreneurial spirit and community that this conference seeks to foster in Maryland.”
For more information about the Expo, to register for the event or become a volunteer, please visit www.innovatemd.com. Attendees are urged to register by Oct. 20 to save $30 on the registration. The Early Bird rate is $99/person ($49/student).
The Entrepreneur Expo: Harnessing the Power of Innovation in Maryland is the first large-scale conference dedicated to promoting and celebrating the key to Maryland’s entrepreneurs, the key to its innovation economy. The Conference will take place on Monday, November 14, 2011 at the BWI Airport Marriott in Linthicum Heights, Md. Led by the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), the coordinating group is the Entrepreneur Expo Leadership Team (EELT) and includes: Association for Corporate Growth, BioMaryland, Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, Federal Lab Consortium (FLC) and FLC Mid-Atlantic Region, Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC), Greater Baltimore Technology Council (GBTC), Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA), Maryland Business Incubation Association (MBIA), Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED), Morgan State University (MSU), Entrepreneur Development Assistance Center, National Council of Entrepreneurial Technology Transfer, Springboard Enterprises, Technology Council of Maryland (TCM), and the University System of Maryland. For more information, visit www.innovatemd.com. Sponsor and exhibit opportunities are available.
The Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), an independent entity, was established by the Maryland General Assembly in 1998 to facilitate the creation of businesses and foster their growth in all regions of the State. TEDCO’s role is to be Maryland’s leading source of funding for seed capital and entrepreneurial business assistance for the development, transfer and commercialization of technology. TEDCO connects emerging technology companies with federal laboratories, research universities, business incubators and specialized technical assistance. TEDCO was recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine for being the most active seed/early-stage investor in the nation for five consecutive years from 2003-2008 (the last year of the survey) and is a recipient of the national Excellence in Technology-Based Economic Development award from the State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI) for the Maryland Technology Transfer and Commercialization Fund (MTTCF) program. For more information on TEDCO and its programs and resources, visit www.MarylandTEDCO.org.