TEDCO's Maryland Innovation Initiative Announces $664,448 Granted to the Latest Baltimore Innovation Initiative Awardees

This round includes 13 awardees across the two grants

COLUMBIA, Md., July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- TEDCO , Maryland's economic engine for technology companies, announced the latest round of Baltimore Innovation Initiative (BII) Pilot Program awardees. This round will divide $664,448 amongst 13 awardees. The BII Pilot Program falls under the Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII), fueling innovation and economic impact in the Baltimore region.

"The Maryland Innovation Initiative is proud to invest in innovation coming from Baltimore's institutions of higher education," said Abi Kulshreshtha, executive director, MII. "The Baltimore Innovation Initiative plays an instrumental role in deepening Baltimore's strengths in life sciences, healthcare, and artificial intelligence."

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 are thrilled by the continued enthusiasm for the BII program and the diverse ideas represented in this cohort. We look forward to supporting these thirteen awardees as they advance innovative technologies, expand entrepreneurship resources, and strengthen Baltimore's innovation ecosystem," 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:

1. Nishtaa Modi, Elevair: The First Wearable Solution for On-Demand Relief of Refractory Dyspnea in COPD; Johns Hopkins University - $50,000
2. Saardhak Bhrugubanda, Veina: A Novel Pressure-Modulating Blood Collection Syringe to Reduce Repeat Blood Draws; Johns Hopkins University - $50,000
3. Haley Slosberg, Lumenate Medical: An AI-Enabled Bladder Imaging Platform to Expand Access to Bladder Cancer Screening; Johns Hopkins University - $50,000
4. Sheik Md Akij, Digital Media Infrastructure for Maryland's Entrepreneurship Ecosystem; University of Baltimore - $40,000
5. Akash Patel, SafeSock: First Device Unlocking Faster, Safer Recovery for Lower-Limb Orthopedic Patients; Johns Hopkins University - $50,000
6. Akira Lonske, Altera Core: Adaptive Knowledge Tracking for Canvas-Native STEM Higher Education; Johns Hopkins University - $49,838
7. Victor Antony, Classroom-Ready Social Robot for Foundational Literacy in Baltimore K-8 Schools; Johns Hopkins University - $50,000
8. Aidan Rothstein, AI-Powered Wearable Platform for Real-Time Runner Biomechanics Analysis and Injury Prevention; Johns Hopkins University - $50,000

The five Entrepreneurship Commercialization, Programming and Infrastructure Awardees include:

1. Raymar Dizon, Morgan State's Pre-Incubator Program (PIP); Morgan State University - $50,000
2. Jamie Gurganus, Embedding Entrepreneurial Mindset in Academia: Expanding the Entrepreneurial Learning Lab (ELL) at UMBC; University of Maryland, Baltimore County - $49,610
3. Bianca Jackson, Creative Ventures Pipeline: Commercialization Infrastructure for Baltimore's Creative Economy; Maryland Institute College of Art - $50,000
4. Daniel Kawah, Towson Innovation Lab – Commercialization Support Infrastructure for Early-Stage Founders; Towson University - $50,000 
5. Wendy Bolger, Baltimore Alumni Reunion: Building Venture Connection & Capacity with Baltipreneurs and Social Innovation Lab Accelerator Graduates; Loyola University Maryland and Johns Hopkins University - $75,000

The MII was established as a collaboration between the State of Maryland and five academic research institutions which 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 astounding 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.

About TEDCO

TEDCO, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, enhances economic empowerment growth through the fostering of an inclusive entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem. TEDCO identifies, invests in, and helps grow technology and life science-based companies in Maryland. Learn more at www.tedcomd.com.

Media Contact
Direna Cousins, Vice President, Marketing, TEDCO, [email protected]
Rachael Kalinyak, Associate Director, Marketing & Communications, TEDCO, [email protected]

SOURCE TEDCO