The second Startup Maryland Pitch Across Maryland 2.0 is on a roll, and it’s impossible to miss.
The State flag-emblazoned Pitch Tour Bus is a scene-stealer wherever it appears and on Wednesday it arrived at Washington College’s Casey Academic Center to meet with entrepreneurs prepared to make a professional, video-taped pitch of their business idea.
Launched in 2012 by Mike Binko and Julie Lenzer-Kirk, both entrepreneurs, Startup Maryland—an affiliate of Startup America Partnership— promotes connectivity between the budding entrepreneur and the kind of resources needed to actualize a business idea—from mentoring and business incubators to angel investors and economic business developers like TEDCO (Technology Development Corporation.)
Chestertown was the third stop in the Pitch Tour’s three week, 30 stop circuit this year and was meet by a group of students and local entrepreneurs looking for their chance to articulate their dream in front of the right people.
Each stop of the Pitch Tour Bus is funded locally. The Easton stop was funded by Easton Utilities, the Eastern Shore Entrepreneurship Center (ESEC) and Junior Achievement. The Chestertown visit was co-funded by the Upper Shore Regional Council and Washington College.
“Our second year is exciting,” says Lanzer-Kirk. “Now we have last year’s strong evidence of how Startup Maryland works. It has drawn in new partners who can clearly see our value.”
Each aspiring entrepreneur’s pitch is video taped. Videos are then uploaded to YouTube and opened to the public for viewing, evaluation and voting. The eight most popular pitches advance to a final competition on a date to be announced.
The Startup Maryland team with entrepreneurs three to make their pitch.
The Tour will return to the Eastern Shore on Friday, September 20, and be at the Paul Reed Smith in Stevensville. On September 27 a “Last Stop Innovation Celebration” will be held at Under Armour headquarters in Baltimore. Hosted by Under Armour, the event will be open to the public.
“Under Armour is a perfect representative for the kind of entrepreneurial spirit we celebrate as we search the state for innovative entrepreneurs and capture their message for others to see. It’s all about connecting innovators with the right resources,” says Mike Binko.
Mike Binko and Julie Lenzer-Kirk, founders of Startup Maryland, introduce the program to budding entrepreneurs.
For more information and the tour schedule, go to here.
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