Pitch Across Maryland

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2013

Last September, a bright yellow bus draped in the Maryland Flag made a splash across the state in the name of entrepreneurship is the inaugural “Pitch Across Maryland.” As the first county to make an investment in support of this effort, as well as providing staff resources contributing to its coordination and organization, the Howard County Economic Development Authority is nominating this program because of the substantial role the county played in organizing this event on behalf of Startup Maryland. The 2 ½-week bus tour across the state, which began and ended in Howard County, was the brainchild of Julie Lenzer Kirk, the Executive Director of the Howard County Economic Development Authority’s Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship. Starting and ending in Howard County, the tour made 25 stops across the state at various incubators, economic development agencies, academia and community landmarks to celebrate entrepreneurship and connect companies with resources needed to launch and grow. Additionally, a video studio in the back of the bus provided an outlet for 168 companies to tell their story as they vied for prizes. The success of the bus tour and excitement generated led to the White House inviting Julie and the Startup Maryland team to brief top White House officials about their successes and future plans. In addition to the briefing, the President’s blog also mentioned Maryland’s participation.