Startup Maryland’s bus tour has a new name

For Startup Maryland, the tag line has become the name. “Tag” in the sense of license plates, that is.
The annual bus tour of the state’s entrepreneurship community is being dubbed the STRT1UP Road Show this year.
The new name comes from the bus’s license plate, and was also the title of a documentary about the tour made by With The Film. Startup Maryland CEO Mike Binko said filmmakers Bryan Goldberg and Mike Venezia came up with the title. Along with brand alignment, he said he wanted to honor their work as entrepreneurs.
It’s the fifth year for the tour, which starts on Sept. 10. This year’s stops reflect the clustering of industries that’s been increasingly evident each year, Binko said. He pointed to drone development and IoT in Southern Maryland, and a new crop of companies with a sustainability focus on the Eastern Shore and around the Chesapeake Bay. On Oct. 5, the tour is set to highlight cybersecurity with a daylong tour of companies and events.
The STRT1UP Road Show will be in Baltimore on Sept. 21 for a block party at the University of Baltimore. Though it is formally a pause for the tour, Startup Maryland will also be hosting a group of nationwide ecosystem leaders and will also be in town during Baltimore Innovation Week, from Sept. 23-Oct. 1.
The bus is also equipped with a studio for pitches, and entrepreneurs can pitch at each stop as part of the Pitch Across Maryland competition.
Before the tour, Startup Maryland is also partnering with Startup Angels to host a workshop on angel investment in Annapolis. It’s part of an effort to get more early stage capital in the region, Binko said.
Here’s the full tour schedule, via Startup Maryland:

The Pitch Across Maryland schedule for 2016. (Courtesy image)