Stumped? Here’s a program for turning your idea into an actual business

There’s a lot of milestones in the process of building a startup, but it all starts with an idea. Even before officially becoming a business, there’s a lot of work that goes into figuring out whether or not the idea for a company is worth quitting your day job to pursue.
A new program from the Emerging Technology Centers is looking to help people turn those ideas into businesses.
Apply by Sept. 4
Pioneer Baltimore is set to run for eight weeks, offering resources and mentorship in areas like creating a business plan and the MVP process. The roughly 10 companies that are accepted will be matched with a mentor from a startup that is currently a member of the incubator. The once-a-week sessions will be at night to encourage people looking to up their side hustle.
“It’s that stepping stone for future founders to figure out, ‘Is this something I want to pursue, can pursue and should pursue?'” said ETC Assistant Director Jacqueline Albright. She hopes participants will be able to walk away with a clear plan for their business or product.
It could also lead to more resources. Companies in the process won’t receive additional money, but the timing coincides with the beginning of the application process for Accelerate Baltimore, the ETC’s two-month accelerator program that provides $25,000 in funding to each selected startup.
Last year, Accelerate Baltimore received 125 applications, and some of the companies were too early in the idea stage for that program.