Made in Baltimore announces Home-Run Accelerator cohort

Made in Baltimore, a program of the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) program, this week unveiled the cohort for its 2021 accelerator program for solopreneurs building businesses around physical products.

Dubbed the Home-Run Accelerator, the five-month small business development program is designed to help Baltimore businesses scale up from their homes or a shared makerspace and out into commercial production space. Graduates of the accelerator are awarded between $5,000 – $10,000 in seed capital to support their launch into a new facility.

Beginning in late May, the program includes an eight-week “strategy school,” which offers a curriculum in operations, marketing and business development. Then, for three months the cohort members are paired with peer mentors who have previously scaled businesses from their homes.

“Growing a home-based business into a commercial production space is a huge leap for an entrepreneur,” said Andy Cook, Made in Baltimore’s executive director, in a statement. “These businesses are ready to take that leap, and we want to make sure they succeed by bringing all the resources we have to the table for them.”

The 12 companies chosen for the accelerator are:

• Tree House Juicery, a juice bar company.
• We are Maud, a handcrafted jewelry business.
• Drama Mama Bookshop, which makes handcrafted journals, notebooks and notepads.
• La Loupe Design, a home decor business.
• Keppel & Kismet, a home decor and craft business.
• B’more Natural, a hair salon and hair care business.
• Slay Naturals, a handmade skincare company.
• Tortuga Kombucha, a drink and beverage business.
• Solsis Beauty, a vegan beauty products company.
• Maurita’s Essentials, a bath and body products company.
• Personal Best Ceramics, a ceramic pottery business.
• Cane Collective, a spirits and cocktails company.

“Connecting businesses to the tools they need to grow, create jobs, and strengthen our local economy is the goal of the Made In Baltimore Home-Run Accelerator program,” said Colin Tarbert, CEO of BDC .