From cyber awards to docuseries screenings, scenes from a month in Baltimore innovation

Whether they’re for networking, collective empowerment, new business formation or simple friendship, these connections function as threads that bind our various geographies of interest, strengthening their cores while ultimately giving us so much of what we cover. Much of that belief, even after March 2020, revolves around the in-person events that we cover, attend and even organize.

All of you in the Baltimore area’s tech and entrepreneurship world apparently agree, since there were so many events last month that we could barely keep up. From benefits and fundraisers to conferences and demo days, you showed up and showed out at a range of events that showcase how much your community matters to you.

In celebration of those events — and the hopes that they’ll continue so long as it remains relatively safe to do so amid an ongoing pandemic — here are some highlights, photos and more from just a few of the ones that took place in October. Think of them as our version of modern-day Baltimore society pages:

bwtech@UMBC’s Cyber & Tech Awards

(L to R) Kimberly Mentzell, the Maryland Department of Commerce’s director of cybersecurity and aerospace, presents Potomac Photonics VP Sherry L. Ford and CEO Mike Adelstein with the Advanced Technology/Manufacturing Award during bwtech@UMBC’s Cyber & Tech Awards. (Courtesy photo)

About 80 people came to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s (UMBC) bwtech@UMBC research park on Oct. 11 for the inaugural Cyber & Tech Awards event. The convening, which featured guests from the Maryland Department of Commerce and Cybersecurity Association of Maryland Inc. (CAMI), was designed to recognize accomplishment and success among 29 companies based at bwtech@UMBC.

“These technology-focused companies created over the past year 225 new jobs [and] hired 19 alumni and 42 interns from UMBC while contributing approximately $150 million in combined labor and revenue,” bwtech@UMBC Executive Director Aaron Miscenich told Technical.ly via email. “We are thrilled to continue to support and watch these clients grow through our programming and services.”

Awardees included Potomac Photonics (advanced technology and manufacturing), Que Technology Group (collaboration), Xeddy (student entrepreneur) and Red Trace Technologies (workforce traction).

A collage of photos documenting bwtech@UMBC’s first Cyber & Tech Awards. (Courtesy photos and collage)

CAMI’s 6th Annual Awards Ceremony

Angie Lienert (center, in pink) holds her warrior woman award while surrounded by members of Women of Impact. (Courtesy photo by Eric Stocklin)

Speaking of CAMI, the cyber industry advocacy organization — which cosponsored the bwtech@UMBC awards with Whiteford Taylor Preston — hosted its own awards ceremony at The Hotel at Arundel Preserve in Hanover, Maryland on Oct. 19. About 200 attendees came to see Northrop Grumman Corporate Director of Cyber Programs Ed Devinney deliver a keynote on the importance of public-private partnerships to cybersecurity infrastructure. Honorees included NPower Maryland (diversity trailblazer), Zuul IoT (innovator of the year) and IntelliGenesis CEO Angie Lienert (warrior woman).

“The Awards Ceremony is our biggest event of the year, during a season when in-person events are picking up and we are competing for people’s most honored resource: time,” CAMI Executive Director Tasha Cornish said in an email. “It’s humbling to watch 200 people gather to celebrate excellence in the field of cybersecurity.”

Ed Devinney, corporate director of cyber programs for Northrop Grumman, delivers the keynote at the 2022 CAMI Awards. (Courtesy photo by Eric Stocklin)

CyDeploy founder Tina Williams-Koroma (second from right) poses with CAMI’s Company to Watch Award. (Courtesy photo by Eric Stocklin)

GoDaddy Open Baltimore

(L to R) Impact Hub Baltimore Executive Director Michelle Geiss speaks with Mayor Brandon Scott during GoDaddy Open in Baltimore. (Courtesy photo by JJ. McQueen/Mayor’s Office)

On the same night as the CAMI awards, the team at Impact Hub Baltimore celebrated its ongoing partnership with GoDaddy by hosting a special screening of its “Made in America” docuseries, the latest season of which focuses on Baltimore, at the SNF Parkway Theatre. The screening was part of a broader event that day, called GoDaddy Open, that included networking opportunities, breakout discussions and special keynotes from the likes of Mayor Brandon Scott. All of the programming revolved around the microbusinesses that GoDaddy and Impact Hub Baltimore have aimed to support through their collaboration.

“I’m glad so many people could experience the incredible energy of Baltimore’s entrepreneur community,” Impact Hub Baltimore Executive Director Michelle Geiss said of the convening. “Each and every offering given at the GoDaddy Open will make a real difference for people’s lives. It’s been a true privilege to bring this caliber of talent and expertise to our community.”

Liz Pearce, GoDaddy’s VP of marketing, speaks about website marketing and transaction processing practices during GoDaddy Open. (Courtesy photo by Philip Muriel)

Think Innovate 2022

(L to R) David Panzer, partner at Ward & Berry PLLC; Joseph Daw, principal security architect at IBM; Heather McMahon, visiting professor at the University of Maryland; and Kimberly Mentzell, director of cybersecurity and aerospace at the Maryland Department of Commerce. (Courtesy photo)

The team at Kingsville, Maryland-based Think Systems Inc. brought together internationally acclaimed innovation and tech experts for three days of panels, keynotes, luncheons and breakout sessions at its inaugural Think Innovate conference. The Oct. 19 to 21 event featured such keynote speakers as PointNortheast COO Sara Frasca, AWS’ North America partner and channel sales director Rachel Mushahwar and Editor-in-Chief Jason Feifer of Entrepreneur Magazine. According to Think Systems, around 200 attendees, including more than 100 C-suite-level professionals, descended upon the Marriott Owings Mills Metro Centre for this convening.

“I thought this was fantastic,” ProfitComm President Denis O’Donovan said via email. “Everybody looks at DC [and] Philly, but Baltimore is the forgotten one in the middle. There is a lot good innovation happening here, a lot of folks that are really moving the needle when it comes to technology.”

(L to R) Think Systems Inc.’s President, Government Services Bryan Wolbert; CEO Tony Gruebl; and President, Commercial Services Joe Poling at the inaugural Think Innovate Conference. (Courtesy photo)

Point NorthEast COO and Think Innovate keynote speaker Sara Frasca. (Courtesy photo)

Have a great regional or local tech event coming up in November? Let us know by emailing sameer@technical.ly.