Startup Grind Baltimore returns with a new, nomadic format

After a hiatus for most of 2016 and 2017, Startup Grind Baltimore returned in the fall.
The entrepreneur-focused events series, which is part of a worldwide network, is now being helmed by Jeffrey Freedman, a marketing expert who is currently Chief Digital Officer for Pop Results.
“Our goal is to work with startups to help them grow,” he said of Pop Results, adding that the company works on “operationalizing startups so they can focus on what their passion is.”
That made the event series a good fit for Freedman, who is originally from Baltimore. He sees Startup Grind as a way to “make connections both for startups in my hometown.” Freedman said he’s been working with a team of five others.
The goal for the event series is to bring together different sides of the startup community. One way that’s happening is through the venue for the event. So far, it’s been moving around to different locations.
The revived local chapter debuted in November 2017 with investor Jeff Kurtzman speaking at Betamore City Garage.
The next event is set for Jan. 18 at Harbor Designs and Manufacturing in Pigtown for a pair of inventor talks. Steve & Seth McLaughlin will discuss getting traction with CourtGrabbers and Myra Donnelly will talk about portable sterilization unit Eniware.
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After that, the Feb. 22 event will be at the recently-opened GRID in the University of Maryland BioPark with university AVP of Industry Alliances Marco Chacon.
Freedman said rotating the location invites the community into spaces they might not otherwise have seen.
“Each event then becomes a way to showcase both the speaker and the space that works within the ecosystem,” he said.
The revival comes after a new Startup Grind chapter recently formed for mid-Maryland in Columbia. While there could be some perceived competition there, Freedman said he’s been working with Chris Haug of that chapter to cross-promote and ensure they aren’t overlapping.
Freedman said they both share a goal to “make this Baltimore and Mid-Maryland area strong and thriving and show the rest of the world, or at least the rest of the country, that we’re an area on the map.”