The Baltimore tech ecosystem saw a major shakeup in July.
Accelerator powerhouse Techstars named a new leader for its AI Health program as it heads into its fourth cohort.
Meanwhile, the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) is shuffling its C-suite yet again, with some executives departing just weeks after stepping into their roles.
Keep reading for more on these, plus other recent power moves.
EcoMap COO to lead Techstars AI Health program
Smitha Gopal is taking over as managing director of Techstars AI Health Baltimore, succeeding Nick Culbertson, who led the program since its first cohort in March 2025.
Gopal previously served as COO at EcoMap Technologies, where she helped direct customer retention strategy, discovering the Techstars program when she attended one of its demo days.
Run in partnership with Johns Hopkins University, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and other local institutions, the program’s focus on launching early-stage healthcare startups attracted her to the position, she said.
“By bringing all of these partners together with early-stage founders,” Gopal told Technical.ly, “you create an environment that helps entrepreneurs avoid missteps and gain traction faster.”
Gopal plans to build on the existing curriculum with experts from her network, including fellow Wharton School of Business alumni.
Though Gopal couldn’t reveal specific names or how many local founders made the cut for the AI health program’s fourth cohort, she said that community members won’t be disappointed.
“People who have been watching the local ecosystem will be pleased,” Gopal said.
BDC exodus sweeps out 3 more top execs
Baltimore’s economic development agency is cutting another slate of executives.
Three C-suiters are departing the BDC in the organization’s second leadership shuffle in less than a year, according to reporting from the Baltimore Business Journal.
Among those exiting is Maggie McDonough, the BDC’s chief innovation officer and director of the Emerging Technology Centers (ETC). In February, McDonough told Technical.ly she planned to expand the ETC’s venture studio and push beyond life sciences into sectors like cybersecurity and port logistics. McDonough did not respond to requests for comment about her departure.
Also departing are Roy Broderick, chief brand, growth and business development officer, who has been with the org since December, and Tricia Kerney-Willis, chief economic development officer, who only joined the agency in July.
The news follows a major overhaul nearly a year ago, when CEO Otis Rolley restructured the agency and ousted longtime staff.
More power moves
- Baltimore building material manufacturer DAP Global named Scott Showalter as its new president. He joined DAP in 2004 as a field sales representative and worked his way up its leadership pipeline, according to a release.
- Pioneering genetics scientist George Church joined Baltimore startup IndyGeneUS’s scientific advisory board,
- Sanjeev Singh Sahni took over as Bethesda-based manufacturing company Xometry’s CEO.
- Former IBM executive Victor Brown started at Columbia-based cybersecurity firm Camelot Secure as chief technology officer.
- St. Mary’s Platform Aerospace is expanding its operations in the county with an 80,000-square-foot manufacturing space.
