Who deserves a pat on the back this year? Well, that’s up to you.
We’re celebrating Maryland’s innovation ecosystem with the annual Technical.ly Awards, and it’s time to shout out your peers. We pulled together this year’s nominees from your submissions, our ongoing coverage and outside research. Thanks to everyone who weighed in to help shape the finalists.
Now, you get to decide the wins and maybe stoke just a little controversy (it wouldn’t be a year-end list without it). Check out our previous winners from 2025 and 2024.
Voting closes on Nov. 25, and we’ll announce the winners in early December.
Explore the nominees below, then cast your vote here.
Launch of the Year
The new company, product, service or go-to-market approach in your ecosystem this year that had the most impact, either locally or globally.
- Cyber Talent Force: In August, Fort Meade’s US Cyber Command launched a platform that matches civilians and service members to cyber roles across the Department of War.
- Houstory: Choosing a place to rent is stressful, but Houstory wants to make it easier by aggregating public landlord violations and private renter reviews in one platform.
- Dorchester Tech Park: Dorchester Tech Park may be a decade old, but the Eastern Shore development recently landed its first tenant — research firm Fire and Risk Alliance — following COVID-era setbacks.
- Noxide Esports: Maryland’s newest gaming center gives local players the chance to compete in esports and connect with other gamers IRL.
Programming of the Year
The activation, program or The activation, program or event that made the most difference in the local innovation community this year.
- Mainsail Angel Network: Salisbury University’s angel investing group aims to support early-stage startups with Eastern Shore ties.
- Johns Hopkins Alumni Accelerator: The accelerator at Johns Hopkins University gives back to alumni who missed out on the school’s entrepreneurship renaissance.
- Baltimore Tech Week: Local organizers revived Baltimore’s tech week as a grassroots event, pulling it together in just a month after several years of dormancy.
- Quantum World Congress: While the event is nothing new, Maryland served as its host in September, building on the governor’s Capital of Quantum initiative.
Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year
The newcomer (someone who started their entrepreneurship journey within the past 2 years) who made the biggest splash this year, whether locally, regionally or globally.
- Prem Umang Satyavolu: A recent MBA graduate, Satyavolu boasts an impressive list of accolades from Johns Hopkins University — a full-ride scholarship, prestigious fellowships, the works — and her company Modelus wants to reshape how experiments are run.
- Charles Engler: The Loyola student entrepreneur runs skincare brand Luminova Beauty and won a Pava La Pere Innovation Award.
- Precious Jones: With FairRide AI, the Bowie resident is using tech to take on an age-old consumer trust issue: the auto repair bill.
- Tommy Li: In just over a year, recent Hopkins graduate Li took BioBuild from a prototype to a publicly available research platform.
Visionary of the Year
The person who changed the most minds, inspired the most conversation or spurred the most progress to your ecosystem this year.
- Nick Culbertson: After spearheading Baltimore’s first Techstars accelerator for nearly two years, Culbertson remains a fixture across the city’s ecosystem as a speaker and advisor.
- Cari Harris: Cofounder of the HBCU Environmental Justice Technical (HEJT) Collaborative, Harris is connecting Baltimore’s climate community through regular meetups and her economic development work.
- Jacqui Magnes: Magnes leads the Cybersecurity Association, which backs cyber workforce development and business growth efforts across the state.
- Francesca Ioffreda: Maryland’s inaugural chief innovation officer helped roll out a platform to support childcare facilities and grocery stores.
Deal of the Year
The financial transaction that made the most difference to the local ecosystem this year.
- Anduril’s investment at Tradepoint Atlantic: The deal so big even Trump showed up: Anduril’s $3.7 billion maritime manufacturing facility is set to be the state’s largest job creator in over a decade.
- Baltimore Police Department’s $153 million Axon deal: Despite mounting national pushback against automated license plate readers, the city’s police department inked a $153 million, no-bid deal with Axon Enterprise to supply ALPRs, body cameras and tasers.
- Blue Energy mega raise: Blue Energy raised $380 million, adding to a record Maryland VC year fueled by X-energy’s massive funding rounds.
- Gilead acquiring Arcellx: Partnerships are the defining trend across the pharmaceutical industry, and Gilead’s move to scoop up Arcellx fits right in.
Discourse of the Year
The theme, topic, industry, group, people, company or organization that dominated discussion across the ecosystem this year.
- Mental health in the cybersecurity community: Several deaths by suicide at Fort Meade over the summer sparked local and national discussions over supporting the cyber workforce.
- Data centers, friend or foe?: Most Marylanders live under a development moratorium, but business leaders still make the case that Big Tech can create opportunities for local communities.
- Life sciences rollercoaster: Following a turbulent start to the year for biotech ventures, Congress reauthorized a key pipeline for early-stage startups, though significant funding challenges remain.
- New era for Maryland gaming: Another year, another round of Microsoft gaming layoffs, pushing local developers to launch studios of their own.
