After a decade of incubation, AccelerateBaltimore graduates 5 more startups

The AccelerateBaltimore program’s five newest alums had more than their completion of the accelerator to celebrate during last Wednesday’s demo night.

The event, for which an estimated 85 members of Baltimore’s tech economy gathered at antiviolence organization Roca‘s Baltimore offices in Mid-Town Belvedere, also marked the ETC Baltimore– and Abell Foundation-supported accelerator’s 10th successful year. AccelerateBaltimore’s program director, Brendan McAdams, noted that this cohort was the accelerator’s most selective, with five early-stage local companies drawn from a record of over 100 applications. It was also the most diverse class, as five of the six total founders are people of color.

“We simply chose [the] best tech-centric early-stage startups that could benefit from the program, could contribute to the group, and had the right commitment and energy,” McAdams told Technical.ly.

The companies represented a cross-section of the local tech sector, including the the life sciences, esports and lifestyle industries. The cohort included:

• BUKU, which functions like Uber for water sports by linking boat owners and captains to people who wish to rent yachts, jet skis or other waterborne vehicles
• G-Haven eSports, a 2022 Baltimore RealLIST Startups honoree that seeks to build social impact and responsibility into the gaming ecosystem
• impathi, which uses AI and deep-learning to identify candidates for hospice care and link them with providers, caregivers and other resources through their end-of-life transition
• 6DGRS, a dating platform that uses verification and social network integration to help users meet other single people through their personal circles
• Opal HTM, which uses patented wireless sensors to track and manage medical equipment usage so hospitals avoid pricey device malfunction and maintenance issues

The companies’ leaders pitched their products to potential investors and collaborators during the demo night. McAdams said that as of today, none of the companies had solidified new investment from the demo night interactions. The companies did, however, earn the second half of the $50,000 that the accelerator guarantees to each participant. AccelerateBaltimore cohort members also receive group consultation and one-on-one sessions during the 13-week program, among other support as they scale their companies’ operations.

Going forth, McAdams confirmed that he will lead AccelerateBaltimore again in 2023. He added that ETC Baltimore will soon be announcing another program for early-stage companies that will take place later this year.

Until then, learn more about this year’s cohort by watching the following video of the founders’ demo night presentations:

http://https://vimeo.com/696537958