These companies and leaders got kudos at Baltimore Homecoming 2023

In the heart of the Baltimore Peninsula, Baltimore Homecoming and its event Activate 2023 brought together individuals who share an appreciation for Baltimore City, as well as civic leaders such as Gov. Wes Moore and Mayor Brandon Scott.

The event included prior Crab Tank Pitch Competition pitch victor Femly CEO Arion Long, who took the stage after some of the 2023 Baltimore Homecoming Heroes to, in her words, “usher in the Crab Tank” in a short speech where she self-described herself as a “Baltimore baby through and through.”

Here’s who received money and honors at the pitch competition and awards event:

Crab Tank Pitch Competition

Backed by M&T Bank, the 2023 Crab Tank competition included two tech companies as its finalists: NextStep Robotics, a company working to support stroke recovery with cost-effective robotic training solutions, and 2023 RealLIST Startups honoree ReBokeh, a company that makes assistive technology for individuals with moderate or uncorrectable vision impairments.

Outside of the two tech startups, three founders from Loyola’s Baltiprenuers Accelerator cohort were represented in the competition: Hiatus Cheesecake, Keppel and Kismet and Treehouse Juicery.

The grand prize of $25,000 went to Hiatus Cheesecake. The $2,500 people’s choice award went to Treehouse Juicery founders Todd Sheridan and Nichelle Roane, who opened a brick-and-mortar store for its juices in Baltimore on Charles Street in February 2024.

Crab Tank judges included W Ventures Principal Managing Partner David Warschawski, Latimer Ventures Founding Managing Partner Luke Cooper, Procure Impact President Jen Collins and Iora Health cofounder Rushika Fernandopulle.

Hiatus Cheesecake founder Matthew Featherstone could not be reached for comment after the competition.

Homecoming Hero Awards

The 2023 Baltimore Homecoming Hero Awards also took place during Activate 2023 to honor those who were nominated with $5,000 grants for their contributions to the Baltimore community.

This year’s “heroes” included Kevin Beasley, director of Beats Not Bullets; Elijah Miles, founder and chairman of Tendea Family; Brian Pham, CEO and cofounder of Break a Difference; Nykidra Robinson, founder of Black Girls Vote; and Rashad Staton, executive director of Community Law In Action.

In an interview with Technical.ly, Matt Reeds, Baltimore Homecoming’s deputy director, discussed the additional investments made in the program this year. Notably, Dug Song of the Song Foundation contributed $50,000, and Homecoming cofounder and Board Chair JM Schapiro contributed $25,000.

Before its flagship event last week, Baltimore Homecoming also launched a search for a replacement for its founding member and current Executive Director Robbin Lee. That search is ongoing, Reeds said.

Ahead of the next Baltimore Homecoming event in 2025, he added: “We’ll be hosting those regional events across the country starting next year, and we hope that drives investments to our Homecoming Heroes and Crab Tank entrepreneurs as well.”