These 8 ventures are entering Loyola’s first Baltipreneurs accelerator

Loyola University Maryland named the cohort of the first Baltipreneurs accelerator this week.

The eight ventures were selected from a pool of about 60 applicants. The program, run by Loyola’s year-old Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, will include sessions that start this week and extend through a demo day in April. Each company receives $2,000, plus the potential for up to $5,000.

In an interview late last month, CIE Director Wendy Bolger said that the program reflects a “dual mission” to grow entrepreneurship on the Loyola campus, as well as serve underrepresented groups in the city.

“Loyola hasn’t offered something like this before either to students or the community at large,” Bolger said. “The fact that we’re bringing both of those groups together is exciting.”

Along with funding, the entrepreneurs get access to business and entrepreneurship instruction from Loyola faculty and other community partners, office space at Loyola/Notre Dame library and pitch training.

Bolger said the program will have a big emphasis on programming that ties to an entrepreneur’s particular stage or type of venture, and encourage the members to support each other.

Here’s a look at the cohort:

• Benegraft, a medical device company formed out of Johns Hopkins University that has a technique for dicing cartilage
• Eatsplore, a startup founded by Loyola computer science professor Hervé Franceschi, along with students Alyssa Schilke and Rhys Scheuren to provide an online cultural immersion program for people who are sampling food
• Halal Beauty Cosmetics, a beauty supply company using Halal ingredients
• McKenna’s Kupcakes, a bakery business run by Loyola student McKenna Moors
• Smalltimore Homes, a nonprofit affordable housing initiative founded by Quida Chancey that provides tiny homes to people experiencing homelessness
• Stone’s Throw Hash, a breakfast-based natural food company in Baltimore founded by Ben James that opened local operations at B-More Kitchen in Govans this year
• Style Trail, a beauty shop and barbershop job listing service founded by Eric Warner
• Tomana Inc., a Baltimore-based pet-sitting service