Maryland’s TEDCO is hosting its first tech fair for local founders

On Monday, Maryland funding agency TEDCO will host its very first Tech Fair, aimed at supporting local founders.

TEDCO, which offers funding and resources to tech companies throughout the state, said it created the free-to-attend Tech Fair to connect local founders with larger tech companies. The event will be held Monday, Sept. 12 at the Hotel at the University of Maryland in College Park from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Ben Cardin, a U.S. Senator for Maryland and chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, will deliver the keynote.

“TEDCO created this free event to connect entrepreneurs and small business owners in any industry from Maryland’s underserved communities to major tech companies that can help them grow,” Troy LeMaile-Stovall, TEDCO’s CEO, told Technical.ly. “Working closely with [Ben Cardin] on this initiative really helped us to hone in on the needs of our small businesses — the ‘heartbeat of our economy.’”

According to TEDCO, the fair is designed for startup and small business founders who are looking to expand their reach by interacting with larger tech companies. Representatives from Grow with Google, Meta, TikTok, Square and Microsoft will be in attendance and deliver training workshops. The fair is free and open to all local entrepreneurs, but underserved founders are especially encouraged to attend.

“Maryland boasts the highest concentrations of women-owned and minority-owned small businesses in the nation, and it is essential to connect our talented entrepreneurs to the resources they need to succeed in today’s economy,” said Cardin in a statement. “Maryland has long been a national leader in innovation and research due to the presence of some of the most prestigious academic and government research institutions in the state. This Tech Fair will give our state’s small businesses a chance to learn how to use technology to grow their businesses. I am looking forward to speaking with the small businesses and vendors in attendance at the fair about how we can work together to bridge the historical gaps in our entrepreneurial ecosystem to make it more inclusive.”

John Fleming, the mid-Atlantic regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration, will also be speaking at the event. Corporate participants include eBay, PayPal, Amazon and Amazon Web Services.