A staple Baltimore-area pitch competition has crowned a new winner.
Baltimore Homecoming’s Crab Tank, launched in 2019, awarded its grand prize to Jasmine Jones for Myya, her company that sells bras for breast cancer survivors.
Plus, while Maryland’s biggest city, sandwiched between larger financial hubs, isn’t typically known for private equity firms, a local investment firm has recently hired talent from abroad.
Read on below the chart, which tracks tech job post trends in metro Baltimore, for more information on local power moves and professional changes in the region.
Bras win big
Jasmine Jones remembers seeing her grandmother navigate breast cancer and the frustration of shopping for post-mastectomy bras at a medical supply store.
“She just seemed so dispirited when she was there,” Jones said. “I remember thinking that someone should do something about it — there should be a more dignified shopping experience for breast cancer survivors.”
More than 20 years later, Jones has founded Myya, an online store selling post-mastectomy bras and other supplies. Last month, she won the $25,000 grand prize at Baltimore Homecoming’s Crab Tank Pitch Competition to continue her work on the brand. The Crab Tank is one of the main events for the civic booster organization’s annual program (once called Activate, and now called Signature Event) to showcase local talent across different industries. Over 80 Baltimore-based businesses applied to the program, with only five selected as finalists to present at the competition. The event’s audience also awarded Jones the $2,500 people’s choice award.
Jones recently earned a spot in Johns Hopkins Ward Infinity Impact program, a 16-week accelerator for initiatives addressing health and environmental challenges in the DMV. She plans to use the program’s funds to eventually open a brick-and-mortar store at a local hospital.
London investment veteran joins Baltimore firm
Access Holdings has brought on Sam Tidswell-Norrish as partner.
The Mount Vernon-headquartered private equity group works with lower-middle market companies — its current portfolio includes a pet wellness platform and car wash operator — to help them scale and grow.
Previously, London-based Tidswell-Norrish helped found and lead Motive Partners, a financial technology investment firm. He was drawn to Access Holdings by founder Kevin McAllister’s vision for the company, which he saw as distinct from a typical private equity firm.
“In a low- and mid-market private equity firm, you’re not an investor that wears a Hermes tie.”
Sam Tidswell-Norrish
“Access is a culture-first organization,” he told Technical.ly. “Kevin, being as unique as he is, wanted to build a firm in a way that was very different to Wall Street. In a low- and mid-market private equity firm, you’re not an investor that wears a Hermes tie.”
Tidswell-Norrish, one of four partners, will help build the firm’s brand and raise capital for ongoing deals.
“The analogy I would give is that all the ingredients are on the table, they just haven’t put them together to bake the cake, so that’s the privilege I get,” Tidswell-Norrish said.
New fundraiser at United Way
United Way of Central Maryland announced Tykia Warden as its new senior vice president and chief development officer.
Warden will work on fundraising efforts for United Way, which supports programs such as Young Men United, a workforce development initiative for men of color, and legal assistance for people facing eviction.
“I’m especially committed to elevating equity-centered philanthropy and ensuring that our fundraising efforts align with the lived experiences and aspirations of Marylanders,” Warden wrote in an email. “That means strengthening our storytelling, expanding our reach, and creating more opportunities for transformational giving that drives real change in education, health, and economic mobility.”
Warden previously served as president of the Greater Baltimore Urban League.
More power moves
- Lo Smith stepped down as executive director of the Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition, which will transition to a board-led format in December. Smith will continue supporting the organization part-time.
- DC businessman Mark Ein, CEO of private equity firm Venturehouse Group, bought a minority stake in the Baltimore Orioles.
- Baltimore investment firm SC&H Capital hired John Whalen, a longtime M&T Bank executive, to lead a new capital solutions division.
- Under Armour founder Kevin Plank and his brother Scott Plank sold The Sagamore Pendry Hotel in Fells Point to hospital management company Montage International.
- Aberdeen-based APG Federal Credit Union acquired Members First of Maryland Federal Credit Union, marking its first expansion into Baltimore County.
- Johns Hopkins Medical System ended contract negotiations with UnitedHealthcare, leaving 60,000 United customers out of the hospital’s network.
