If Maryland has a superpower, it might be the insights and energy of entrepreneurs across the state, identifying something customers want, and would be willing to pay for, if there were only a company making and selling it. You do not have to look far to find start-ups trying to make their businesses work. We speak with local entrepreneurs involved in two ventures at Towson University and Community College of Baltimore County.

The CCBC's Center for Business Innovation is hosting “B’More Bold Business Conference for Entrepreneurs and Innovators" today. Several hundred people are gathering this morning near BWI at the Maritime Conference Conference Center to brainstorm solutions for start-ups and growing businesses. Across town at the Armory in Towson, another set of entrepreneurs were rolling up their sleeves and getting to work. Towson University’s StarTUp welcomed its fifth cohort of founders of new ventures, mostly women, minorities or veterans, who have ideas for businesses in medicine, finance, human resources, food and more.

Dennis Sullivan, Executive Director and Associate Professor at CCBC's Center for Business Innovation, and Tasha Lee, owner of Tasha Flowers, join us to talk about cultivating growing business ideas.

Later in the show we are joined by Patrick McQuown, who had two decades as an entrepreneur, mentor and educator when he joined Towson University in early 2020 as director of entrepreneurship. Kobby Osei-Kusi took part in last summer's cohort at StarTUp. He founded a company called Pirl Technology, working to develop more effective chargers, for cellphones and for electric vehicles and other devices. 

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472