UpSurge is propelling Baltimore into the top tier of innovation cities. We’re students of the country’s brain hubs–cities we admire–but we want to be uniquely Baltimore in our approach. We’re mobilizing around a new vision: to be the country’s first Equitech city.
Equitech is about building an innovation economy where all belong. It’s a force-multiplier, building on the proven benefits of diverse teams, leaders and perspectives.
UpSurge is an ecosystem builder focused on making Baltimore the country’s first Equitech city and a launching pad for founders of all backgrounds, across sectors and stages. It’s also an investment engine, partnering with organizations like Techstars to build a global platform for founders and innovation right here in Baltimore. Other investment pools will be launched over time.
Long-term, our goal is to shift the trajectory of Baltimore with more knowledge-economy companies. More quality jobs. More pathways to prosperity for Baltimoreans.
If we’re successful, not only will entrepreneurs and investors around the world look at Baltimore as a launching pad, but more Baltimoreans, from across the city, will see the knowledge economy as a pathway for their upwardly mobile futures.
Startups are the backbone of the world’s thriving cities. As they scale, they deliver the kind of quality jobs that provide a pathway to prosperity, wealth creation, stable families and neighborhoods.
We have what it takes: renowned institutions, an ideal location, affordable and attractive real estate, and creative, brilliant, determined, people. We’re mobilizing our innovators and initiatives into a movement for inclusive growth of our remarkable—but too-often underestimated—city.
In ten years, the world will look to Baltimore as a different kind of startup city.
If we can do it here, it can be a model for the world.
The $11 Billion Opportunity report highlights the unique – and often overlooked – assets of Baltimore, and the potential for those assets to drive the acceleration of its tech economy within the decade. It also provides specific benchmarks to achieve this goal. The report is a call to action to local companies, institutions, and investors, proposing that Baltimore has the opportunity to establish a new norm, a collective commitment to align around the Equitech vision and to effectively deploy resources that drive inclusive growth. With many doing a small part, the impact on Baltimore would be transformative.
