A coalition of Maryland institutions — Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures, the Bisciotti Family Foundation, Brown Advisory, and the University of Maryland Medical System — has committed $1.6 million over two years to UpSurge Baltimore, covering the majority of its operating support. The news comes as Chris Brandt officially steps in as UpSurge’s new CEO.

On November 17, UpSurge and GBC bring sports and technology together at Spark Flex on the Inner Harbor, with the Baltimore Orioles’ Sig Mejdal (VP & Assistant GM) and T. Rowe Price’s Peter Stournaras (Co-head of Global Equity Portfolio Management). The conversation will dig into how Mejdal went from working at NASA to leading the charge in sports analytics, as well as the opportunity in contemporary sports.

On January 19, 2027, UpSurge and GBC bring together the people building the future of defense and national security at Harford County’s CONVERGE Innovation Center. The evening focuses on the work coming out of Aberdeen Proving Ground, the challenges defense-sector companies face, and how the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem can support them — in a room of founders, technologists, workforce development experts, elected officials, and Department of War officials. Full program and speaker lineup to be announced; register now to save your spot.

The latest edition of the Business Investor Snapshot newsetter explores the increasingly mainstream AI doom discourse and what it means for the industry giants’ planned IPOs, the 2026 elections, and startups using their models. Authored by Chris Brandt, managing partner of Audacious Capital and UpSurge Baltimore leader, the Snapshot offers monthly reflections on the must-know topics and discourse in investment and innovation.

Baltimore’s manufacturing story is evolving and growing. The Advanced Manufacturing Exchange brought the region’s advanced manufacturing founders, public sector leaders, engineers, and more into Stanley Black & Decker’s new Experience & Innovation Center. Together, speakers and attendees alike took on topics like workforce pipelines, new technology, and investment opportunities in a unique space showcasing the results of SBD’s own research and development.

This inaugural full-day forum was built to bridge the gap between emerging policy and applied technology in care delivery. The summit brought funders, founders, health system executives, scholars, clinicians, and government agency leaders together for a series of conversations on healthcare outcomes, AI, innovation, Maryland’s all-payer model, and what it takes for this state and region to lead the country in healthcare innovation.