COLUMBIA, Md. (Oct. 6, 2014) – The Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) announced today the launch of its new Executive Exchange Program, a multi-tiered initiative designed to cut across all TEDCO funding programs by offering supplemental stage-appropriate assistance to portfolio company entrepreneurs. TEDCO hopes to impact as many as 80 startup ventures with this new program in its first year.
“As part of TEDCO’s practice of leveraging the impact of its seed stage funding and continually improving its service offerings, we’re responding to the need for additional support to Maryland’s start-up executives,” said Rob Rosenbaum, president and executive director of TEDCO. “The integrated nature of the initiatives that make up the Executive Exchange Program are unique within the State and will extend Maryland’s existing array of entrepreneurial assistance efforts. Helping executives grow and mature alongside their start-ups translates into higher success rates for their ventures.”
The Executive Exchange Program consists of six elements:
- Loaned Executives will be provided to lead a start-up team through a critical inflection point.
- Executive Coaching will help entrepreneurs mature alongside their ventures.
- CEO Roundtables will facilitate peer-to-peer support among entrepreneurs.
- Portfolio Workshops will continue to address topics of interest to groups of entrepreneurs.
- Maryland Entrepreneurs Resource List (MERL) members will continue to coach and mentor entrepreneurs.
- TEDCO Staff & Rural Business Initiative (RBI²) representatives will continue to coach and mentor entrepreneurs.
“For many years now, TEDCO’s portfolio workshops and the coaching and mentoring of its staff, RBI² representatives and MERL team have been excellent resources for entrepreneurs,” said Neil Davis, TEDCO’s director of entrepreneurial development. “There’s a tremendous and logical leveraging effect that results from packaging all of those ongoing efforts alongside three new initiatives into a single integrated program. We look forward to not only assisting the leaders of promising start-ups, but also continuing to recruit mentors for them.”
In its first year of Executive Exchange, the new elements (Loaned Executive, Executive Coaching and CEO Roundtables) will be directed at TEDCO’s Technology Commercialization Fund and Maryland Innovation Initiative portfolio companies. Candidates can express their interest in participating through their TEDCO portfolio manager or RBI² rep.
TEDCO has an open request for qualifications for executive coaches and roundtable facilitators. Interested consultants should contact reply@tedco.md.