The Baltimore Development Corp. has hired the leader of a major Maryland venture fund to restart itstechnology development program.
Arti Santhanam, currently the executive director of the Maryland Technology Development Corp.'s (TEDCO) Maryland Innovation Initiative, will now be charged with bringing the Emerging Technology Centers back to life as its executive director starting February 1. The BDC shut down the ETC in 2023, putting an end to one of the largest incubators in the Baltimore region after the declining office market from the pandemic caused rental income at its popular coworking space to plummet. Santhanam wants to focus on helping later-stage companies in Baltimore attract funding and push for growth, compared to the ETC's previous focus on early stage startups.