May 11, 2026 – bwtech was filled with energy, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit as our Maryland NEW VENTURE™ Program celebrated the graduation of Cohort 6 at Pitch Night! The evening marked the culmination of months of hard work, mentorship, and growth for a talented group of founders representing some of Maryland’s most promising emerging ventures.
The event opened with welcoming remarks from UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby, whose inspiring message set the tone for an evening centered on innovation, collaboration, and community. Before the formal pitches began, guests had the opportunity to explore an interactive exhibit showcase, network with founders, and experience firsthand the groundbreaking technologies and ventures being developed across Maryland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
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Pitch Night Winners
Throughout the evening, cohort members delivered compelling pitches that demonstrated not only the strength of their ideas, but also the progress they achieved through the Maryland NEW VENTURE™ Program. While every founder impressed the audience and judges alike, several ventures earned top honors for their outstanding presentations and innovation.
🥇 1st Place: Pocket Cardio — Dong Li, UMBC Faculty
🥈 2nd Place: Think Happy. Live Happy. — Erica J., UBalt
🥉 3rd Place: iBraid — Velma Funebe, UMBC ’27
This year also introduced a new audience-selected recognition: the Visionary Winner Award. Attendees had the opportunity to vote for the venture they believed demonstrated exceptional creativity, vision, and impact. Congratulations to Velma Funebe, founder of iBraid, for earning this inaugural honor in addition to securing third place overall.
Congratulations Cohort 6!
In addition to the award winners, the program proudly recognizes all members of Cohort 6 for their dedication and entrepreneurial achievements:
- Esurgi, Inc. — Payam Kamjoo
- Pocket Cardio — Dong Li, UMBC Faculty
- Think Happy. Live Happy. — Erica Jeanine
- iBraid — Velma Funebe, UMBC ’27
- MicDots® Global™ — Donna Vincent Roa, PhD, ABC, CDPM®
- Vigil Vector — Courtney Williams
Each founder brought unique ideas, perspectives, and solutions to the program, contributing to an inspiring and collaborative cohort experience.
A Community Effort
Programs like Maryland NEW VENTURE™ thrive because of the strength of the surrounding innovation ecosystem. We extend our sincere gratitude to the many individuals and organizations who made this year’s program and Pitch Night possible.
Special thanks to:
- Our Mentors, who generously shared their time, expertise, and guidance with participating founders throughout the program.
- UMBC Odyssey Fellows, whose dedication and support helped entrepreneurs prepare for this important milestone.
- Expert Facilitators, who delivered impactful programming and essential entrepreneurial education reflected in each pitch presentation.
- Our Judges — Mike Adelstein, Krishna Gohel, and Srinivas Rao — all UMBC alumni and members of the bwtech Board of Trustees, for lending their insight and experience to evaluate the ventures.
- Our Sponsors, whose continued support helps create opportunities for Maryland’s next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs.
As Cohort 6 graduates from the Maryland NEW VENTURE™ Program, we look forward to watching these founders continue to grow their ventures and strengthen Maryland’s innovation economy.
Congratulations again to Cohort 6 — we cannot wait to see what comes next!
