Finalists Announced in MICA's 3rd Annual UP/Start Venture Competition

Eight finalists have been selected from a pool of over 20 to vie for $100,000 in prizes in the Maryland Institute College of Art's third annual UP/Start Venture Competition.

The school's UP/Start Venture Competition, spearheaded by the Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Career Development, aims to provide capital and mentorship to help student ventures grow into sustainable businesses. The finalists were selected following a “pop up and pitch” event on Feb. 2. Seed awards totaling $100,000, supported by the Philip E. and Carol R. Ratcliffe Foundation, will be allocated to the finalists judged to be the most compelling at a finale event on April 4 at MICA.

Former Up/Start winners include Danae Inc., a startup that manufactures customized 3-D printed prosthetic limb covers for amputees, and Zee Bait Co., a bass fishing bait and lure manufacturer. Each took home $25,000 in funding last year.

The competition this year was open to MICA students in the class of 2018 and alumni from last year's graduating class. Finalists were selected by a panel of judges comprised of local business and investment leaders, including Brian Ellis, director of the Ratcliffe Foundation; Kohli Flick, owner of Becket Hitch; Ken Malone, principal at Early Charm Ventures; Alex Riehm, of Social Innovation Lab and Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures; and Angela Singleton, portfolio manager at Maryland Technology Development Co.

*MICA is a founding member of Maryland Philanthropy Network Project, Baltimore Integration Partnership (BIP). 

Click here to read the full article. 

Source: Baltimore Business Journal