At the TEDCO Entrepreneur Expo in downtown Baltimore, Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks sat down with Dr. Arti Santhanam, the Executive Director of Emerging Technology Centers (ETC) Baltimore.
Dr. Santhanam, originally a scientist by training, is now steering the ETC, a 25-year-old incubator focused on making Baltimore a leader in tech and biotech entrepreneurship through a diverse and inclusive ecosystem. The ETC has supported over 700 startups and, after a brief hiatus during COVID-19, has relaunched as a virtual incubator. The organization is focused on connecting entrepreneurs with talent, capital, and resources necessary for growth and scaling innovations, with an emphasis on aiding underrepresented founders and contributing to Baltimore’s designation as a federal tech hub in biotech.
Dr. Santhanam expressed enthusiasm for the role because of Baltimore’s vibrant entrepreneurial energy and Equatech vision. She highlighted the ETC’s partnership with TEDCO, which provides early-stage funding, to identify promising companies for growth and scaling. Dr. Santhanam is driven by a desire to help startups achieve their potential, particularly in life sciences, and aims to build the infrastructure for mid-stage companies. The collaboration amongst the city’s entrepreneur support organizations fosters a competitive yet healthy ecosystem, contributing to a rising tide for all within Baltimore’s entrepreneurial landscape.
About the TEDCO Expo
The TEDCO Expo is a premier event in Maryland showcasing various resources from across the State and is jam-packed full of workshops, roundtable discussions, exhibiting companies and pitches, opening up great opportunities for entrepreneurs to network, learn, and be inspired. Learn more at: https://www.tedcomd.com/tedcos-2024-entrepreneur-expo.
Watch the full interview or dig in with the transcript below.
Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:00:04]:
Welcome to TEDCO’s Entrepreneur Expo in downtown Baltimore where the region’s top business owners, innovators and investors have gathered to network, grow and celebrate the vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in Maryland. I’m Chris Frew with BioBuzz Networks and I’m honored today to be with Dr. Arti Santanam, executive Director of Emerging Technology Centers in Baltimore. Arti, welcome.
Dr. Arti Santhanam, Executive Director, ETC Baltimore [00:00:27]:
Thank you. I’m happy to be here.
Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:00:28]:
I’m happy to have you here. Could you tell us a little bit more about your background and. Well, tell us about ETC.
Dr. Arti Santhanam, Executive Director, ETC Baltimore [00:00:34]:
So my background is I’m a scientist by training and very soon realized that as good as I was at science, I was really good at taking the science and bringing it to the Marketplace. So about 10 years ago I started my career bit TEDCO actually. So TEDCO is home and ran the Maryland Innovation Initiative and more recently transitioned to run the Emerging Technology Center. And Emerging Technology Centers is an old is a 25 year old brand for the city of Baltimore. Our mission is to make Baltimore the world leader in tech and biotech entrepreneurship by supporting diverse and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:01:28]:
A 25 year old incubator like that is a great. You’re standing on the shoulder of giants. Almost coming into that, I am. I’d love to hear more about what your programs are and what your initiatives are at the ETC right now.
Dr. Arti Santhanam, Executive Director, ETC Baltimore [00:01:43]:
So you’re right. So ETC supported over 700 startups in its history and over Covid we shut down the actual physical space that was the ETC incubator. So now we have, after that short hiatus we have relaunched ETC as more of a virtual incubator that is supporting all technology sectors and all startups across the city of Baltimore. And the way we are doing it is in multiple different phases, but really looking to see how we can connect our entrepreneurs with talent, capital and resources that will help them grow and scale those innovations. So as you know, TEDCO does a lot of investments in the very early stage and where ETC would love to come in now as the next phase of ETC is to look at those companies, those startups, and help them scale and exit. Because we need more exits as our positive, happy stories as well as part of the entrepreneurship cycle.
Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:03:00]:
Why was this opportunity at ETC? Because it’s a more recent opportunity for you. Why was this something that really got you excited and where do you see the impact that you can make?
Dr. Arti Santhanam, Executive Director, ETC Baltimore [00:03:11]:
Multiple different reasons. One being that you can feel the energy in Baltimore City. Right. So there’s a lot of energy in Baltimore when it comes to entrepreneurship. Baltimore also redefined itself as the Equatech city where we are going to do everything entrepreneurial with a lens of Equitech. So we are looking at how do we help underrepresented founders and how do we help women founders and founders of color. And that is something obviously very near and dear to me. But the other thing was Baltimore was declared as the federal tech hub, specifically in biotech.
Dr. Arti Santhanam, Executive Director, ETC Baltimore [00:03:52]:
And that is my wheelhouse. I am a scientist by training in life sciences and one of the things that I get an opportunity to do through the ETC is actually roll up my sleeves and work with companies that I know have so much potential. We have all of the innovation and there’s so much potential in these companies and I really want to help them grow and scale and really achieve their potential rather than really struggle. So we have created an infrastructure for a very early stage, but we don’t have the infrastructure created for mid stage companies, especially in life sciences and ETC gives me the opportunity to create that for these startup.
Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:04:33]:
And how has ETC and how are you as you move forward partnered with TEDCO and worked with TEDCO for your mission?
Dr. Arti Santhanam, Executive Director, ETC Baltimore [00:04:43]:
So like I said, TEDCO is our pipeline. So TEDCO touches almost everybody in the state. But a lot of the innovations come from this small little city here. Right. Because there are so many of the research institutions are in Baltimore. We have the University of Maryland system as well as Hopkins that are churning out a lot of innovations, many of which I kind of had a hand in when I was working at TEDCO. So I’ve seen those companies come through. So TEDCO really is the innovation engine and it is providing all of those, the startups with the very early pre seed and seed money.
Dr. Arti Santhanam, Executive Director, ETC Baltimore [00:05:21]:
So we are working very closely with TEDCO on working on identifying the promising companies that we would want to work on growing and scaling and how do we collaborate on that. So we are collaborating on almost all levels including funding. But looking at where do we provide the support, who is, who has the most need and how do we attract companies as well as investments into the city of Baltimore.
Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:05:47]:
I agree with you when you said that Baltimore is kind of redefined and you mentioned Equitech, you also mentioned the tech hubs. It’s been a lot of really amazing momentum that’s been happening.
Dr. Arti Santhanam, Executive Director, ETC Baltimore [00:06:00]:
You can feel the energy in the air. Yeah, if not now, then when? Right? So when do we get to actually sit down? And you know, it’s really, for me it’s play. It’s so much fun to actually roll up my sleeves and work with companies and ideas and technologies that I can actually impact because of my background. I can actually work with them and work really well with them and help them grow. So I really am excited to work on that.
Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:06:27]:
Well, you and I have known each other a long time. You’ve had a tremendous amount of impact on everything you did while you were with TEDCO through the mi. And it’s almost like this at the Etc. You’re going to probably get to work with some of those companies and it’s almost like the next phase of.
Dr. Arti Santhanam, Executive Director, ETC Baltimore [00:06:44]:
Exactly, yeah. So I get to see them. I want to see them. Actually. It’s all selfish, really. I want to see them in the next phase. And how can I help them go there? Because I have seen research at the research bench. I’ve seen research move into a venture creation, which is what I did at TEDCO.
Dr. Arti Santhanam, Executive Director, ETC Baltimore [00:07:02]:
And now I want to see venture growth. And how do I do that? And it’s just, it’s a challenge obviously, for Baltimore City. It’s a challenge of capital and talent and how do we approach that? So we are obviously working with BioBuzz as well as TEDCO on looking at the innovation and the workforce development aspects of it. But also how do we impact, how do we then message that to the people in Baltimore? How does that affect them? So that’s also something that’s a. That’s built into the mission of Etc. And so that’s very attractive as well.
Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:07:41]:
Yeah. The Baltimore Focus could you describe. You mentioned it’s all selfish, but I want to say that I think that is true, but I think it speaks to something more about Baltimore that there’s a selfish nature of helping. I don’t know if that makes sense, but there’s a culture here where people want. And we’ve heard that from several people we’ve interviewed today. People want to help the other person. Does that feel like we actually, it’s.
Dr. Arti Santhanam, Executive Director, ETC Baltimore [00:08:14]:
Almost like we are competitive on that. Right. So we compete on who does more for the entrepreneur, which group is doing more for the entrepreneur and how are you going to do it? Right. So it’s a fun culture to be around. It gets very competitive when we are working with all of our entrepreneurs, not for the entrepreneurs, but for our. The entrepreneur support organizations. We are all working. We’re all essentially rowing in the same direction, but we are using different oars, if that makes any sense.
Dr. Arti Santhanam, Executive Director, ETC Baltimore [00:08:44]:
And so we’re like, oh, mine is better. We can get there faster. And it all speaks to a very healthy ecosystem. There should be competition, there should be more of that. And I think, especially in life sciences, I feel like there’s less. I’m hoping that I can attract more of that competition to come through as well, because that’s something that we can really. I think I always say that life sciences is a core competency for Baltimore City. It may not be for the entire state of Maryland, where cyber plays a bigger role as well, but for the city of Baltimore, I think there is a core competency of life sciences that we can really leverage.
Dr. Arti Santhanam, Executive Director, ETC Baltimore [00:09:25]:
And that’s something that I really want to explore, if that makes any sense.
Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:09:30]:
Absolutely, absolutely. And while we’re all rowing with different oars, the tide is rising for everyone because of the waves that we’re creating.
Dr. Arti Santhanam, Executive Director, ETC Baltimore [00:09:37]:
Yes, that’s true. Hey, that’s good.
Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:09:41]:
Well, as always, it’s wonderful to talk to you. Very excited to see everything you’re doing at the Etc right now and the continuation of all the work that you’ve done for Baltimore. The energy is all around the city right now and a big part of it’s going to be coming out of the work you’re doing. So definitely more to come out.
Dr. Arti Santhanam, Executive Director, ETC Baltimore [00:10:00]:
The work we are doing, the work we are going to do is all of us together.
Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:10:05]:
That is, and this is today at the Expo is a good example that you have here today. A thousand people who are all really trying to start companies or support companies.
Dr. Arti Santhanam, Executive Director, ETC Baltimore [00:10:13]:
It’s been buzzing. It’s really good.
Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:10:15]:
It’s good indeed. I like that. Well, Arti, thank you so much for being here today. My name is Chris Frew with BioBuzz Networks. We’re here today at the TEDCO Expo. Thank.
