BioBuzz CEO Chris Frew sat down with Smitha Gopal, COO of EcoMap Technologies, at the 2025 TEDCO Innovation Expo to discuss the company’s mission, its powerful new suite of products, and why connected ecosystems are the key to faster startup success.
What does it look like when a startup sets out to build the digital backbone of an entire innovation community? For EcoMap Technologies, a Baltimore-born company on a mission to digitize the infrastructure of entrepreneurial ecosystems, the answer is taking shape in real time, and it’s catching the attention of ecosystem builders across the country.
At the 2025 TEDCO Innovation Expo, BioBuzz CEO Chris Frew sat down with Smitha Gopal, EcoMap’s COO, to hear what’s driving the company forward– and what a suite of new product launches means for the future of startup support.
From Brain Trust to Digital Platform
Gopal shared EcoMap’s origin story: “EcoMap was founded by Pava LaPere when she was still a student at Johns Hopkins. She was the go-to brain for entrepreneurial resources, from pitch competitions to funding opportunities, she knew everything. She realized this while at university and wanted to make it accessible to everyone.”
EcoMap builds the digital infrastructure for ecosystems, making the invisible network of a startup community visible. It shows who the players are, what resources exist, where gaps lie, and how all the pieces connect.
A New Tool for Ecosystem Builders: EcoMap ERM
One of the updates Gopal shared at TEDCO Expo was the launch of EcoMap’s Ecosystem Relationship Management solution, or ERM. Gopal described it as “a CRM for the ecosystem,” designed to give all stakeholders–accelerators, investors, mentors, support organizations–a shared, collaborative view of what’s happening across the innovation community.
“Often, there is overlap with people talking to the same individuals, but gaps remain,” Gopal said. “The ERM connects those people, strengthens the ecosystem, and makes collaboration easier.”
The product is already making an impact. Jordana Barclay, Innovation Strategist at Business Oregon, described the ERM as a way to provide “our entrepreneurs [with] real-time, valuable information that helps them grow,” moving organizations away from relying on anecdotes and toward data that shows what’s working, where gaps exist, and how to strengthen support at every stage.
Research backs up the urgency: startups in well-connected ecosystems with strong information-sharing practices secure funding 65% faster than those in fragmented ecosystems, according to the Startup Genome Project.
Beyond Mapping: Ecosystem Intelligence
EcoMap is also expanding into what it calls Ecosystem Intelligence–a suite of data products that help ecosystem leaders move from activity tracking to real outcomes analysis. Tools like the Ecosystem Scorecard and the Nonprofit Intelligence Dashboard give decision-makers a dynamic, data-driven view of their region’s innovation health.
The Scorecard, modeled after EcoMap’s work with the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, transforms passive economic data into a repeatable benchmarking tool. The Nonprofit Intelligence Dashboard, meanwhile, digs into the financial health of the ESOs and nonprofits that form the backbone of most ecosystems.
Together, these tools are designed to answer the questions that keep ecosystem leaders up at night: Which initiatives are truly driving growth? Where are the gaps? How do we prove ROI to funders?
A Company Built on Purpose — and Carrying a Legacy
With its full suite of products, EcoMap provides the digital backbone to foster connection, reduce overlap, and strengthen support for every entrepreneur. Born from a visionary student’s passion and carried forward by a purpose-driven team in Baltimore, EcoMap is shaping the future of innovation infrastructure, built on data, collaboration, and a commitment to helping startups succeed.
If you want to see the latest in innovation ecosystems firsthand, register for the 2026 TEDCO Innovation Expo today.
