While not as flashy as New York or as much of a magnet for tech entrepreneurs as California, Maryland is a great place to start a business — a state where you can get your company off the ground with the right venture capital provider while keeping costs down. The state is often underrated but is growing consistently and is a great place to set up your base of operations.
There are several established VC providers ready to get your startup on a successful growth trajectory. Let's explore some of them.
We also recommend checking out our full list of the top venture capital firms.
Best Maryland VC Firms
1. ABS Capital Partners
- Location: Baltimore, MD
- Industries: Fintech, Healthcare, Consumer, Enterprise Software, Hard Tech
- Stage: Seed, Early Stage, Growth
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Alula, Apptopia, Beep, Fluxx
ABS Capital Partners' multi-generation leadership team continues to innovate and evolve as they provide capital, expertise, and hands-on mentorship to their portfolio of growing and established firms. ABS Capital combines entrepreneurial enthusiasm with three decades of scaling software and tech-enabled B2B companies.
Leadership teams looking for actively engaged investors that focus on mutual success and value creation should choose ABS Capital. ABS Capital offers operational best practices, data-driven business strategies, market acceleration, and extensive information science skills. Among private capital firms investing in emerging growth firms, their Research, Data, and Analytics team is unique.
2. Maryland TEDCO
- Location: Columbia, MD
- Industries: Technology, Life Sciences, Women-Led Businesses, Fintech
- Stage: Seed, Early Stage
- Notable Portfolio Companies: 3Dnamics, aBreak Music, Adaptive Phage Therapeutics
TEDCO helps startups reach important milestones faster. The resources TEDCO provides vary according to the company's phase and its future direction. The TEDCO team works with the startup company and other advisors to create an advisory package that supplements and enhances the assistance the entrepreneur is already receiving.
3. TDF Ventures
- Location: Chevy Chase, MD
- Industries: Enterprise Markets Within Infrastructure, Software, and Services (IaaS, SaaS, XaaS)
- Stage: Early Stage
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Punchh, BlackCloak, Aervivo, Rundeck
TDF Ventures invests in infrastructure, software, and services (IaaS, SaaS, XaaS) startups serving enterprise markets. They utilize a $200 million permanent pool of capital to invest in Fund V. TDF Ventures, in addition to their venture activity, believe that technology improves lives and supports development initiatives via TDF Foundation.
They have all worked as operating executives and know what it's like to manage a P&L and work with founders. They provide additional expertise and recruiting support across all areas of technology, architecture, and sales and marketing in addition to their personal networks.
4. New Enterprise Associates (NEA)
- Location: Timonium, MD
- Industries: Technology, Life Sciences, Fintech, Health
- Stage: All growth stages
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Databricks, Genies, Strive Health
Visionary entrepreneurs drive the development of technologies that power global innovation across NEA's portfolio. These businesses' industry leaders have joined forces with NEA as Venture Partners, bringing substantial sector expertise and extensive networks.
5. Lockheed Martin Ventures
- Location: Bethesda, MD
- Industries: Technology, Manufacturing, Life Sciences
- Stage: Early Stage
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Fortify, 3D Glass Solutions, ABL Space Systems
Lockheed Martin Ventures makes strategic investments in early-stage firms working on cutting-edge innovations in key areas of interest and new markets blazing a trail. In addition to the company's $200 million evergreen fund, which has invested in 35 firms around the world since its inception in 2007, the company also has a $100 million early-stage fund.
Lockheed Martin is committed to delivering the speed, agility, and insights their customers require in order to stay ahead of rapidly changing dangers across their business. In order to support their customers' national security missions, Lockheed Martin will accelerate 21st-century security capabilities. We are pushing for disruptive innovation in our processes, technologies, and tools to drive faster deliveries, quicker responses, and data-driven insights for our customers.
6. JMI Equity
- Location: Baltimore, MD
- Industries: Real Estate, Education, Energy, Technology, Health
- Stage: All Stages
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Acknowledge, Alert Media, Bloomerang
JMI has raised over $7.5 billion since its founding in 1992 and is ready to assist companies in becoming industry leaders in terms of capital invested, strategic advice, team building, and value creation strategies. They have supported excellent software businesses through capital investments, strategic advice, and team building, as well as capital investments, throughout several economic and technological phases. They help companies with solid market and product fundamentals create significant shareholder value.
