Madeleine Stokes

UpSurge Baltimore

UpSurge is a movement to propel Baltimore into the top tier of innovation cities. We've learned from the country's top innovation hubs–cities we admire–but we're Baltimore and we're redefining our startup culture around a new vision: Equitech. Equitech is about the people who participate in the knowledge economy, the investors who believe that diversity produces outsized returns, and the companies breaking down barriers or leveling access through technology. UpSurge is both an ecosystem movement and an investment engine, launching Techstars –a global platform for founders and innovation–in Baltimore. Long-term, our goal is to shift the trajectory of Baltimore with more knowledge-economy companies. More quality jobs. More pathways to prosperity for Baltimoreans. When we're successful, not only will entrepreneurs and investors around the world look at Baltimore as a launching pad, but more Baltimoreans, from across the city, will see the knowledge economy as a pathway for their upwardly mobile futures.