Baltimore’s innovation economy doesn’t move in a straight line. Every year, we see breakthroughs and bottlenecks, big exits and persistent gaps, founders who landed the big win while others keep fighting for the resources to get there. UpSurge Baltimore takes a clear-eyed look at this state of affairs every year — and, through all the change, find plenty to celebrate.
Join us on May 19 for UpSurge Momentum, our latest annual event at which we’ll highlight findings from the 2026 Greater Baltimore Ecosystem Report. Coming on the heels of the Greater Baltimore Committee’s State of the Region and Investment Summit events, this convening will offer our most comprehensive look yet at the investment trends, startup growth, workforce dynamics, and structural challenges shaping the region’s innovation future.
But data alone doesn’t move a region forward. Partnerships play an outsized role.
That thread runs through this year’s report — and it’s why we’ve partnered up with Flywheel, the Locust Point-based marketing technology company whose trajectory tells you something important about what’s possible here. Acquired by communications giant Omnicom in 2023 for $835 million and working with major brands like Under Armour and McCormick, Flywheel has built the kind of institutional relationships that turn promising startups into enduring companies. They’ll lead a hands-on workshop on leveraging AI to grow your business, and join a conversation about what strategic partnership has done for them — and what it can unlock for you.
We’ll do all of this inside the Fearless Club at CFG Bank Arena — the premium lounge named for one of Baltimore’s tentpole startups, inside another success story for downtown Baltimore’s commercial health.
