| Charting Maryland's path through an evolving AI landscape. |
| |
|
In this issue
|
► Opening Message from Francesca Ioffreda, Chief Innovation Officer |
|
► Tool Spotlight: Maryland Community Business Compass Enhanced Funding Database |
|
► Partnership Spotlight: Claude Small and Medium Business Workshop |
|
► Project Impact: Maryland Community Investment Venture Fund |
|
► Maryland on the National Stage |
|
► Meet Our Summer Team |
|
| |
You are receiving this newsletter as a key partner or collaborator of the Maryland State Innovation Team. Over the past year, many of you have shared that you'd like a way to stay connected to our work, and we're excited to make that happen with these quarterly updates.
If you'd prefer not to receive future issues, you can unsubscribe at the bottom of this newsletter.
|
|
|
Opening Message
| |
"Charting Maryland's path through an evolving AI landscape." |
This summer, the Innovation Team welcomed a group of interns and fellows — and with them, a fresh round of the question we hear everywhere across Maryland right now: how will artificial intelligence change the way people work, learn, and build their futures here?
It’s one of the most consequential questions facing our state, and Governor Moore has been clear that Maryland meets it proactively, and with hope. AI will reshape our economy, and we will help shape that change rather than wait for it. Last month, we were proud to join RAISE US as an inaugural partner state — a national effort to build the infrastructure our workers, employers, and educators need to navigate what’s ahead. It’s ambitious, cross-sector work, and exactly what this team was built for.
We’re also proud to work with partners like Anthropic to put practical AI skills directly into the hands of Maryland’s businesses — recently bringing more than 70 small and medium businesses together in Baltimore to do exactly that. And all of this work starts with listening: we’re inviting small business owners to complete the Maryland Business AI Benchmark, a statewide study of how businesses are adopting AI that will directly inform future initiatives and state supports. We hope that you’ll share it widely in your network.
Our recent features and partnerships on the national stage have affirmed that Maryland sits at the forefront of state innovation. But as proud as we are of that recognition, it’s the work here at home — with our residents, our businesses, and our partners — that matters most. Reach out anytime you see a way for us to do more, together.
|
 |
Francesca Ioffreda
Chief Innovation Officer, State of Maryland
|
|
|
Tool Spotlight
Maryland Community Business Compass: Enhanced Funding Database
|
|
|
|
We’re proud to announce a major upgrade to the Maryland Community Business Compass — a 10x expansion of the platform’s funding database, from 250 resources to nearly 2,500, built in partnership with Anthropic. We designed the Compass to support entrepreneurs in starting and expanding essential service businesses, starting with fresh food and child care. The platform’s funding database was a critical component in ensuring entrepreneurs had access to the capital needed to meet community demand, especially in areas of higher need.
In building the Compass, we recognized that all Marylanders — not just entrepreneurs — should have easy access to the range of resources available to them. If the opportunities exist, we can build clearer paths to them.
The platform now uses agentic AI to read more than 72,000 pages across over 100 sources, consolidating programs into a single, searchable database. This expanded database broadens the range of available resources to include financial and technical support — training, rebates, and tax credits — from both public and private sector sources.
Whether you’re a small business owner, a non-profit leader, a parent, or a student, there’s something here for you.
|
|
Partnership Spotlight
Claude Small and Medium Business Workshop
|
|
|
|
In June, 70+ small and medium businesses gathered in Baltimore to explore how AI can transform their businesses. The event — hosted by the Maryland State Innovation Team and Anthropic, in partnership with the Greater Baltimore Committee and Tenex — gave owners practical footing with AI: how to fold it into everyday workflows, how to check its output, and how to learn from peers doing the same. A fluency session opened the day, grounding entrepreneurs in what today’s AI can and can’t do; a hands-on session then walked them through using Claude on real business tasks they could take back to work with them.
|
|
Project Impact
Maryland Community Investment Venture Fund
|
|
|
|
In May, the Innovation Team was proud to host the Expanding Horizons: Access to Capital Forum, alongside the Maryland Department of Labor’s Office of Financial Regulation, to celebrate the launch of the first two fintech-institution partnerships funded through the Maryland Community Investment Venture (MCIV) Fund. The inaugural grant awards were presented to First United Bank & Trust (Oakland, MD), in partnership with Abrigo, Inc., and Har-Co Credit Union (Bel Air, MD), in partnership with LoanStar Technologies, Inc.
As we celebrate these first partnerships, the Fund is entering its next chapter: under the newly effective upgrade to the Access to Banking Act, its reach now extends beyond small-business owners to consumers in low- and moderate-income communities.
If your institution wasn’t part of the inaugural cohort, the MCIV Fund opens its next application window this fall, offering new consumer-focused grant opportunities alongside the continued availability of small-business grants.
And if you’re a fintech or financial-inclusion innovator building solutions for low- to moderate-income communities, we’d love to connect.
For more information on eligibility, the application process, and how to get involved, reach out at mciv.fund@maryland.gov. We look forward to building on the momentum of our first year together.
|
|
National Spotlight
Maryland on the National Stage
We were proud to feature the work we’re driving at the following national forums:
| |
Code for America Summit: The team showcased the Maryland Community Business Compass to civic-technology leaders from across the country through a lightning talk and hands-on Demo Lab.
|
| |
Aspen Ideas Festival: Francesca was a featured speaker at a standing-room-only roundtable on the ownership gap, alongside the CEOs of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Gary Community Ventures, moderated by the Aspen Institute’s Financial Security Program.
|
| |
Rockefeller Foundation: At the FRIDAI convening (Foundations for Research and Innovation in Data and Artificial Intelligence) in New York City, the team demonstrated the Compass to more than 60 leaders from national philanthropies, sharing how Maryland uses AI to map and address neighborhood service deserts.
|
|
|
In the News
Recent Coverage
|
POLITICO
Maryland to Tackle AI Workforce Disruptions with RAISE US
Maryland is featured as one of four states partnering with RAISE US, a national non-profit building capacity for states, employers, workers, and educators to navigate workforce disruptions presented by artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. The article highlights the vision of former commerce secretary and RAISE US CEO Gina Raimondo to build the infrastructure for the United States to manage widespread technological change.
Read the article →
|
|
Chief Influencer Podcast
CIO Francesca Ioffreda on the Need for Collaboration in Innovation
Chief Innovation Officer Francesca Ioffreda joined Maryland State Delegate Lesley Lopez on an episode of Chief Influencer to discuss how solving a state’s most complex challenges — like child poverty or barriers to economic mobility — requires a commitment to cross-agency and cross-sector partnerships. In the episode, they discuss how this focus on collaboration has been critical to advancing the team’s most ambitious projects.
Listen to the episode →
|
|
|
Get Involved
Partner With Us: Current Projects
We don't build for Marylanders; we build with them. Here's how you can get involved with our active projects right now:
|
Complete the Maryland Business AI Benchmark
Is your business using artificial intelligence? The Innovation Team is conducting a statewide study to better understand how Maryland businesses are approaching AI adoption. Input from businesses will inform future state programs, workforce initiatives, business support services, and policy decisions designed to help Maryland businesses navigate an evolving economy.
|
| |
Participate in an AI-focused Interview
Beyond the survey, we're gathering firsthand perspectives on how Marylanders are experiencing AI — at work and in their businesses. If you'd like to share your experience and help shape how the state responds, please fill out our co-design form and we will reach out to schedule time to connect with you.
AI Co-Design Interest Form →
|
| |
Help Us Improve V1 of the Maryland Community Business Compass!
Are you a child care or fresh food provider working to grow your business? We launched the Maryland Community Business Compass to help Maryland entrepreneurs understand demand for services across the state, find state and local financial incentives, and connect with experts. Now, your hands-on feedback will shape the platform's continued development.
Complete our 3-minute survey →
|
| |
Help Shape the Future of Community Development in Maryland: Test Compass V2
Are you a local developer or community development corporation (CDC) working to revitalize your neighborhood? This fall, we're launching Compass V2 — a platform designed to help community builders select sites, navigate the funding maze, and get high-impact projects built. We invite you to share your perspectives. Join our early testing group for an exclusive first look, and help us refine tools designed to unlock community-driven development at scale. Email us at compass@maryland.gov to join the testing team!
|
| |
Child Care Workforce Co-Design
We are conducting research on ways to support the financial stability and security of early childhood educators. If you are an early childhood educator or child care business owner, we want to hear from you.
Take our 2-minute interest survey →
|
|
|
Meet Our Summer Team
Welcome, Interns & Fellows
We're thrilled to welcome a talented group of students and fellows joining us for the summer. Their energy and expertise are already strengthening our work across the portfolio:
| Anoushka Lal |
| Jakub Dovcik |
| Eamon Burke |
| Jacob Wojnas |
Please join us in giving them a warm welcome to Maryland.
|
|
Stay Connected
How to Reach Us
We share new launches and interim updates regularly on our social channels. Join the conversation and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Want to share a partner success story, an upcoming event, or a useful tool with the team? To submit a brief write-up for consideration in the next newsletter, simply connect with us by replying directly to this email!
|
| |
|
