Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh recently welcomed nine new companies to the county’s technology incubator, the Chesapeake Innovation Center (CIC), in Odenton. The companies were winners of the CIC’s recent scholarship competition, the Chesapeake Innovation Challenge. Funding for the competition was made possible with support from the Maryland Department of Commerce.

Schuh attended the CIC’s monthly Synergy Luncheon, which is an informal gathering for member companies. He highlighted steps taken by his administration to grow the number of businesses in the county. Schuh participated in a question and answer session with the entrepreneurs in attendance, where his prior experience as an investment banker gave him a unique perspective.

“The addition of this new round of companies will enhance entrepreneurial activities in the region,” said Michael Tentnowski, CIC executive director. “These companies will hire new employees, seek local capital and engage with professional service providers throughout the region.”

With the addition of these nine companies to the CIC’s current roster, the center now houses 16 businesses and continues its specialized incubation of companies developing information and network security solutions. Eight of the Innovation Challenge winners are cyber-related businesses, with a number of the entrepreneurs also having government agency experience.

Other innovations represented include point-to-point communications, health technologies and a project management platform. The Chesapeake Innovation Challenge winners include the following.

  • D&A Technical Services
    D&A Technical Services offers engineering and detailing services for fast-paced project completion.
  • Decisions Oriented
    Decisions Oriented is a provider of engineering and consulting services that enhances the decision-making experience. The company specializes in the implementation of advanced workflow technologies, DevOps best practices and decision discovery that result in improved organizational perspectives and risk management.
  • Dysrupts LLC
    Dysrupts connects people using mobile devices without relying on service providers. Its technology offers optimization (faster speeds) as an added value available through paid-for services.
  • Glacier Security
    A full-service provider of secure communication solutions for mobile and wired networks.  Glacier software offers confidence that related associations, communications, data, devices and intellectual property are secure and protected.
  • Greytek LLC
    Greytek provides unique counterintelligence, cyber and security services for classified government contracts, as well as Fortune 50 companies. The company uses holistic security assessments supporting insider threat programs, as well as consultation services supporting the security of government and industry travelers.
  • KT-Tech
    KT-Tech provides efficient, small/fast, symmetric software applications that combine patented compression and feature extraction algorithms. The technology offers the user secure quality audio/video/imagery in low-latency even from low-powered transmitters over highly congested (narrow-bandwidth) communication channels.
  • MEDEX Spot
    Serving as a convenient access point for primary health care provided by leading hospitals offering outpatient services, MEDEX Spot is a developer of private, continuously sanitized, unattended telehealth cabins that will be located in supermarkets, pharmacies, drugstore chains, big box stores and corporate office buildings.
  • Monos Labs
    Monos Labs offers computer and software engineering consulting, cybersecurity consulting and government solutions consulting.
  • Ops Tech Alliance
    OTA provides expert cybersecurity consulting, mission-focused training, specialized products to government and private industry clients, such as cyber and mobile communications security and digital threat assessment software, and personal electronic device hardening.

Innovation Challenge winners receive a scholarship up to $3,000 for membership in the CIC. Members participate in the CIC’s curriculum, which offers business development guidance, marketing and research assistance, networking opportunities with regional innovators and investors and use of the center’s new micro 3-D printer.

Member companies also get access to all of CIC’s events. In addition to the Synergy Luncheon, member can attend the Cyber C-Level Roundtable, a breakfast for member companies and executives of established companies openly discuss issues affecting the industry, and TechKNOW workshops, which are quarterly education sessions that focus on various facets of business operations.

Entrepreneurs also benefit from the CIC’s mentors and advisers program which connects member companies with seasoned technology industry leaders and experts in such matters as finance, legal, accounting, sales, marketing and technology assistance.