The Monthly Blend

Checking back with the startup ecosystem in Baltimore to hear how the region has grown and is hotter than ever! Join The Monthly Blend to speak to veteran Baltimore founders, funders, and connectors – Jeff Cherry, Christopher College, Andrea Pais, and Sherrod Davis - to hear how Baltimore is joining the DMV as a startup stronghold.

Join The Monthly Blend as they kick off 2024 with an episode focusing on female founders in the DMV. Cohosts Anthony Millin and Tien Wong have the pleasure of discussing the progress made for female entrepreneurs with Springboard Enterprises CEO Natalie Buford-Young, Citrine Angels Cofounder Lisa Friedlander, Sky Squad founder Julie Melnick and Veza Innovations Founder Karen Maschi. But why are we still at 2% everyone asks? Why does less than 2% of all venture capital dollars go to female founders and why has this number not changed in decades?

Join The Monthly Blend cohosts Anthony Millin and Tien Wong as they discuss 2023 the year in review. Anthony and Tien look at the fundraising market and pace of this past year, valuations, growth in the DMV region, bold initiatives, the value of what NEXT, NEXT RAISE and Connectpreneur bring to our ecosystem, and what to expect for 2024.

DC Startup Week 2023 will kick off on Monday, October 16th and lots of exciting programs, speakers and networking happy hours are in store. Listen in as Rachel Koretsky, Founder DCSW/CEO Upace, Seema Alexander, Co-Chair DCSW/Founder Disruptive CEO Advisory, and DMV rock star entrepreneur Mariam Nusrat, CEO Grid/Breshna tell The Monthly Blend all the great things, and a few surprises, that await attendees. Sign up Now https://www.dcstartupweek.org/

The DMV is climbing the ranks as a top entrepreneurial ecosystem! Listen in to what 3 rock star entrepreneurs have experienced in their journey as Xiaonao Liu, PhD, CEO of Nanobiofab, Denise G. Tayloe, CEO of PRIVO, and Otha Smith III, CEO of Tetragram talk to The Monthly Blend. Co-hosts Anthony Millin and Tien Wong dig into how our region has changed, what is the current funding landscape, and how our community continues to grow.

Listen now to this critical and informative discussion of how AI is already impacting our world, with a particular focus on the healthcare industry. Join co-hosts Anthony Millin and Tien Wong as they speak to Dr. Moira Schieke, Founder of Cubismi, a new decision-based AI technology revolutionizing healthcare, and global AI expert, ex-Microsoft leader and author, Tom Lawry. This is an episode not to be missed.

What do you know about SBIR funding? Is it right for your startup? No better place to learn the basics as well as the ins and outs of SBIR grants than with our two experts in this month’s The Monthly Blend. Listen in when Dr. Diane Hickey, SBIR Consultant & Founder, Diamond Chameleon Group, and Commander Christopher Steele PhD, US Navy Physiologist, talk to co-hosts Anthony Millin and Tien Wong about the SBIR process inside and outside the federal government and how it can accelerate your startup into full growth mode.

Founder of DCA Live, one of the DMV’s top ecosystem builders, Doug Anderson brings along 3 of this year’s 2023 Red Hot Entrepreneurs – Shavini Fernando (OxiWear), Laura Randa (Toivoa) and Vishal Chintawar (Givhero) – to join The Monthly Blend co-hosts Anthony Millin and Tien Wong for this new episode. Listen in and hear the incredible stories of these “red hot” startups as well as Doug’s own history of supporting and building the tech community in our region.

The Monthly Blend co-hosts Anthony Millin and Tien Wong had the exciting opportunity to sit down with George Thomas, Chief Innovation Officer at Connected DMV, Jim Cook, Former VP, Strategic Engagement and Partnerships at MITRE Corporation, John ‘Jay’ Lowell, Principal Senior Technical Fellow, Disruptive Computing & Networks at Boeing and Kaniah Konkoly-Thege, Chief Legal Officer at Quantiniuum to understand how cross-sector quantum innovation is occurring in our ecosystem. How are we accelerating opportunities and competition for quantum and what are the perspectives from the industry and current research?

Back in 2021, The Monthly Blend talked to DMV Accelerators who play an integral role in our startup ecosystem. We are back in 2023 with an update from Halcyon, Conscious Venture Labs and Techstars. What’s the latest and what’s to come and how do they work hand in hand with founders and funders to nurture and de-risk startups. Check out their insights and efforts with Anthony and Tien!

Techstars is playing big in the DMV with 2 programs in Washington, DC and 1 in Baltimore. Partnering with JP Morgan and Upsurge, Techstars is bringing its secret sauce to our region enabling startups to launch, grow and scale with precision and success – creating “dragons” and unicorns.

Seth Goldman is a DMV legend as a prolific, serial entrepreneur, social impact leader and industry pioneer. Seth has literally put his money where his mouth is in everything he does and tells The Monthly Blend he is just getting started.

The Quantum World Congress, coming to DC on Nov 29th through Dec 1st, is the first-ever gathering of its kind. QWC will connect the world’s quantum ecosystem, including the brightest researchers, innovators, technology developers, legislators, and industry experts. Its mission is to accelerate the value of the growing quantum industry. The Monthly Blend welcomes the organizers of QWC Connected DMV Leaders George Thomas, Sarah Bauder, and Matt Erskine.

September 12^th – 16^th is DC Startup Week this year and it is back in person! Our region’s premier event for entrepreneurs and investors provides a full week of 100+ events and 250+ speakers. Cohosts of The Monthly Blend, Anthony Millin and Tien Wong, sit down with DCSW Founders and Organizers to learn what’s in store for this year!

Networking for growth is an integral part of any successful business and there are hundreds of organizations that exist to assist. The Monthly Blend cohosts Anthony Millin and Tien Wong discuss two of our region’s top networking groups - Cadre and Association for Enterprise Growth - with their respective founders Derek Coburn and Mark Haas. 

Join The Monthly Blend for a critical discussion of the state of small business in the DMV region, specifically MD and DC. Hosts Anthony Millin and Tien Wong sat down with Carl Brown, Executive Director of DC Small Business Development Center (SBDC), and Jennifer Smith Funn, Regional Director Baltimore City/County SBDC to learn how these crucial organizations are changing the landscape of small business in our region.

Listen in when two pillars of the DMV tech media community – Sara Gilgore, Reporter at the Washington Business Journal and Editor of DC Inno, and Christopher Wink, Founder and CEO of Technical.ly – speak to The Monthly Blend about how they see our region’s strengths and weaknesses, what stories are important to the growth of our ecosystem, and what the future holds for the DMV region.

Jeff Grass, a DMV native and serial entrepreneur and now Founder/CEO of Hungry, speaks with The Monthly Blend for our May episode. Jeff, Tien and Anthony discuss Hungry, the marketplace that connects businesses to top area chefs for all their catering needs, the impact of the pandemic on Hungry and how he pivoted successfully and what keeps him up at night.