Fundraising Fox
University System of Maryland Momentum Fund
Venture capitalBaltimore · Seed–Series A · 19 people tracked
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Investment thesis
The Maryland Momentum Fund backs early-stage technology ventures affiliated with the University System of Maryland, investing in the system's people and its most promising startups. It participates in seed financing rounds alongside other investors and maintains a portfolio spanning healthcare, life sciences, sensors, energy, robotics, and enterprise software. The fund also runs a USM Venture Fellows program and offers additional support and guidance for founders, including underrepresented entrepreneurs, guiding them through defined steps for funding.
Source: firm website, verified Sep 27, 2026.
Team · 19 people
from the firm's website
What they invest in
from 31 of 44 portfolio companiesHardware ×7AI & Machine Learning ×6Cleantech ×6Deep Tech ×6Healthtech ×6Biotech ×5Energy ×5Enterprise Software ×5
HQs:United States×27Canada×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 16 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×82 founders×53 founders×24+ founders×1
Where their founders studiedfrom 19 founders with education data
University of Maryland ×5Vanderbilt University ×2
What their founders studiedfrom 19 founders with field-of-study data
Engineering ×7Life Sciences ×3Physics ×3Business & Management ×2Economics ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 20 founders with career history
90 NORTH ×2University of Maryland ×2
9 founders hold a PhD · 3 hold an MBA (of 22 with degree data)
Investments · 44 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 12025 · 22022 · 22021 · 12019 · 12018 · 12016 · 19 dated
Company that the Momentum Fund joined in a seed financing round alongside Blackbird Labs and Chesapeake Bay Seed Capital Fund.
AquaLith manufactures next-generation batteries and battery materials, developing new material chemistries that increase energy density and reduce charging time for consumer electronics and electric vehicles.
CleantechEnergyNew MaterialsCollege Park, US
Gregory Cooper(Founder & CEO)in
Co-investorsMaryland TEDCOTEDCO
Blackbird Laboratories is a nonprofit life sciences incubator that translates university research breakthroughs into venture-ready biotech companies focused on developing new medicines and enabling technologies.
BiotechDeep TechBaltimore, US
Ben Leventhal(Executive Officer, Director)inMatt Tremblay, PhD(Chief Executive Officer)inEddie Cherok, PhD(Chief Business Officer)in
BoardFred Wilson(Director)inMo Koyfman(Director)inMarguerite Mariscal(Director)
Co-investorsUnion Square Ventures (USV)Amex VenturesAndreessen HorowitzBrooks ReitzCircle VenturesCoinbase Ventures+6 more
Causify offers a causal AI platform that maps cause-effect relationships across operational data from ERP, IoT, and other systems, letting teams simulate interventions and receive ranked, actionable recommendations.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise Software
Co-investorsAngel Operator Partners (aop)
The Maryland Energy Innovation Accelerator (MEIA) is a statewide initiative that supports clean energy and climate technology entrepreneurs from early-stage development through commercialization and investment readiness.
CleantechClimate TechImpact & Social GoodCollege Park, US
Ben Margolis(Director)in
CoapTech makes the PUMA-G System, an FDA-cleared ultrasound-based device for bedside feeding tube (gastrostomy) placement, used in ICUs, step-down units, IR suites, and long-term acute care hospitals.
BiotechHardwareHealthtechMedical DevicesBaltimore, US
Steven Tropello(Executive Officer, Director)inHoward Carolan(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardJohn Osborne(Director)inPeter Boyd(Director)William Walker(Director)Tim Collins(Director)
Co-investorsGood Growth CapitalHunniwell Lake Ventures LLC
Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) is a global startup program for seed-stage, science-based companies that pairs founders with experienced entrepreneurs, angel investors, economists, and scientists through an objectives-based mentoring process.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechEdTechSector AgnosticToronto, CA
Ajay Agrawal(Professor (founder of the CDL program))inSonia Sennik(Chief Executive Officer)in
Co-investorsBeyond Earth VenturesHEC Paris IncubatorScale AI
Datakwip connects building data sources — building automation systems, meters, sensors, and weather feeds — and deploys AI agents that identify energy savings, detect equipment faults, and generate reports without manual configuration.
AI & Machine LearningEnergyPropTechFrederick, US
Cory Perdue(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsMaryland TEDCOTEDCOGreenGen Ventures
The University of Maryland is a public land-grant research institution that provides teaching, research, and service to advance knowledge in areas of importance to the state, nation, and world.
EdTechCollege Park, US
Co-investorsWork-Bench
District Angels is a volunteer-led angel investing community in the Washington, D.C. capital region that facilitates startup investments through pooled SPVs, with AI-assisted diligence tools and a focus on dual-use & defense, cyber, biotech, health tech, climate, and fintech sectors.
FintechWashington, US
Givhero provides a mobile-first platform that enables HR teams to manage employee wellness programs while connecting them to charitable causes and fundraising.
HR TechSaaSWellness & FitnessGaithersburg, US
Vishal Chintawar(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsMaryland TEDCOTEDCOConscious Venture Lab
HighT-Tech develops advanced battery membranes and components using ultra-high strength (UHS) technology to improve performance, safety, and lifespan in battery applications.
Advanced ManufacturingCleantechDeep TechEnergyHardwareNew MaterialsCollege Park, US
Robert Gatte(Executive Officer, Director)Chao Wang(Co-Founder)Yunhui Gong(Director)Liangbing Hu(Co-Founder)in
BoardEdmund Gaffney(Director)
Impruvon provides medication management software with smart reminders, alerts, and guided administration workflows for healthcare settings.
Digital HealthEnterprise SoftwareHealthtech
Justin Amoyal(Founder)in
Co-investorsMaryland TEDCOTCP Venture CapitalTEDCO
InferCabulary is a visual vocabulary instruction and intervention tool for grades 3-12 that teaches Tier 2 academic words through real-world images and semantic-reasoning tasks rather than memorized word lists.
AI & Machine LearningEdTech
Co-investorsMaryland TEDCOTEDCOBonsal Capital
KaloCyte develops ErythroMer, a dried, shelf-stable artificial red blood cell for use in emergency and trauma care when stored blood is unavailable or in short supply.
BiotechDeep TechHealthtechMedical DevicesBaltimore, US
Allan Doctor(Co-Founder & CSO)inDipanjan Pan(Co-Founder, Chief Technical Officer)inPhilip Spinella(Co-Founder, Chief Medical Officer)inDaniel Getman(Director)Gregory Lanza(Director)
Co-investorsBioAdvanceBioGenerator VenturesDelaware Crossing Investor GroupMaryland TEDCONYBC VenturesOld Line Capital Partners+1 more
Liatris develops high-performance insulation materials to reduce heating and cooling costs in buildings.
CleantechConstruction TechEnergyNew MaterialsRockville, US
Frank Yang(Co-Founder / President & CEO)inArthur Yang(Co-Founder / Chief Technology Officer)
Co-investorsOld Line Capital PartnersPropel(X)
A maker of wood stoves designed for home heating, offering the Nova Series in multiple styles and sizes for whole-home or single-room use.
CleantechHardwareHyattsville, US
Ryan Fisher(Executive Officer, Director)inTaylor Myers(Executive Officer, Director)inPaul LaPorte(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardMatt Zuga(Director)
Co-investorsMaryland TEDCOTEDCO
Minnowtech develops precision aquaculture technology using integrated sensor-based systems to help aquafarmers assess and maximize their cultivation efforts.
AgTechFoodTechHardwareIoTBaltimore, US
Suzan Shahrestani(Co-Founder & CSO)inKelli Booth(Co-Founder & CEO)inKen Malone(Co-Founder)inQuynh Vo(Chief Technology Officer)in
Co-investorsMaryland TEDCOTCP Venture CapitalTEDCO
miRecule is a biotechnology company developing therapeutics, with programs focused on oncology.
BiotechHealthtechGaithersburg, US
Anthony D. Saleh, Ph.D.(CEO)inAnthony D. Saleh(CEO)inDave Lemus(COO/CFO)in
Co-investorsAlumni VenturesBoutique Venture PartnersBrown and White VenturesPathway BioventuresTachyon VenturesAlexandria
N5 Sensors builds wireless environmental detection systems combining its proprietary SPH chemical sensor arrays, cloud connectivity, and AI analytics to detect wildfires, air quality events, and chemical threats.
AI & Machine LearningHardwareIoTRockville, US
Abhishek Motayed(Founder (referenced))in
Co-investorsMaryland TEDCOTEDCO
NextStep Robotics develops AMBLE, a wearable robotic device for foot drop rehabilitation in stroke survivors and other neurological conditions.
HealthtechMedical DevicesRoboticsBaltimore, US
Anindo Roy(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Richard Macko(Executive Officer, Director)Larry Forrester(Executive Officer, Director)Brad Hennessie(Founder)in
BoardBRENDA FURLOW(Director)ERIKA SMITH(Director)
Co-investorsMaryland TEDCOTEDCO
Eat Omega 3 makes snack foods formulated with omega-3 fatty acids, targeting consumers seeking nutritional foods for brain and heart health.
ConsumerFoodTechWellness & FitnessBethesda, US
Co-investorsAltelanTechstars1863 VenturesCapitalize VC
Pathotrak develops foodborne pathogen detection kits and a next-generation enrichment platform for food safety testing labs, offering fast time-to-results across sample types such as fresh produce, beef, poultry, and environmental swabs.
BiotechFoodTechHardwareLaurel, US
Colin Howell(Executive Officer, Director)inJavier Atencia(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardFrank Yiannis(Director)
Co-investorsMaryland TEDCOTEDCO
Qualytics provides a data quality platform that uses AI and machine learning to help enterprises proactively detect and manage data quality issues at scale.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareMaryland, US
Gorkem Sevinc(CEO)inEric(Co-founder)inNicole(Chief Marketing Officer)inTonni(Chief Sales Officer)in
Co-investorsBMW i VenturesConductive VenturesInner Loop CapitalKnoll VenturesLegalTechTCP Venture Capital+1 more
Resilient Earth Capital is an investment community focused on companies advancing net-zero transition and climate resilience, particularly those serving climate-vulnerable communities.
Climate TechImpact & Social Good
Retrium provides a platform for conducting agile team retrospectives that facilitates honest feedback and psychological safety among distributed teams.
Enterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaSSector Agnostic
Co-investorsIrishAngelsK Street Capital
Simpli operates a platform that enables enterprises to redirect excess inventory and unsold products to nonprofits and charities instead of destroying them.
Circular EconomyEnterprise SoftwareImpact & Social GoodSaaS
Teddy Raskin(Founder)inTommy Pennington(Founder)in
Co-investorsHG VenturesCultivate Next
Sunstone Credit provides online financing and loans for commercial property improvements, including solar, HVAC, roofing, EV charging, and energy storage projects.
CleantechEnergyFintechNew York City, US
Sumbul Alvi(Founder)
Co-investorsBay Bridge Ventures ClimateEarly Light VenturesGrotech VenturesEarthshot Ventures
TEDCO's Federal Engagements department connects Maryland small businesses with federal laboratories to commercialize federally developed technologies, offering R&D training, matching funds, and legal, accounting, and financial advisory services.
Deep TechGovTechImpact & Social GoodMaryland, US
Co-investorsTEDCO
Wave Engine develops turbine engines for unmanned and personal aircraft that deliver jet-level performance at significantly reduced cost and complexity.
Deep TechDefense TechHardwareSpace TechMaryland, US
Co-investorsGula Tech AdventuresAbell Foundation, Inc.Asymmetry Ventures
Zest is a beverage brand that makes high-caffeine teas and creatine-electrolyte drink mixes designed to provide coffee-level energy without jitters or a crash.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerWellness & FitnessStonington, US
James Fayal(Founder)in
Co-investorsEmpire Angels
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
ARMR SystemsAstekDynamhexFirst UtilityIrazú OncologyKasterLinshomNAWECNorth American Wave EnginePaverGuideSecreteomeVisisonicsVoxy EnGen
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesQualytics · finsmes.com · Jun 23, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has University System of Maryland Momentum Fund made?
- University System of Maryland Momentum Fund has 44 tracked investments, including 3 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does University System of Maryland Momentum Fund invest at?
- University System of Maryland Momentum Fund invests at the Seed, Series A stages.
- What is University System of Maryland Momentum Fund's typical check size?
- University System of Maryland Momentum Fund typically writes checks of $150K – $500K.
- What sectors does University System of Maryland Momentum Fund focus on?
- University System of Maryland Momentum Fund focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Deep Tech, Enterprise Software, Healthtech, Robotics, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is University System of Maryland Momentum Fund located?
- University System of Maryland Momentum Fund is headquartered in Baltimore, US.
- Who does University System of Maryland Momentum Fund co-invest with?
- University System of Maryland Momentum Fund most often shares deals with TEDCO, Maryland TEDCO, TCP Venture Capital, among 33 tracked co-investors.
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