TOWSON, Md. — 30-year-old Logan Cundiff took a chance on Baltimore and his own business. He and his wife moved here a couple of years ago.
A year ago, he launched Props, an app to help volunteers and supporters of social groups, charities and businesses connect by rewarding participation on a gaming-like platform.
“So, I’m really glad that we really ended up here,” he says, “and I think that Props wouldn’t have thrived well without Baltimore and without the Towson community. So, I think it’s been instrumental in our growth so far.”
Cundiff is a fellow in Towson University’s StarTUp accelerator, an annual intensive for entrepreneurs to launch, refine or grow their businesses. More than 100 startups from around the state applied for just 10 slots in this year’s cohort, a record for the program.
The companies in the program represent a variety of industries, like medical technology, consumer packaged goods, healthcare and education.
“The Towson accelerator program has just been instrumental in our journey,” Cundiff says. “I think the mentorship has been just really key insights on how to go about our business, just adjusting the business model that we have and making sure that we’re not undervaluing ourselves.”
Over the summer, the cohort has weekly group sessions on topics like AI and workforce development. They’re also meeting with mentors to help them fast-track their ventures.
Cundiff says the work is already paying off.
“We’ve been partnering with other event organizers and community organizers to create their events for them,” he says. “That’s something that we would’ve never saw as a possibility if not for the Towson accelerator program.”
In September, Cundiff will put everything he’s learned here to test in a showcase where all the fellows get to pitch their company to the region’s business community.
To learn more about the StarTUp, go here.