Explore the New MIC Website: Your Gateway to Innovation

We’re excited to announce the launch of the new Maryland Innovation Center website — redesigned to better serve founders, entrepreneurs, and the innovation community.

The new site makes it easier than ever to:

• Learn about membership benefits and resources for startups and growing businesses
  

• Stay up to date on programs and events, including accelerators, workshops and networking opportunities
  

• Connect with MIC experts and partners who help companies grow and scale

Whether you’re an early-stage founder, an established business or an industry partner, the new site is your one-stop hub to access MIC’s community, programs and resources.

Pauline Shiu Named Head of Innovation at the MIC

Pauline Shiu has been named the new Head of Innovation at the Maryland Innovation Center (MIC). Shiu brings more than two decades of experience in leading technology startup companies with go-to-market strategy and business development. She has held leadership roles at companies such as Zentail and Finale Inventory, where she specialized in marketing, business development and operational strategy. In 2024, Shiu founded Spark Consulting, a consultancy dedicated to helping startups and small businesses scale through strategic marketing initiatives. 

"We are thrilled to welcome Pauline Shiu as the new Head of Innovation at the Maryland Innovation Center," said Jennifer Jones, CEO of the Howard County Economic Development Authority. "Her extensive experience in innovation and commitment to empowering entrepreneurs make her an ideal leader to guide the MIC as it continues to support Maryland’s thriving innovation ecosystem."

Is your website working as hard as your sales team? Attend the virtual session and find out how to transform your website into a powerful lead-generating tool.

Discover actionable insights to attract more visitors, convert them into leads and drive revenue. Join Julie Davis, Hatrick Fractional CMO, as she shares practical strategies to improve user experience, SEO and lead capture mechanisms. As a bonus, learn how tools like the LeadGen Impact Score (LGI) can help pinpoint and address critical lead generation gaps in your website's performance.

What you’ll gain:

• Actionable Strategies: Practical strategies to optimize your website for immediate lead generation.

• Revenue Impact: A clear understanding of how improving UX, SEO and lead capture mechanisms directly impacts revenue.

• Growth Tools: Insights into how tools like the LGI Score can help your business identify opportunities for growth.

Don’t miss this opportunity to take your website—and your business—to the next level!

Budgeting in Uncertain Times: A Special Session to Help You Plan and Adapt

Join us for a special edition of Bank on your success focused solely on "Budgeting during a crisis." This interactive session will provide you with the tools you need to assemble a crisis budget and provide you with valuable take-away resources to help you and others.

Due to unprecedented times, we've amended our traditional Banking Budgeting Basics module to provide a special edition version that focuses solely on "Budgeting during a crisis."

While every individual sitatuion is different, our goal is to provide you with crisis- budgeting best practices, ideas on creative income streams and information about resources available to help you during this time.

This program is made possible through a valued partnership between HCEDA and Truist Bank.

Recent Highlights: What You Need to Know

• Howard County Department of Planning & Zoning to Launch Route 1 & Route 40 Design Manual Updates. Learn More

• The Maryland Department of Labor Cyber & IT Recruitment event is June 24th. Learn More

• Howard County adults are (finally) getting their own ‘Battle of the Books’. Learn More

• ‘A Place to Reflect’: Howard County breaks ground on veterans memorial. Learn More

• Howard County Juneteenth Community Day & Block Party Saturday, June 21. Learn More