Kick-Off Weekend at Lake Roland
The Home-Run Accelerator is Made In Baltimore’s first accelerator program, specially designed for home-based entrepreneurs ready to scale up into commercial production space. We kicked-off the program in May 2021 with an orientation day at beautiful Lake Roland. The event was hosted by our friends at Impact Hub Baltimore, and featured pep-talks and Q&A with our peer mentors Jamyla Bennu of Oyin Handmade and Cecilia Grimm of SewLab USA. The cohort used the day to share their stories and set goals for their business’ growth.
Strategy School
HRA at The Ivy Bookshop
When the Made In Baltimore community convened at the Ivy Bookshop on Saturday July 10th, there was a lot to celebrate: the release of Ilana Preuss’ new book Recast Your City: How to Save Your Downtown with Small-Scale Manufacturing (available for sale here); the Home-Run Accelerator cohort reaching the halfway point of the accelerator program; and finally being able to gather in-person after a long 18 months. Take a look at some of the photos from this wonderful event
Peer Mentorship
Beginning in July, the HRA Cohort began 1-on-1 meetings with our Peer Mentors, Jamyla Bennu, Casey McKeel, and Cecilia Grimm. The mentors know their stuff: all of them had started their businesses out of their homes and scaled up to become full-fledged manufacturers with teams of 5-10 staff. Over the course of the summer, the mentors drew on their experience to help the HRA participants navigate specific and complex business challenges. Watch the video below for an introduction to Jamyla Bennu, and check out the other peer mentor ‘Origin Stories’ on our Youtube channel.
Neighborhood Tours
In July, August, and September, MIB worked with our colleagues at Baltimore Development Corporation to plan tours of available properties in five different Baltimore City neighborhoods. Through these tours, the HRA cohort learned about available spaces, met landlords and developers, and got tips about commercial leasing and business incentives. Watch the video below for highlights from our first tour on the Greenmount Avenue corridor.
Congratulations to our first Home-Run Accelerator Cohort!
We’re so proud of all the entrepreneurs who participated in the Home-Run Accelerator. The program has ended but their journeys have just begun. Follow the links below to learn more about the businesses and follow us on Instagram @
Bmore Natural, Tortuga Kombucha, CaNe Collective, Tree House Juicery, Keppel and Kismet, Drama Mama Bookshop, Slay Naturals, Personal Best Ceramics, La Loupe Design, We Are Maud and Solsis Beauty.