The rise of tech companies in Baltimore is something we have all heard of. But do you know that Maryland itself is becoming a home to hundreds of food, tech, and Energy-related startups?

Aside from Baltimore, many famous cities like Rockville, Columbia, and Frederick are also attracting attention from angel investors and venture capitalists. 

But you might think about who are these angel investors in Maryland who are funding startups all across the state.

Well, that’s what this list of top 6 angel investors in Maryland is going to tell you about.

So, without any further delay, let’s get started. 

Top Angel Investors in Maryland

Talking about angel investors, there is a huge list that can leave you confused about whom to pitch. However, the following list consists of some of the top-ranked angel investors and venture capitalists, along with their investment interests. 

Ron Gula

LinkedIn: Ron Gula | LinkedIn

Investor Type: Individual Investor

Investment Interests: Cybersecurity and Cloud

Investment Stage: Early

Funding startups since 2019: Ron Gula is a well-known angel investor who also founded Gula Tech Adventures. He has made 11 individual investments and usually takes an interest in cybersecurity-related startups. 

Previously, he has served on the board of directors for many companies as well as VC firms. During the investment, Ron likes to meet entrepreneurs and discuss their growth potential, related teams, market competition, industry insights, and required investment. Similarly, Ron Gula only makes early-stage investments and funds startups that present unique solutions.

Aside from his investments, Ron Gula is also known for attending networking events as well as startup accelerators. He funds startups through investor meetings and fundraisers. The investment range of Ron Gula can range upto $100,000. Some of his recent portfolio companies are: 

Huntress: Huntress is a cybersecurity company that provides managed detection and response services. It uses a combination of automated detection and human-powered threat hunting. In 2023, Huntress discovered 12,000 data breaches and served 25,000 enterprise customers.

ShardSecure: ShardSecure is a cloud data security software company that specializes in data security and privacy with Microshard technology. They present a unique technology that breaks data into single-digit bytes and distributes it across cloud locations.

Cybrary: Cybrary is a platform for learning about cybersecurity and IT. It offers online courses and tools that allow people to learn from anywhere at any time.

Jason Palmer

LinkedIn: Jason Palmer | LinkedIn

Investor Type: Individual Investor

Investment Interests: Education and Tech

Investment Stage: 

As a GM at New Market Venture Partners, Jason Palmer is also an individual angel investor and likes to meet investments at the early and seed stages. Looking at his portfolio companies, Jason Palmer has mostly funded education and workforce tech-related startups that show decent growth potential.

When funding startups, Jason Palmer likes to take a balanced approach and carefully invests in startups. Since the inception of his individual funding career, Jason has funded around 15 startups and continues to expand his portfolio.

Similarly, Jason Palmer also offers services as a speaker and a public mentor. He attends many startup programs and guides the freshies about businesses and related startup information.

The investment range of Jason Palmer ranges from $100,000 to $500,000. Some of his recent portfolio companies are:

Vemo Education: Vemo Education is a mission-driven educational technology company focused on expanding educational access. They partner directly with colleges, universities, and other educational providers to design and implement ISA programs. 

EdSurge: EdSurge is a leading site for educators, entrepreneurs, and investors involved in education technology. They help educators discover the best products for their students and inspire developers to build what educators and learners need.

Wisr: Wisr is a fintech company that operates in the consumer finance market. The company provides personal loans, financial products, and credit comparison services.

Patrick Nagle

Investor Type: Individual Investor

Investment Interests: Tech and Consumer Products

Investment Stage: Early and Seed

As an individual investor for 5 years, Patrick Nagle is also accelerating his investor career by funding startups. He is also known as a tech entrepreneur who loves to invest in startups that provide value through their products and services.

When funding startups, Patrick Nagle hunts early-stage and seed-stage startups that have huge growth potential. He has made 10 investments and is going to fund 2-3 startups this year. 

Aside from his funding activities, Patrick Nagle also strongly focuses on guiding his portfolio companies and arranging public workshops. Thanks to his massive experience in the tech industry, Patrick Nagle provides the best guidance and also participates in a lot of networking events.

The investment range of Patrick Nagle can range from $100,000 to $1M. Notable investments are:

Rehab.com: Rehab.com is a leading informational resource and web guide dedicated to encouraging and empowering those seeking life-saving treatment for addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders. It provides visitors with a comprehensive nationwide directory of more than 25,000 facilities and addiction treatment centers.

Glist: Glist is a software company that uses AI to make traffic engineering more efficient. It helps traffic engineers make faster, data-driven decisions.

RateMyTeachers.com: RateMyTeachers.com is a review site used to rate K-12 and college teachers and schools. The site helps students, parents, and teachers make better-informed decisions.

Lolita Taub

LinkedIn: Lolita Taub | LinkedIn

Investor Type: Individual Investor

Investment Interests: Tech and AI

Investment Stage: Seed and Early

Lolita Taub is a General Partner and Founder of Ganas Ventures, a Venture Partner at NextGen Venture Partners, and an Enterprise Fund Investment Partner at Portfolio. When funding startups, Lolita prefers to fund ventures that present a unique idea and have a strong potential to grow. She has made around seven individual investments and takes a strong interest in tech startups.

During the investment, Lolita Taub focuses on startups that are led by experienced individuals and have strong working teams. She usually invests in the pre-seed and seed stages, boosting startups with the required funding and guidance.

The investment range of Lolita Taub ranges from $100,000 to $300,000. From her portfolio, some notable companies are:

Around: Around is a company that provides an AI-based camera framing designed for high-impact video calls. It gives users a clear view of their teammates while making space for work.

Leadsales: Leadsales is a company that develops customer relationship management software designed to assign status to leads and develop the right strategies to improve business processes. The company’s software manages all the sales leads and creates new convertible leads on social platforms.

Papaya Global: Papaya Global is a company that develops an automated cloud-based platform solution that helps companies hire, onboard, manage, and pay employees globally. It focuses on payroll, payments, and workforce management.

ABS Capital Partners

Website: ABS Capital

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Tech

Investment Stage: Seed

Headquartered in Baltimore, ABS Capital Partners is one of the most active private equity firms that fund startups in Maryland. The network was founded in 1990 by Donald Hebb and strongly focused on businesses that produce unique solutions.

When funding startups, ABS Capital looks to provide growth equity capital to B2B software and tech-enabled services businesses with strong technology and data underpinnings looking to scale with the right partners. They have invested in 130 companies across eight funds for more than 30 years. 

Similarly, once they have invested in a startup, the expert team of mentors provides them with the best guidance through different stages. The investment range of ABS Capital Partners ranges from $100,000 to $5M. Some of their portfolio companies include:

Alula: Alula is a unified smart security company. It offers connecting panels, communicators, cameras, on-site controllers, and sensors. Alula has raised $2.2M in funding.

Apptopia: Apptopia is a company that provides services in-app analytics, data mining, and business intelligence for the mobile industry. Apptopia has raised $35.5M in funding.

TDF Ventures

Website: Home | TDF Ventures

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: IaaS, SaaS, and XaaS

Investment Stage: Seed, Series A

Founded in 2004, TDF Ventures is also a notable investment firm that has funded more than 110 startups.

When funding startups, TDF Ventures focuses on seed and Series A investments in technology companies13. They focus on startups that serve enterprise markets within infrastructure, software, and services.

Aside from their investments, TDF Ventures also conducts many startup accelerators, networking events, and workshops. Entrepreneurs have to apply online to appear for the screening tests, and then they will get a chance to pitch their ideas.

The investment range of TDF Ventures ranges from $1M to $50M. Some of their portfolio companies are:

Punchh: Punchh is a provider of digital marketing products designed to aid brands in engaging customers, predicting behaviors, and increasing sales. Punchh has raised a total of $71.1M in funding.

BlackCloak: BlackCloak is a developer of a digital executive protection platform designed to offer holistic protection for corporate executives, board members, and high-net-worth individuals. BlackCloak has raised a total of $13.7M in funding.

Wrap-Up

Wrapping up, angel investors always seek businesses that can raise profitability. Like all businessmen, angel investors also want to fund startups that will make money.

Similarly, when you’re pitching to such angels or investment firms, always prepare a pitch deck that shows why you are worth the investment. Add real-time market stats and your startup position to strengthen your pitch deck.

Good Luck!

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