Top 5 Reasons to Apply

1. SELECTION COMMITTEE: The Incubator Awards program gives you the opportunity to put your company in front of a cross-section of the most prominent early stage investors and industry leaders in the region.

   "The Maryland Incubator Company of the Year Awards provides a great opportunity for early stage technology companies. The review committee consists of key venture capitalists and leaders in the state’s technology community – important stakeholders who can play an essential role in the further growth of a startup organization." Boro Dropulic, CEO of Lentigen Corporation

   "Everything else being equal, the funding community often views an incubator company as a better bet from an investment perspective since it's had a superior support network to develop an infrastructure. A company selected as a finalist for the Incubator Company of the Year Awards sets itself apart from its peers and increases its credibility as a viable business to potential investors."Richard A. Kohr Jr., Managing Member of the Chesapeake Emerging Opportunities Club, LLC.

2. CREDIBILITY: The opportunity to highlight being a finalist or award recipient in your business plan and marketing materials provides instant credibility with investors and customers.

   "The recognition from the Incubator Companies of the Year Awards has brought a2z instant credibility. With dot-coms in general going down, people had apprehensions about talking to a young, dot-com. After we won the award, people felt much more comfortable in talking to us and doing business with us." Rajiv Jain, President & CEO of a2z, Inc.

"The Incubator Company of the Year Award has helped Syntonics demonstrate to our stakeholders that we're a credible company with good momentum. This is something that is really important to a young company." Bruce Montgomery, President of Syntonics LLC

3. VISIBILITY: In addition to being exposed to the Selection Committee, the Incubator Awards program provides visibility for your company.

"Winning the Maryland Incubator Company of the Year award in 2007 was an amazing growth opportunity for LiveHealthier. After our recognition, we won additional business which opened a new market segment for us." Mary Moslander, President and CEO of LiveHealthier

"The exposure you receive within the state’s technology community and beyond is reason alone to participate in the award program. The Maryland Incubator Company of the Year Awards elevated our name recognition within the information technology community." Kurk Heckman, President and CEO of Sycamore.US, Inc.

4. VALIDATION: The third party validation of your business model helps attract customers and employees

   "The Incubator Company of the Year Award that we received last year provided an excellent validation of DataStream's business model and strategy. In addition, the exposure that this award gave our company was exceptional and directly resulted in a significant contract with a new customer." Mark Anstey, President of DataStream Conversion Services, LLC
   

5. GIVING BACK TO YOUR INCUBATOR: The Incubator Awards program helps educate the public on the role of an incubator for economic development purposes and recognizes the achievements of the incubator managers.

   "This Incubator Company of the Year Awards highlight and publicize the activities of the selected companies, often enhancing access to capital and/or strategic partnership opportunities. In addition, I think this program gives us an ability not shared by any other incubator community in the country to showcase our brightest and best clients.”
   Ann Lansinger, Executive Director of the Emerging Technology Center in Baltimore and President of the Maryland Business Incubation Association.
   

Added Benefits

• All applications will be reviewed by a selection committee comprised of a cross-section of the region’s most prominent early stage venture capitalists and other members of the business and investment community.
• Applicants may apply for the Incubator Awards and for the 11th Annual Early Stage East Venture Fair by completing one application form.
• Applicants who also apply to the 11th Annual Early Stage East Venture Fair will receive preferential review of their application for Early Stage East.
• All finalists will be invited to exhibit their company at the award ceremony in June 2008.
• All finalists will be recognized at the ceremony and acknowledged in a special supplement in the Baltimore Business Journal and the Washington Business Journal.
• All award recipients will be featured at the award ceremony and in the special supplement to the Baltimore Business Journal and the Washington Business Journal.
• The recipient winner of the Best Life Science Company Award will be invited to present at Early State East’s 6th Annual Bio-Life-Tech Venture Conference in November 2008 at no charge.
• The recipient winner of the Best IT Company Award will be invited to present at the 12th Annual Early Stage East Venture Conference in May 2009 at no charge.
• All award recipients will be invited to attend an Orioles game with members of the Selection Committee in the Governor’s Box at Camden Yards.