Baltimore Innovation Week 2017 Magazine

BALTIMOREINNOVATIONWEEK.COM SEPT. 29 – OCT. 7 #BIW17 • a weeklong celebration of technology and innovation in baltimore Organized by

Baltimore’s Best Startups A look at the 2017 realLIST >> PAGE 12

FULL CALENDAR INSIDE FEATURING MORE THAN

40 TECH EVENTS

INNOVATION AWARDS: WHO WILL WIN? / P. 5 SMART-GARMENT CITY / P. 14

DOWNTOWN INNOVATION, MAPPED

Like Lyft for startups.

Like Facebook for entrepreneurs.

Like Airbnb for office space.

Like Spotify for networking.

Like Amazon for advice.

Like Snapchat for experience.

Like Pinterest for innovation.

Like Instagram for good ideas.

Like Google for success.

However you describe it, the ETC has been supporting entrepreneurs, startups, and great ideas since 1999. etcbaltimore.com

Welcome A Letter From The Organizers

Make BIW your own. table of contents Page 05 Baltimore Innovation Awards: Who will win?

Page 07 Event calendar Page 12 realLIST: Where are they now?

COVER STORY

Page 14 Smart garments: The future of clothes Page 15 #BIW17 sponsors and partners Back Cover Baltimore innovation, mapped

about baltimoreinnovationweek.com

You can find plenty of opinions about how or whether a news organization should play an involved role in the community it serves. We at Technical.ly have always thought that silly. The reporters and editors, event organizers and product people, marketing and sales staff who make sure stories get shared beyond what word of mouth can do are very much part of an ecosystem.

So when we began covering Baltimore’s nascent tech community, it was natural to us that we’d also want to help convene it. That’s where Baltimore Innovation Week came from, an open calendar of events made up of the people and organizations we find most representative of this region’s future economy. In this, the sixth year, it’s clear how vital it is that others take part in this platform, which was never really ours alone. Sure, we at Technical.ly put together the week’s anchor events and raise the flag, but it’s our job to make sure BIW is an open and accessible opportunity for members of this community to connect — with both established players and people who are only now trying to take part.

So thank you for taking part in the sixth annual Baltimore Innovation Week. It’s another in a year-round calendar of events that define the broad Baltimore and Maryland tech, entrepreneurship and innovation community. You are a reason this community continues to show promise.

Openly and honestly, Christopher Wink, Technically Media CEO

Baltimore Innovation Week is the sixth annual celebration of technology and innovation in the region. The week is organized by Technical.ly, in collaboration with dozens of partners and sponsors.

For the most up-to-date list of partners and events, visit www.baltimoreinnovationweek.com Technical.ly baltimore is a leading local news and events organizations. It publishes daily content of entrepreneurship, access, funding, policy and other ways cities are improving through technology.

Its sister publications are in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Delaware and Washington D.C. DESIGN AND PRINTING Red Flag Media LOGO AND WEBSITE Jarvus Innovations COVER PHOTO by Mike Costello bmorecostello@gmail.com www.bmorecostello.com

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From mobile apps and advanced web interfaces to interactive exhibits, Jarvus provides the development experience to bring your creative visions to life.

http://jarv.us

hello@jarv.us

2017 Baltimore Innovation Awards m e e t the n o mi n ees

Indie Video Game of the Year

Design/Dev Firm of the Year

●● Neon FM ●● Sunset Brawlers ●● Mister Mart

●● ●● ●● ●● ●●

●● Offworld Trading Company

●● Zombie Clicker Tech Mission Org of the Year ●● ●● ●● ●● ●●

Rowdy Orbit Innovation Village Abilities Hackathon Moms as Entrepreneurs B360

(50+ employees)

Fastspot Ainsley & Co. Mindgrub BaltiVirtual Kapowza

Tech Startup of the Year

Notice and Comment FactoryFour Protenus Tissue Analytics Blispay

B a l t i m o r e

●● ●● ●● ●● ●●

Contrast Security ZeroFOX Pixelligent CadmiumCD Paragon Bioservices

Technologist of the Year

(fewer than 50 employees and under 3 years old)

●● ●● ●● ●● ●●

Growth Tech Company of the Year

●● ●● ●● ●● ●●

Eno Umoh Mike Fried Bella Palumbi Matthew Stubenberg Deepak Jain

i n n o v a t i o n

CTO of the Year ●● ●● ●● ●● ●●

Gorkem Sevinc Claire Gollnick Ted O’Meara Bethany Meyer Amit Singh

Dev Product of the Year ●● ●● ●● ●● ●●

HoloTats Osmosis Bad Batch Alert SBA HUBZone Map Arbit

w e e k

Building a Community of Innovation and science University of Maryland BioPark is Baltimore’s most innovative work place for emerging startups to highgrowth technology companies. The BioPark community is teeming with entrepreneurs and executives building smart companies and fostering strong collaborations.

See location and details on baltimoreinnovationweek.com.

umbiopark.com • /umbiopark

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Concept through Commercialization MEETING THE LEGAL NEEDS OF TECHNOLOGY BASED COMPANIES Saul Ewing is proud to support Baltimore’s vibrant technology community. Our team of attorneys offers a full range of services for entrepreneurs and startup companies. We look forward to facilitating your success.

» www.saul.com

Ask us about our RAMP™ program and our Emerging Company Roundtables.

Gianna J. Arnold 410.332.8913 ¡ garnold@saul.com

Eric G. Orlinsky 410.332.8687 ¡ eorlinsky@saul.com

Jacqueline A. Brooks 410.332.8651 ¡ jbrooks@saul.com

Jay Reilly 202.295.6611 ¡ jreilly@saul.com

Adam F. Kelson 412.209.2512 ¡ akelson@saul.com

Deborah L. Spranger 610.251.5086 ¡ dspranger@saul.com

get.rendia.com

Interactive patient education software Technology that helps doctors connect with patients and empower them to make informed health decisions

calendar

tracks ACCESS BUSINESS CIVIC

CRE ATIVE DE V MEDIA

• find the complete up-to-date calendar at baltimoreinnovationweek.com Friday, September 29 Bmore Historic 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM @ Baltimore Museum of Industry, 1415 Key Highway - $10 – $25 (Baltimore Heritage)

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Bmore Historic is a participant-led unconference at the Baltimore Museum of Industry for scholars, students, professionals and volunteers who care about public history, historic preservation and cultural heritage in the Baltimore region.

Saturday, September 30 Social Innovation Lab’s Impact Bootcamp 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM @ Mountcastle Auditorium, 725 N Wolfe Street - Free (Social Innovation Lab at Johns Hopkins University) TRACKS4

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Do you want to change your neighborhood or the world? Are you currently leading a community organization, nonprofit, or mission-driven business? Do you have an idea for a project or organization you’d like to start? Do you want to learn how to transform an idea into a project or organization that makes an

impact? If you answer yes to any of these questions, you should attend our Bootcamp!

October 2-6th: FREE day time or daily access at coworking spaces during Baltimore Innovation Week

Healthier Communities Through Technology 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM @ TBA - Free(gymGO) TRACKS4

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This session explores how we can use latest technologies like realtime two way video streaming, wearable data and gamification to create healthier communities.

Sunday, October 1

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October 2-6, from 9am-5pm daily. Organized by ETC For a complete list of locations visit: BaltimoreInnovationWeek.com

ETC + Brewer’s Hill Hub x BIW17 Happy Hour!

5-8pm @ Brewers Hill Hub, 3700 O’Donnell St. Baltimore, MD 21224

Check the website for up-to-the-minute calendar listings and additions: baltimoreinnovationweek.com

Monday, October 2 Grumpy Cat’s Guide to Game Design: The Beauty of No 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM @ De Kleine Duivel, 3602 Hickory Ave - Free (IGDA Baltimore) TRACKS4

BIW17 Coffee & Coworking

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The Baltimore IGDA presents a lighthearted and beginner-friendly talk on game design from veteran game designer Michelle Menard.

Baltimore Innovation Week Code of Conduct Baltimore Innovation Week is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion.

We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form.

All communication should be appropriate for a professional audience including people of many different backgrounds. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any conference venue, including talks.

Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other attendees. Behave professionally. Remember that harassment and sexist, racist or exclusionary jokes are not appropriate for Baltimore Innovation Week. Attendees violating these rules may be asked to leave events without a refund at the sole discretion of the conference organizers.

Thank you for helping make this a welcoming, friendly event for all.

This Code of Conduct was forked from PyCon’s Code of Conduct Policy, which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Join the fun on the eastside of the city at Brewer’s Hill Hub in partnership with the ETC for a night of networking and fun. Grab an official BIW17 magazine or T-shirt ($10) and plan your week of free events, workshops and check out one of the many coworking spaces that will be participating in a week of free coworking ( see above: BIW17 Coffee + Coworking)!

SmartCities Summit 2017 12:00 PM - 7:00 PM @ LOCATION TBA, $20 for luncheon portion (Innovation Village Baltimore; Mount Royal Community Development Corporation) TRACKS4

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Innovation Villages redefine the way cities connect people to opportunities. Join us Monday, October 2 nd to learn about “Smart City” driven initiatives underway in Baltimore while connecting with likeminded individuals from around the country. Beginning with a luncheon and several high-profile speakers, we will then travel via motorcoach for a guided tour of Innovation Village facilities and end with a closing reception in Druid Hill Park.

Tuesday, October 3 GEOLOOM co>map: Cultural Mapping in Baltimore 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM @ De Kleine Duivel, 3602 Hickory Ave - Free (IGDA Baltimore) TRACKS4

AD

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GEOLOOM co>map is an online mapping tool that demonstrates how arts and culture is woven into Baltimore’s neighborhoods and social fabric. The goal of GEOLOOM co>map is to insure that every Baltimore community receives the attention and support needed to establish and maintain livability throughout the city. This workshop will help attendees navigate the GEOLOOM co>map as well as demonstrate how the tool can be a resource for communities and the city of Baltimore. To explore the tool, please visit geoloom.org.

OpenWorks’ Open House Day #1 - A call for collaboration amongst creatives for BIW18 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM @ OpenWorks, 1400 Greenmount Ave, Baltimore, MD 21202 - FREE TRACKS4

Biz Conference T UE s day 1 0/ 3

Technical.ly Introduced - A curated B2B event 1:30 - 4:00 PM @ Price Modern, 2604 Sisson Street, Baltimore, MD, 21211 - free, bit/ly/ introducedB2B (Technical.ly)

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It takes a while to create a masterpiece. Come out to start the conversations of collaboration around projects to launch at BIW next year. Participants will meet and greet over coffee and brainstorm creative projects that they can work on year-long with other creative citizens with support from the OpenWorks team to identify and launch as a part of their anticipated creative track participation in BIW 2018. All are welcome to join and contribute!

Wednesday, October 4 BALTIMORE WATERFRONT TECH SERIES Episode 2: Privacy, Fraud, and Breaches...Oh My! 7:30 AM - 10:30 AM @ Brown Advisory, 901 S Bond St #400 - $29 (Moxie Promotions) TRACKS4

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There are a surplus of opportunities in Baltimore to meet local startups. The real challenge for some of these successful entrepreneurs is meeting their next client, the decision makers at large corporations. Join us and get the opportunity to meet some of these large businesses and pitch your product or service to members of their purchasing departments

Waterfront Tech Series is a place to come together and connect over the latest in all levels of business as it pertains to the tech industry, or anyone leveraging technology to help craft the future.

Start. Fund. Grow.

The State of Baltimore Tech

4:00 PM - 6:30 PM @ Price Modern, 2604 Sisson Street, Baltimore, MD, 21211 - free (Technical.ly)

Hear from leaders and entrepreneurs in the the Baltimore startup and tech community who will share how to acquire funding and scale your business in Baltimore. You will then hear case studies from founders and investors to share real life experiences on the do’s and don’ts of how to navigate starting and growing a business.

Tech PA.R.ty 6:30 PM @ Price Modern, 2604 Sisson Street, Baltimore, MD, 21211 - free (Technical.ly & Price Modern)

A social gathering following the Start. Fund. Grow event that includes an Augmented Reality treasure hunt to show off the latest in Augmented Reality in the context of how it can be used for interior design companies.

5:00 PM - 8:00 PM @ 307 W Baltimore Street Downtown Partnership of Baltimore members: $0 , Non-members: $25 (Downtown Partnership of Baltimore) TRACKS4

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A diverse panel discussion covering the state of Baltimore tech followed by networking, light fare and cocktails.

deMystifying STEM 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM @ Hackground, 8171 Maple Lawn Boulevard - Free (Hackground) TRACKS4

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Come join our students and mentors while they prepare for their FALL Robotics, Rocketry and Drone

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sciences Conference w e d n e s day 10/4 HEALTH & SCIENCES ROUNDTABLE 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM @ University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 North Pine Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201., Address - Invite Only (Technical.ly)

Participate in an intimate conversation with a curated group of entrepreneurs, investors, policy makers, academics and leaders to discuss plans for the future and steps to get there.

EXPLORE BALTIMORE SCIENCES 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM @ University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 North Pine Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201., Address - Free (Technical.ly)

Local experts will come together to discuss current and future breakthroughs from Baltimore’s sciences community. What needs to happen to continue to grow this thriving community? What challenges are facing researchers, entrepreneurs and the institutions that support them?

SCIENCES HAPPY HOUR 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM @ University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 North Pine Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201., Address - Free (Technical.ly)

Network with fellow industry leaders in the Sciences sector and celebrate the BIW17 Sciences Conference.

seasons. You will get a first-hand look at how we work with students (K-12) and engage in fun ways to inspire them to follow STEM fields of interest. #deMystifyingSTEM

creative citizens with support from the OpenWorks team to identify and launch as a part of their anticipated creative track participation in BIW 2018. All are welcome to join and contribute!

OpenWorks’ Open House, day #2 - a call for creative projects for BIW2018

Maryland - Netherlands Cybersecurity Soft Landing Program

3:00 PM - 6:00 PM @ OpenWorks, 1400 Greenmount Ave, Baltimore, MD 21202 - FREE TRACKS4

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It takes a while to create a masterpiece. Come out to start the conversations of collaboration around projects to launch at BIW next year. Participants will meet and greet over coffee and brainstorm creative projects that they can work on year-long with other

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM @ bwtech@UMBC, 5520 Research Park Drive - Free (Baltimore Rotterdam Sister City Committee; Netherlands America Chamber of Commerce Washington Metro; Maryland Department of Commerce; bwtech@ UMBC) TRACKS4

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Last year, Maryland and The Hague Security Delta in

the Netherlands began a multi-year soft landing program to help cybersecurity startups in each country explore business opportunities overseas. Under the program, companies from Maryland visit The Hague, and Dutch firms come to bwtech@UMBC. The 2017 cohort featured four firms from Maryland and five from the Netherlands. Two of those Dutch startups have chosen to open permanent offices in Maryland.

This talk will discuss what a soft landing is, the origins of the program, benefits and lessons learned, and how the Maryland Tech sector can continue to expand globally.

Thursday, October 5 Check the website for up-to-the-minute calendar listings and additions: baltimoreinnovationweek.com

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Friday, October 6

BIW17 INNOVATION CELEBRATION 6:30 - 10:00 p.m. @ Mount Vernon Marketplace, 520 Park Ave - $20-30 (Technical.ly)

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DEV Conference T H UR S DAY 1 0/5 Dev Intro Workshops 9:30 AM-1:00 PM @ John and Frances Angelos Law Center, 1401 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 - Free (Technical.ly)

Whether you’re new to programming or wanting to sharpen your skills, the Dev Intro Workshops are perfect for you. Workshops will be focused around today’s most used languages and programs.

Dev Talks 1:00-5:30 PM @ John and Frances Angelos Law Center, 1401 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 - Free (Technical.ly)

Join us for an afternoon of high-level dev talks focused around problem solving and innovative solutions. You’ll hear from over 8+ dev experts talking about real world scenarios and the tools they’re using with 20 minute in-depth talks.

Dev Track Happy Hour 5:30 - 7:30 PM @ University of Baltimore, Student Center, 21 W. Mt. Royal Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21201- Free (Technical.ly)

Join Baltimore’s finest programmers, designers, developers and project managers for the Dev Track Happy Hour. Grab a drink, some grub and network with the best #BIW17 has to offer.

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Let’s hang, network, grab a drink or two and close out #BIW17 with a bang. Plus, we’ll announce the winners of the 5th annual Baltimore Innovation Awards honoring standout performances in tech and innovation in the Baltimore region.

Saturday, October 7 Adobe Workshop: Building Your Online Brand 3:00 PM - 5:00PM @ Open Works, 1400 Greenmount Avenue - Free (AIGA) TRACKS4

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As a designer, you produce new concepts, sketches, comps, and final artwork every day. Instructor Brian Wood will show you how easy it is to share work directly from your favorite Creative Cloud apps, build your presence, create an online portfolio, find an audience and get noticed.

Micro Drone Racing at Open Works 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM @ Open Works, 1400 Greenmount Ave - Free (Global Air media) TRACKS4

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Global Air Media is teaming with Open Works for the second time this year to host a professional drone racing event on Saturday, October 7 from 6-9pm.

Professional and amateur drone pilots will wear First Person View goggles to maneuver around a state of the art indoor drone racing course equipped with LED track lighting.

THE UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE: flexible, affordable programs in Baltimore, at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Maryland, and online Undergraduate and graduate programs include: · psychology

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More info: ubalt.edu/innovation 1.877. ApplyUB

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The Best Startups in Baltimore We check in with our 2017 realLIST of the area’s most promising companies.

in

a growing startup community, it’s important to keep track of how many companies are forming and where they congregate. ¶ As they push ahead, those companies take many little steps in ways that impact individuals and Baltimore as a whole. While there are lots of considerations along the way, the reality is that most are working toward a win — in whatever form it may come. And the community is watching to see who will get there. We hear it in spirited happy hour chats, and see it in statements from investors. ¶ So it’s worth considering: Which startups are real?

Earlier this year, Technical.ly published the first edition of its realLIST across five markets.

So what exactly makes a company real? For one, a bold idea. Are the founders hoping to cash in on a buzzy market or are they going after a big idea?

The founders themselves are also important.

Plenty of investors we’ve talked to identify team as one of the key factors in choosing where to invest (often more so than the “idea” of the company itself).

There’s also factors like customers and revenue, investment capital, team size and office space.

We took the liberty of setting up a few ground rules to narrow the scope of our experiment. To be considered for our realLIST companies had to: Have been founded no earlier than 2013. This sunset period took away lots of real contenders as well as the companies which have moved out of that early stage. We had to draw the line somewhere.

Make the majority of their revenue from a product.

That means agencies were not eligible.

Have not exited or undergone an acquisition or something close to that nature (think OrderUp or Millennial Media).

And so, here is Technical.ly Baltimore’s 2017 realLIST, complete with updates through the first half of 2017.

(One important caveat about this list: Not making this list does not mean we deem a startup “unreal.”

This is simply a snapshot of what we’re most excited about right now.)

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B.well

The idea behind this startup’s platform to integrate healthcare data and services caught our attention, and founder Kristen Valdes oversaw quick growth in the company’s first two years.

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by STEPHEN BABCOCK

that could lead to an acquisition by Edwards Lifesciences has many in Baltimore paying attention.

FactoryFour

This startup was named Fusiform when we first published the realLIST in early 2017. Though they started by focusing on orthotics, cofounders Param Shah and Alex Mathews arrived at an even bigger idea that could change how all manufacturers handle digital fabrication. Client deals and new Mt. Vernon office space in 2017 signaled business growth, as well.

Fixt

Blispay

Key members of the Canton-based fintech company (including founder Greg Lisiewski) have experience delivering a Baltimore win at Bill Me Later/PayPal. With two eight-figure fundraising rounds in two years and a model that looks to bring financing to a new market, this is one to watch.

Harpoon Medical

The device from the University of Maryland School of Medicine spinout makes open heart surgery less invasive. That’s a big advancement. A financing deal

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The Fells Point-based company’s on-demand device repair platform got our attention with some eyecatching supporters and a willingness to change (i.e., a 2016 name change from Peach). That, paired with investment from a diversity-focused venture firm, brought in new members of its leadership team.

CEO Luke Cooper also brought home the win at Light City’s Ravens Pitch Competition.

Terbium Labs

One of several Baltimore companies to quickly progress to a Series A round, the company’s product is used by companies like MasterCard and Thomson Reuters. The Federal Hill–based cybersecurity startup could be the latest to make quick progress toward becoming a bigger company from that area.

Emocha mobile health We were intrigued by the Johns Hopkins spinout company’s progress in signing deals for its app that allows video monitoring of medical treatment for tu-

berculosis. In the first half of 2017, the startup set its sight on treatment opioid addiction, and raised fresh capital to commercialize that use case in the second half of the year.

Yet Analytics

The startup’s fascinating work to help disparate forms of data work together and ambition to build a big company in Baltimore have us on notice. In the first half of 2017, the startup pulled in fresh funding, made a key COO hire and nabbed a key certification for its Learning Record Store.

Protenus

We’ve asked whether a startup that combines healthcare and cybersecurity is the perfect combo for Baltimore, given the region’s established strengths. The startup pulled in fresh funding that got backing from some notable national investors in the first of 2017, and is looking to grow its team.

Allovue

Having invented the vertical of edfintech and making a commitment to diverse hiring practices that can set an important example for the city, the startup topped our list. In the first half of 2017, the company launched a new budgeting tool for school districts.

5 more to watch Manta Biofuel

Gunbail

This company is a prime example of a startup with a bold idea that could have a global impact.

Ryan Powell’s technology to create oil from algae got a boost with new funding, and space in Owings Mills. It’s one of the promising innovations to come out of the University of Maryland’s Institute for Marine and Environmental Technology.

As street violence continues in Baltimore without relent, Trevor Brooks is seeking to introduce his app that allows people who were arrested to trade guns for bail.

Brooks completed Accelerate Baltimore, and gained some momentum when City Council took interest.

Notice and Comment This Emerging Technology Centers–based startup launched its platform that provides data and analytics on new regulations being published in the federal register in early 2017. The lofty goal: to put more say over government rulemaking in the hands of the public.

Workbench Since moving to Baltimore to take space in Port Covington, this edtech startup changed its name and expanded its platform to new communities like the state’s library system.

While it gets cool points for providing educational tools about robots and drones, the business model remains equally intriguing.

Sisu Global Health Carolyn Yarina, Gillian Henker and Katie Kirsch moved from Michigan to start this company that’s developing a device to improve blood transfusions in developing countries. In 2017, the startup got some new office space in Baltimore, and also expanded its presence in Africa.

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‹

The devices involved are also getting less bulky. Looking toward the future, he sees devices being integrated directly into the fabric.

While Baltimore may no longer be a center for production, the city’s innovation community can play a role in continuing to keep the industry moving forward.

Recently, Spector worked with a Baltimore-based company that is developing a way to weave the technology into the fiber of a garment itself.

DiPole Materials is developing yarns that can conduct electricity through body movement.

“We manufacture a piezoelectric yarn, meaning that when the yarn stretches or bends it generates electricity,” said Ken Malone, CEO of the company.

“When we weave the piezo yarn into a textile with some conductive fibers, the resulting textile emits a signal when it is moved. Thus, we can detect motion without batteries and we can generate small amounts of electricity for powering other types of sensors.”

The technology for the yarn was developed by James West, who became a professor at Johns Hopkins following a long career at Bell Labs. He coinvented the foil-electret microphone, which is used in telephones and audio recording devices, and holds a total of 250 patents. DiPole is licensing the technology from JHU for commercialization.

Malone, who is joined by CFO Kelli Booth and Chief Science Officer Scott Gaboury, sees applications in health as well as athlete tracking.

The yarn would be woven into a piece of clothing, so it would maintain the look and feel the same as a typical garment. The built-in power source and motion tracking means wearable technology doesn’t necessarily have to involve a device.

“We get rid of the bulk, and we don’t have a battery,” Malone said.

The first step was figuring out how to weave the fabric itself. When creating initial prototypes, DiPole got connected with Annet Couwenberg, a professor in fiber arts at Maryland College Institute of Art. That helped the company get access to weaving expertise.

For her part, Couwenberg helped start a class on smart textiles after seeing how digital and fiber were integrating.

“The design world and the art world are moving so much into tech. They need to know what the language is and understand the basics, otherwise you can’t collaborate with people who are making new innovations,” she said.

Couwenberg wants to create ‹ more connections between MICA Ken Malone is CEO of DiPole students and innovators who Materials. want to tap people with knowl(Courtesy photo) edge of how to translate more traditional forms into new technologies.

“Our students really understand making, but they can put it in context, too,” she said.

With the textile industry already woven into the fabric of the city and a company in Under Armour that has shown interest in pursuing smart garments as well, there are signs that the community could grow.

Phil Spector holds a prototype of an Adidas garment developed in part by Fashions Unlimited.

(Photo by Stephen Babcock)

Smart garments in Baltimore: It ain’t just Under Armour The future of clothes has a long history here.

When Philip Spector arrived in Baltimore in the 1960s, the city’s textile industry was booming. Brands like London Fog, Joseph A. Bank and Haas Tailoring all had sizable operations in the downtown area between Baltimore, Lombard, Howard and Paca Streets.

He recalls a veritable army of seamstresses and tailors: thousands in that area alone.

Since 1994, the fifth-floor of the Wicomico Building in Pigtown has been home to Spector’s company, Fashions Unlimited. The workspace has machines, cutting tables and other sewing tools. It was humming on our early morning visit. Spector started the company in 1976, and specialized in working with companies to develop prototypes of new kinds of apparel. It’s led to a number of innovative projects, like a sports bra with a heart monitor and a jacket with enough insulation to ascend Mt. Everest.

Throughout its existence, Fashions Unlimited specialized in stretch fabric. That’s grown into work developing garments that weave technology directly into clothing. Talk about smart garments often includes visions of sensors and other devices embedded directly into the fabric of clothing. Spector has a unique role in figuring out how that will play out, and he’s working with big brands.

For one such project, he worked with Adidas to develop apparel that has sensors built-in. It’s called the miCoach techfit line. Users snap a device in, and it can

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by STEPHEN BABCOCK

track data on heart rate, as well as motion.

“It monitors the whole team on one computer on the sideline,” he said of one use with a European soccer team.

Along with helping to find a way to fit technology into clothing, Spector helps clients figure out how to make the products commercially viable, including not just a use but also sourcing of materials for production. He’s seen the technology develop rapidly, and knows that it will continue as people will continue to want new products.

“When I started with heart monitors, it was, ‘How do you get from that pod to your wrist?’” he said. “Now they’re making it where it’s on the field, and it shows every player on the field.”

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General Sponsors

partners

T E C H N I C A L . LY / B A LT I M O R E • B A LT I M O R E I N N O VA T I O N W E E K . C O M

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