UBalt Launches AI-Enabled Business Accelerator

The University of Baltimore has announced the launch of its AI-Enabled Business Accelerator, a nine-week program supporting early-stage founders building scalable, artificial intelligence-enabled ventures.

The accelerator's inaugural cohort features eight Baltimore-based entrepreneurs applying AI across healthcare, energy, education, housing, workforce development and small business services. The program is housed within the University's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and supported with funding from TEDCO, Maryland's economic development agency.

"This accelerator is about connecting innovation to opportunity—helping founders apply AI in practical ways, build strong businesses and stay rooted in Baltimore as they grow," said Henry Mortimer, director of the center. "By opening UBalt's doors to community entrepreneurs, we're reinforcing the University’s role as a catalyst for economic impact in the city."

The program guides participants through customer discovery, go-to-market strategy development, revenue modeling and investor storytelling. Founders receive mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders while accessing the University’s academic expertise, including faculty from its Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence for Business program, which launched in 2024.

The accelerator builds on the UBalt's commitment to AI education and practical application, leveraging the academic foundation established through its graduate AI programs to support real-world entrepreneurial ventures in the Baltimore community.

Inaugural cohort companies include:

• AI Sharp Index (Romane Sharp, founder): An AI-powered behavioral health platform that predicts relapse risk and enables data-informed intervention within clinical workflows.
• Alektra, Inc. (Jiaqun Wang, founder): An AI-driven electricity market intelligence platform delivering predictive insights for energy producers and traders.
• BrickRose Exchange (Bianca Jackson, founder): An AI automation platform helping micro and small businesses adopt and operationalize AI tools.
• HealthLink360 (Kenneth Watson Jr., founder): A preventive health platform using AI and digital twins to identify early metabolic risks and guide personalized interventions.
• NextGenEdu (Amber Johnson Avery, founder): An AI-enabled career discovery platform helping students explore personalized career pathways using real-time labor market data.
• Sommos (Nicole Foster, founder): An AI-powered family storytelling platform that helps families capture and organize memories across generations.
• SphereHub (Hamza Umar, founder): An AI-driven housing and roommate-matching platform for students seeking compatible off-campus housing.
• Stacks Data (Scott Kaufman, founder): A B2B software platform using AI to streamline supply chain compliance and sustainability reporting for manufacturers.

The program will culminate on March 17 with Demo Day, during which cohort companies will present their progress to mentors, partners, investors and members of Baltimore's innovation community.

The accelerator represents the University of Baltimore's expanding role as a gateway for innovation in the city, connecting campus resources with community entrepreneurs to strengthen Baltimore's startup ecosystem. By supporting AI-enabled ventures at an early stage, the program aims to position founders for follow-on funding, advanced accelerators and long-term growth while contributing to job creation and inclusive economic development.

More information about the AI-Enabled Business Accelerator and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is available here.

Read UBalt's September 2025 launch announcement of the UBalt AI-Enabled Business Accelerator.