The Maryland Department of Commerce has awarded 18 small and mid-sized Maryland companies with ExportMD grants to help promote their products and services in the global marketplace. The ExportMD grant program helps businesses finance the costs of marketing internationally, including trade show fees, brochures, and travel expenses. Applications are accepted on a monthly basis and the next application deadline is August 1, 2018. Eligibility requirements can be found on the Commerce website.

“ExportMD has been one of most popular programs, and is a big part of the success of many of our small and mid-sized companies,” said Maryland Commerce Secretary Mike Gill. “The financial assistance as well as the guidance offered by Maryland Office of International Investment and Trade is invaluable to companies looking to grow their customer base in the global market.”

Among the companies receiving an ExportMD grant is Rockville-based Inky Technology Corporation, a leader in email protection whose anti-phishing solution – Inky Phish Fence – uses machine learning, artificial intelligence, and computer vision to prevent phishing attacks. The company recently used its grant to travel overseas to Infosecurity Europe 2018, a leading information security conference that attracts nearly 20,000 attendees from across the globe.

“Being part of the Maryland delegation at Infosecurity Europe really helped us stand out, network with prospects, and meet more Maryland cyber companies. We have learned from each other,” said Dave Baggett, CEO of Inky. “The U.K. market is new to us, so it was helpful to learn about different opportunities and partnerships from other Maryland companies.”

Established in 1999, the ExportMD program provides matching grants up to $5,000 from Commerce’s Office of International Investment and Trade. ExportMD is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, which has awarded multiple State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) grants to Maryland Commerce to help fund the program.

April-June 2018 ExportMD grant recipients

Anne Arundel County
Glacier Security
South River Technologies, Inc.

Baltimore County
AirPhoton, LLC
Rovner Products Inc.

Howard County
Bricata Inc.
Silent Circle
Vision Planning and Consulting, LLC

Montgomery County
Amarex Clinical Research, LLC
Clinical Research Marketing
Eniware, LLC
Inky Technology Corporation
Kolon TissueGene, Inc.
Rife International, LLC
Speak Agent, Inc.
Stress Indicators Inc.

Prince George’s County
Alertus Technologies
Cybrary Inc.
Untethered Labs, Inc.