Bring us the napkin sketch.

How can I bring my idea or company into the MDC-Verte Fund?

Please contact us by email or a call to discuss your idea or company.

We just have an idea — are we too early?

Absolutely not. The phrase “too early” doesn't apply, and is actually disliked in the MDC-Verte Fund. We will make small investments to get you started.

What does MDC Studio do for an inventor, entrepreneur or company?

Screening

For inventors who just have an idea, the Studio will help the team assess the potential of the idea through a careful screening process:

• Will the technology or idea impact healthcare?
• Can it be built? How complex or expensive is the prototyping process?
• Who will be interested in a demonstration if we build a prototype?
• Who would buy the company's products?
• How big is the market? How accessible is it?
• Who are the competitors?
• Has a patent or disclosure been filed?
• Is there competing intellectual property? If so, is there freedom to operate?
• How can the prototype and product development be funded, and by whom?
• Is there federal or state non-dilutive funding available for an early-stage idea?
• Will FDA clearance be required to market the technology? If so, what is the pathway?
• How long will this take, and how much will it cost?
• If a company has been formed, who are the owners? What is the distribution of ownership?
• Is the team committed to the project?

Commitment

The team and its commitment is a key factor in the decision to accept a new technology or company into the MDC Studio program. MDC partners with teams to develop their idea. We are committed and will work hard with you to develop traction. We are not an incubator offering space and coffee, or an accelerator offering programs to teach you skills.

Funding

If the screening process indicates a likelihood of success, MDC will negotiate with the team to set up a company and to seek funding to develop the idea. MDC will talk with investors, help the team identify funding opportunities, and help write proposals to win funding. MDC companies have won about $13M in contract and grant funding, including five Phase I SBIR grants from the National Science Foundation. Altogether, MDC has helped its client companies raise over $15,000,000 in contracts, grants and investments.

Since the MDC Studio is located in an Opportunity Zone, investors in client companies can receive favourable tax treatment for their invested capital gains. The State of Maryland BioTax Incentive Program offers enhanced returns to investors in MDC Studio and its client companies.

Facilities

The MDC Studio is located in a historic building in the heart of Baltimore, four blocks from the University of Maryland Medical Center and the Shock Trauma Center. We have an open office with individual desks, a conference room, a workshop with 3D printers and a range of tools and test equipment, and a kitchen. Modest and fine restaurants are a few steps away. Parking is available in nearby garages. The light rail on Howard Street passes the building, and Camden Yards and the MARC train are a short walk away.

Prototyping and testing

MDC Studio will create a project plan for the development of a prototype and a test plan to demonstrate its use and effectiveness. The Studio has a development laboratory for building and testing devices. We also use partners like Root3 Labs, Key Tech and others to support specific development stages. We use the animal test facilities at Noble Life Sciences and the cadaver laboratory at the University of Maryland as needed. MDC Studio engineers have experience with a wide range of technologies used in medical devices.

Staffing

MDC may loan employees to the company as needed to make progress, and sometimes MDC employees become part of the permanent staff of the new company. We provide space at little or no cost to companies created in the Studio. We are patient, and will help the company pivot to a more promising direction. Where appropriate, we support the company in programs like I-Corps, providing the required PI, entrepreneurial lead and mentors.

Services

MDC Studio will help you form your company at very modest cost and help with the registrations (D&B, SAM, SBA) necessary to compete for federal and state contracts and grants. This will save you thousands of dollars. If you have questions — LLC or C-corp? Maryland (yes) or Delaware (no)? Attorney, accountant, banker? — we have advice and answers.

A collaborative environment with a focus on medical technologies means we are always learning from each other's successes and challenges. This allows first-time entrepreneurs to learn and progress much more quickly than if they were operating alone. We are also happy to connect you with our network of vendors, consultants and other service providers, many of whom we have worked with closely and who offer affordable, high-quality services.

For companies already formed and with some funding, MDC provides space at modest cost and back-office services such as payroll, benefits management and tax preparation. Most importantly, MDC provides engineering and business development support from experienced developers and mentors.

What does it cost to be part of MDC?

Equity. MDC's model is based on taking an equity position in the new company. We charge little if anything for our services. The equity position means we have skin in the game. MDC will invest in-kind services such as engineering time, proposal development, fundraising support and space for staff — whatever it takes to get the company going and support its development. In effect, if MDC Studio cannot make your company valuable, we gain very little. Contact us to learn about MDC client company agreements.

Can I speak to entrepreneurs who work with MDC Studio?

Absolutely. Contact the CEOs of MDC Studio portfolio companies to learn about their experience in the Studio. Get in touch and we will make an introduction.