University of Maryland

We've utilized our custom proprietary system, our 30+ years of experience, and our one million person database to provide staffing services to both small and large companies throughout the DC Metro Area and 42 other States across the U S. While our focus has been predominantly in the Information Technology & Engineering Support Areas, our staffing model has allowed us to support large-scale staffing engagements in a variety of other verticals, including medical, biotech, & construction. We can deliver under several traditional staffing models, such as contract staff, temps, and direct placement, as well as more service oriented models, such as Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) or Action-Tracked Recruiting (ATR).

We offer: Business Development Writing Assistance for SOPs, Management Plans, SDLC Communications Consulting Writing and Editorial Training Communications Planning

Strategic Advisory Consulting Industry Research & Analysis

Based within the Washington, D.C. beltway, Empathy Media Lab is a production house that publishes content on labor, political economy, art, and culture, and is also an event space, music and podcast studio for artists and activists to hone their craft, showcase their artistry, and produce transformative stories for a global audience.

EMLab Strategies is part of Empathy Media Lab and offers a suite of communication, education, and media services for government, nonprofits, businesses, artists, politicians, and community causes.

Startup Maryland sees entrepreneurship as the launchfuel for healthy local ecosystem development and is passionate about celebrating those with the courage to STRT1UP®.

Startup Maryland Founder | CEO, Michael Binko (aka "binko"), is a serial entrepreneur-founder, entrepreneur Ecosystem Builder, venture funder (angel+seed+VC), data scientist and brand-hound ideator. He has managed Corporate Ventures/Development, Finance, Analyst/Investor Relations and Sales/Marketing for public companies (PSINet, XYBR, Oracle Federal, Apple Federal, NEXT Software, SCO, Novell, TMP Worldwide) and raised more than $2 billion in equity funding via global capital markets.

binko's sweet-spot venture life cycle stages are late Bootstrap to Rampup/Speedup when founders and teams are typically evaluated under the scrutiny lens of "Prove It at Scale." binko has been a Venture Mentor | Sherpa to thousands of entrepreneurs and founding teams around the country -- keeping a warm spot in his heart for his home state of Maryland (The Free State).

binko CoFounded and is CEO of Startup Maryland® -- a regions initiative born out of Startup America. Core programs include:

* STRT1UP® Roadshow * Documentary: STRT1UP ... Venturing Through the Land of Pleasant Living * Pitch Across Maryland startup competition * Raise Your Game Bootcamp (founder | executive team training) * Angel Academy (angel investor bootcamp) * STRT1UP Ventures * STRT1UP Accelerator (powered by Cohado®) * Creative-in-Residence (fusion of creatives with techies) * Maryland Open -- Crab Soup and Bloody Mary Competition

binko recently launched STRT1UP Ventures with current portfolio companies including: Quidient, American Gene Technologies (AGT), Fluent, AUTIX, Cohado, IES Life Science and Quantum Compliance.

As an angel investor of kloudtrack® a cloud-based cybersecurity, GRC, AI / data science company, binko currently serves as Board Chair.

binko is a CoFounder and member of the Board of the Startup Champions Network (SCN), the continuation of Startup America as the first organization established to support inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems. Since founding SCN, binko has led initiatives related to Deal-flow Mapping, Portfolio Innovation, Policy+Legislative Advocacy, Ecosystem Metrics, Branding and Partnerships including relationships with Kauffman Foundation, Revolution Ventures, Google for Startups, Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, TRowePrice and others. He was CoFounder | CMO of LaunchFuel a venture studio focused on Data, Cloud and Cyber.

binko is an Entrepreneur Ecosystem ambassador for the Rise of the Rest (ROTR) Roadshow with Steve Case, AOL Founder and Founder of Revolution Ventures. ROTR is a nation-wide bus tour that amplified the STRT1UP Roadshow concept to the national stage as a deal-flow and venture portfolio curation initiative highlighting and celebrating America's spirit of entrepreneurs in markets outside the stalwart venture markets of Silicon Valley, New England and New York.

binko holds two degrees, with honors, from James Madison U and completed the Innovation Management graduate program offered jointly by the University of Maryland Clark School of Engineering and Smith School of Business. He is a Lifetime Member of the University of Maryland Alumni Association.

He has instructed on venture building at UMD, George Mason U, George Washington U, Johns Hopkins U, MIT Forum, VTech and others. binko has is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence| Judge for the Morgan Stanley Social Innovation Awards.

binko is a recipient of many business acumen awards including: the Spirit of Free Enterprise, Influential Marylanders, and Innovator of the Year among others.

He is a Business Evaluator for NIST and an Accelerators contributor for The Wall Street Journal.