Baltimore Startups to Watch in 2027: Verified Companies in Health Tech, Cybersecurity and Software
Baltimore is home to Johns Hopkins and sits next to the Washington, DC area, and its young companies reflect that mix of health research and security work. But "top startups" lists age fast, and the 2026 version of this article included companies that have since been acquired, that are based in other cities, or that we could not find at all. For this 2027 edition we checked every company on its own website, contact page, legal page or newsroom in October 2026: that it still operates, that it gives a Baltimore or Maryland address or press dateline, what it actually sells, and which funding round it announced itself. Rounds we found only in the press are named with the outlet. The companies we removed are listed, with the reason, near the end.
Quick answer: the Baltimore startups to watch in 2027 are b.well Connected Health (consumer health data), Huntress (managed cybersecurity), SixMap (attack surface intelligence), Scene Health (medication adherence), Backpack Healthcare (mental health care for children), Sonavex (3D ultrasound for dialysis care), EcoMap Technologies (AI software for startup ecosystems) and DMV Hotshots (expedited freight). Protenus, Order.co and Dragos, which were on the old list, have been acquired or are based elsewhere.
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Why Baltimore Matters for Founders in 2027
Two strengths stand out in the companies below. The first is health: Scene Health and EcoMap both started at Johns Hopkins, and b.well, Backpack Healthcare and Sonavex sell to health plans, clinics and Medicaid programmes, which are hard markets to enter but sticky once you are in. The second is cybersecurity: Huntress and SixMap both give Columbia, Maryland as their base, between Baltimore and Washington, and SixMap describes itself as born out of national defense work. Software such as EcoMap and service businesses such as DMV Hotshots show the city also grows companies with other models. Comparing places to build? See our guides to San Diego startups to watch and Berlin startups to watch.
Baltimore Startups to Watch in 2027 Compared
Sources: each company's official website, contact, legal or about page and newsroom, checked 27 October 2026. "None cited" means we found no funding announcement we could link; press-reported rounds name the outlet.
The Baltimore Startups to Watch in 2027
1. b.well Connected Health: health data that follows the patient
b.well Connected Health builds a FHIR-based platform that pulls a person's health records into one place and powers AI health assistants, care booking and clinical trial matching for health plans, health systems and apps. In a press release datelined Baltimore on 29 September 2026, it announced its place on TIME's list of the World's Top HealthTech Companies of 2026 and said its network reaches more than 2.4 million providers, more than 350 health plans and more than 350 personal health devices. As a CMS Aligned Network participant it supports data exchange for more than 99 million lives, and it names OpenAI, Google Health, Samsung Health and Perplexity among the companies whose projects use its infrastructure. Founder and CEO Kristen Valdes leads the company. We found no funding announcement we could link on its site, so we cite none.
Lesson for founders: in a regulated market, becoming the plumbing that everyone else connects to can be a stronger position than owning one consumer app.
2. Huntress: managed cybersecurity for smaller businesses
Huntress sells managed security: endpoint detection and response (EDR), identity threat detection (ITDR), a managed SIEM and security awareness training, backed by a 24/7 security operations center (SOC). Its homepage addresses small businesses, IT teams, managed service providers (MSPs) and resellers. Its about page says the company was born in 2015, joined the Mach37 accelerator with a $50,000 investment, and then raised a $750,000 seed round (2017), an $18 million Series A (2020), a $40 million Series B (2021), a $60 million Series C (2023) and a $150 million Series D (2024). It says it partners with more than 285,000 organizations. Its privacy policy gives Huntress Labs Incorporated's address on Columbia Gateway Drive in Columbia, Maryland. Co-founder Kyle Hanslovan is CEO.
Lesson for founders: Huntress runs a partner programme for the MSPs and resellers who look after small businesses. One channel partner can bring you many customers at once.
3. SixMap: finding every exposed system before attackers do
SixMap calls its product a preemptive exposure management platform: from a company name alone, it maps the organization's entities, scans its IPv4 and IPv6 address space across all 65,535 ports and alerts on new vulnerabilities. Its press release of 22 April 2025, datelined Columbia, Maryland, announced a $7 million round led by IAG Capital Partners, bringing total funding to $22.05 million. Its press room also lists a US Air Force Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract (July 2025) and new product capabilities against AI-driven attacks (December 2025).
Lesson for founders: government research contracts such as SBIR can fund product development and give you a reference customer before you raise large rounds.
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4. Scene Health: helping patients take their medicine
Scene Health (the trading name of emocha Mobile Health) supports medication adherence with short video check-ins, nurses and pharmacists, for health plans, public health departments, health systems and clinical trials, with a focus on hypertension, diabetes and asthma. Its about page says the technology began in 2008 with Johns Hopkins researchers, that the company launched from Johns Hopkins in 2014, and that it has logged 1 million video check-ins. Investors named on the page include Kapor, Healthworx and ABS Capital. Its contact page gives an address in Brooklandville, Maryland, just north of Baltimore. The news page on its site links coverage of a $17.7 million Series B in 2023, for example by MedCity News.
Lesson for founders: a university spinout becomes a business when it finds a payer. Scene Health's customers are the health plans that save money when patients take their medicine.
5. Backpack Healthcare: mental health care for children and families
Backpack Healthcare offers online therapy, psychiatry and parent training for children from age 4, young adults and families. Its homepage says it is covered by more than 100 commercial insurers and by Medicaid in 5 states. Its about page says founder and CEO Hafeezah Muhammad started the company in 2021, as Youme Healthcare, after struggling to find a provider who accepted Medicaid for her son, and gives an address in Elkridge, Maryland. According to Behavioral Health Business, it raised a $14 million Series A led by PACE Healthcare Capital in May 2024.
Lesson for founders: a customer group that others avoid, here children on Medicaid, can be a large market if you build the business around how it pays.
6. Sonavex: 3D ultrasound for dialysis care
Sonavex makes automated 3D ultrasound tools for the teams that care for dialysis patients' blood vessel access: EchoSure measures flow rate, diameter and depth, EchoMark is an ultrasound marker for blood vessels, and EchoMap maps vessels to guide needle placement. Its site reports FDA 510(k) clearance for the EchoMap device (news item of 30 April 2025), while a notice on its homepage says EchoMark and EchoSure are not commercially available for arteriovenous access use and EchoMap V2 is not yet on sale. Its contact page gives an address on O'Donnell Street, Baltimore.
Lesson for founders: medical device startups move one clearance at a time. Be precise about what is cleared and what is still investigational, as Sonavex is on its own homepage.
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7. EcoMap Technologies: software for startup ecosystems
EcoMap Technologies builds AI-powered "ecosystem intelligence" software that helps regions, chambers of commerce and support organisations map their resources and guide founders to them. Its about page says it was founded in Baltimore, by Pava LaPere at Johns Hopkins University. Its newsroom lists a partnership with the Maryland Chamber of Commerce to measure state competitiveness (February 2026), a business intelligence suite with BBB Greater Maryland (January 2026) and a partnership to bring its tools to Africa (September 2026). According to Technical.ly, EcoMap reported a $6.9 million raise in January 2025.
Lesson for founders: EcoMap sells to the organisations that serve founders. If your users cannot pay, find the institution that is paid to help them.
8. DMV Hotshots: a bootstrapped freight business
DMV Hotshots provides hotshot trucking and expedited freight from Baltimore, Maryland, across the United States and Canada. Its site says it was founded in 2021 by two Howard University graduates. It is the smallest company on this list and announces no funding, but it is a useful reminder that not every startup is a venture-backed tech company.
Lesson for founders: a service business with a clear niche can earn revenue from the first week. Start regional, prove reliability, then widen the map.
Baltimore Companies From the Old List That Changed or Could Not Be Verified
The 2026 version of this article listed ten companies. Here is why six of them are no longer in the main list:
- Protenus: acquired. The milestones on Bluesight's about page say "Bluesight acquires Protenus" in 2025, and protenus.com now redirects to Bluesight.
- Order.co: not Baltimore-based. Its website gives an address on 5th Avenue in New York.
- Dragos: its website says it is privately held and headquartered in Washington, DC, and it is a large industrial cybersecurity company rather than a startup.
- Beltway Companies: its site says it has served the Baltimore area for over 40 years, so it is an established business, not a startup.
- Crunchyroll's "Baltimore division" and Leader Bank Tech Ventures: we found no official source for either a Baltimore division or a Baltimore tech venture programme, so we removed both.
Scene Health, EcoMap Technologies, Backpack Healthcare and DMV Hotshots stay on the list with updated, checked facts. We also looked at ARMR Systems (hemorrhage control devices) and Infinity Bio (antibody profiling from a Johns Hopkins lab), which local media describe as Baltimore companies, but their own sites name no location, so they are not listed. We removed the old article's unsourced figures ("over 400 active startups", "serving millions globally", "doubling revenue", "half a billion in annualized spend") and its links to third-party startup lists.
Which Baltimore Startup Should You Learn From?
- You build health tech for payers or providers: study b.well (infrastructure others plug into) and Scene Health (a Hopkins spinout paid by health plans).
- You build care for underserved patients: study Backpack Healthcare and how it built around Medicaid.
- You build medical devices: study Sonavex and its step-by-step FDA path.
- You build cybersecurity: study Huntress (selling through MSPs and resellers) and SixMap (SBIR contracts before big rounds).
- You build B2G or B2B software: study EcoMap and its chamber and regional partners.
- You start a service business: study DMV Hotshots and its regional start.
How Founders Use Baltimore's Startup Scene
You do not need to live in Baltimore to learn from these companies, but if you build on the US East Coast, start with people and money. Meet founders and investors at the events in our guides to startup events in New York and startup events in Boston, and by sector, the top healthtech startup events, cybersecurity startup events and events for women entrepreneurs. When you are ready to raise, compare angel investors in North America, early-stage VC firms and VCs for AI startups, and test your pitch at the startup competitions in North America.
Comparing ecosystems? Our lists of China startups to watch and startup incubators in Asia, and the startup cities directory, help you weigh other options. Before you copy any of these business models, validate your startup idea with real customers. When you want to get noticed, list your startup in the F/MS marketing directories, publish your startup press release and write about your product with the F/MS AI SEO Tool so customers and AI assistants can find you.
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FAQ About Baltimore Startups to Watch in 2027
Which Baltimore startups should I watch in 2027?
Our verified list: b.well Connected Health, Huntress, SixMap, Scene Health, Backpack Healthcare, Sonavex, EcoMap Technologies and DMV Hotshots. Each still operates and gives a Baltimore or Maryland address or press dateline on its official site, checked in October 2026.
Is Protenus still a Baltimore startup?
No. Bluesight's milestones list its acquisition of Protenus in 2025, and protenus.com now redirects to Bluesight.
Is Dragos based in Baltimore?
Its website now says it is headquartered in Washington, DC. It is also a large company rather than a startup, so we removed it.
Which Baltimore-area startups work in cybersecurity?
Huntress, which sells managed security to businesses directly and through MSPs and resellers, and SixMap, which maps exposed systems and holds a US Air Force SBIR Phase II contract. Both give Columbia, Maryland as their base. Our guide to cybersecurity startup events lists where to meet companies like them.
Which Baltimore health tech startups are worth following?
b.well Connected Health for consumer health data, Scene Health for medication adherence, Backpack Healthcare for children's mental health and Sonavex for 3D ultrasound in dialysis care.
Which Baltimore startups raised money recently?
From official announcements, SixMap raised $7 million in April 2025 and Huntress lists a $150 million Series D in 2024. According to Technical.ly, EcoMap reported $6.9 million in January 2025, and according to Behavioral Health Business, Backpack Healthcare raised a $14 million Series A in May 2024.
Why does Johns Hopkins matter for Baltimore startups?
Several local companies started there: Scene Health's technology began with Johns Hopkins researchers, and EcoMap was founded at Johns Hopkins University.
What can founders learn from Baltimore startups?
Find the customer who pays, such as a health plan, an IT provider or a chamber of commerce; use public research contracts to fund development; and be precise about what is approved and what is not.
Where can I get a backlink by writing about my startup?
You can publish a guest post in one of the Fe/male Switch startup blogs, which rank in Google and in AI tools. Get a quality backlink.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
