The Grid and Office of Community and Civic Engagement collaborate to create a successful workshop at the CEC.
Twenty aspiring entrepreneurs, innovators, and community members came together Nov. 2 at the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Community Engagement Center (CEC) for “Ideas to Impact: Explore, Test, and Shape Your Business Idea,” an interactive workshop presented through a collaboration between UMB’s Office of Community and Civic Engagement (OCCE) and the Graduate Research Innovation District (The Grid).
Seventeen participants attended in person at the CEC, while three joined virtually, creating a dynamic learning environment focused on transforming early-stage ideas into actionable plans. The conversations lasted long after the formal presentation ended with community members exchanging ideas with UMB staff and students.
Held at the CEC in West Baltimore, the workshop introduced participants to tools for evaluating and developing business, nonprofit, and social enterprise concepts. Attendees were encouraged to bring their own ideas to the session, but presenters emphasized that participants did not need a fully formed business concept to benefit from the experience.
Taylor DeBoer, MA, acting director of the Grid, highlighted resources available through UMB’s student innovation hub, which supports entrepreneurship, creativity, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Through programs such as Grid Pitch, students receive mentorship, funding opportunities, and practical guidance as they transform innovative concepts into ventures with real-world impact. DeBoer is hoping to bring some of these resources to community members soon.
Participants worked through interactive activities designed to help clarify customer needs, identify challenges their ideas could address, and better understand how different audiences might respond to proposed products, services, or initiatives. The highly participatory format encouraged discussion, feedback, and collaboration among attendees from diverse professional and educational backgrounds.
For OCCE, the event reflects a broader commitment to expanding pathways to economic opportunity and empowering residents with knowledge, tools, and resources that can strengthen communities.
Whether participants arrived with a fully developed concept or only the spark of an idea, they left with practical strategies, new connections, and a clearer understanding of how to move their vision from concept to reality.
As UMB continues to foster innovation across campus and throughout Baltimore, collaborations like this help ensure that entrepreneurial knowledge and resources are accessible not only to students, but also to the broader community.
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