Montgomery County Companies Win Big at the Maryland Tech Council’s ICON Awards
Last week, the Maryland Tech Council (MTC) celebrated its annual ICON Awards, a night dedicated to recognizing the many innovative and forward-thinking life sciences and technology companies that call Maryland home. Montgomery County companies stole the show, with eight companies taking home awards, and 23 companies and executives named finalists across major categories. From companies advancing biomarker discovery and diagnostic testing to organizations providing innovative research support that improves global health outcomes, the strong showing underscores Montgomery County’s position as one of the nation’s leading innovation economies.
As the third-largest biopharma hub in the United States and a center for advanced technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and government contracting, Montgomery County continues to attract and grow companies developing solutions that are shaping the future of high-growth industry sectors. The success of Montgomery County companies at this year’s ICON Awards reflects the strength of the County’s collaborative ecosystem, which brings together world-class talent, proximity to federal research institutions, leading universities including the Universities at Shady Grove and Montgomery College (Maryland’s top community college), and a robust network of partners like BioHub Maryland, MTC’s training and education center.
Among the evening’s honorees was MaxCyte CEO Maher Masoud, who was recognized as the Life Sciences CEO of the Year. Headquartered in Rockville, MaxCyte is a global leader in cell-engineering technologies that support next-generation therapies. Also representing Montgomery County’s deep life sciences ecosystem was BIOQUAL President and Chief Scientific Officer Hanne Andersen Elyard, who won Life Sciences C-Suite of the Year. BIOQUAL specializes in advancing research across a range of critical scientific areas, with a primary focus on infectious and human diseases
The County’s growing reputation as a technology hub was also highlighted at the awards ceremony. Josh Araujo, CEO of Clarksburg-based developer of robotic vehicle autonomy technology designed for defense, commercial, and municipal applications Forterra, won Government Contracting CEO of the Year, while Denise Garce, Chief Legal Officer of Chevy Chase-based virtual reality learning platform Floreo, won Technology C-Suite of the Year. Additional Montgomery County award winners included Coforma for Government Contracting Company of the Year, TrilliumBiO for Emerging Life Sciences Company of the Year, and Dwellwell Analytics for Emerging Technology Company of the Year.
The awards also come at a time of continued momentum for Montgomery County’s life sciences industry. Bora Pharmaceuticals, which won Life Sciences Company of the Year, recently expanded its Montgomery County footprint through its acquisition of MacroGenics, further strengthening the County’s growing biopharmaceutical manufacturing and CDMO presence.
The strong representation at the ICON Awards highlights what life sciences and technology industry leaders already know: Montgomery County is home to an ecosystem that continuously fosters innovation from companies of all sizes.
