MAGIC Announces Fiscal Sponsorship of Innovators of Progress
MAGIC is pleased to announce its fiscal sponsorship of Innovators of Progress, a Maryland-based entrepreneurship program for full-time vocational, undergraduate, and graduate students.
The fiscal sponsorship agreement between the two organizations allows Innovators of Progress to raise funds for their pre-accelerator program under MAGIC’s 501(c)3 status. This enables Innovators of Progress to receive charitable contributions from the program’s friends and partners, apply for grant funding, and fundraise. MAGIC will also provide administrative support to help grow the program under its tutelage.
“Innovators of Progress is a valuable resource for all Maryland college and university students who wish to pursue entrepreneurship while also getting their degrees,” says Graham Dodge, Executive Director of MAGIC. “We are honored to support their work and help increase access to their program for our students in Carroll County and other rural communities.”
Innovators of Progress has held two cohorts since its inception in 2019, with its third currently in progress. Accepted students are connected with roughly $15,000 in combined funding in the form of seed capital, tuition assistance, and paid internships, up to a possible $140,000 thanks to their partnership with Conscious Venture Lab’s accelerator program.
“MAGIC’s mission to build a technology ecosystem that creates and nurtures entrepreneurship is in lockstep with the mission of Innovators of Progress,” says Markus Proctor, founder and Executive Director of Innovators of Progress. “Working together will be extraordinarily beneficial to our region’s ability to cultivate and retain technology-enabled ventures.”
In addition to this formal partnership with Innovators of Progress, MAGIC is also thrilled to share that Markus Proctor is joining its Board of Directors.
While also acting as the Executive Director of Innovators of Progress, Proctor serves as the Director of Technology & Information Security at the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). Proctor received a Bachelor of Science in Technology Entrepreneurship and Organizational Management from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), as well as a Master of Professional Studies in Technology Management from Georgetown University. It was Proctor’s own experience founding his first company, EduPal, at UMBC while also participating as an affiliate of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program that provided the inspiration for Innovators of Progress.
About MAGIC:
The Mid-Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory (MAGIC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization headquartered in Westminster, MD. MAGIC’s mission is to build a tech ecosystem that creates and nurtures talent, entrepreneurship, and tech businesses, elevating the Westminster gigabit community to lead the Mid-Atlantic region. For additional information about MAGIC, visit https://www.magicinc.org/
About Innovators of Progress:
Innovators of Progress is a one-year pre-accelerator program designed to support entrepreneurially motivated students with up to $140,000 comprising of seed capital, tuition assistance, and internships. Learn more at https://www.innovatorsofprogress.org
