We Help Entrepreneurs & New Businesses Find Success
Whatever it takes, Montgomery County and MCEDC will help you every step of the way to create your business. From writing a sound business plan, understanding the licensing process, finding the ideal location to site selection and finding top talent, we help you start your business in our prime business capital.
UPDATED 2022 BUSINESS GUIDE
Free download with comprehensive federal, state and local resources to help your business succeed. Find funding, training, talent, shared space, chambers, support for minority businesses and more.
8 Steps to Start a Business
Assess your business potential and find great resources to help your new business, or business idea, get off the ground. Find important resources to write a business plan, learn about financing, register a business and more. Is licensing required? Research and obtain licenses and permits if needed. Find out more about resources and offices that can help you navigate the process. LEARN MORE >
Strong support and resources
Montgomery County has abundant resources, support and services to help you start and grow a business. MCEDC is here to help you navigate the process, connect you to necessary resources and help turn your business ideas into success. Reach out and let us help you explore your potential. LEARN MORE >
THE MOVE PROGRAM
Montgomery County's innovative MOVE Program assists new businesses that locate into Montgomery County for the first time. Companies that sign their first three-year (minimum) commercial lease in the County are eligible for a grant of $8 per square foot (sf). The grant applies to companies that lease up to 10,000 sf. LEARN MORE >
Market Assessment Tools
TEDCO is one of the many support resources that assist Montgomery County’s new and existing businesses. Some start-ups fail due to lack of understanding of their market – TEDCO has Market Search Services available at three locations. The services are a resource to help entrepreneurs improve the market assessment and opportunity analysis associated with developing business plans and applications for TEDCO’s funding programs. It’s free to schedule an in-person appointment at one of three locations. LEARN MORE >
BUSINESS INNOVATION CENTERS AND INCUBATORS
Emerging technology, cyber, life sciences or professional services companies:
The Montgomery County Business Innovation Network can provide a great place to land (on-site or virtual), networking opportunities and a full range of resources and support services.
Convenient locations close to strategic business assets—federal agencies, metro stations, core industry partners, and more
Turnkey office space—one facility is equipped with wet labs
State-of-the-art, shared conference rooms and facilities
Full menu of resource and support services, including business, legal, intellectual property, accounting and broad technical assistance
No long-term lease obligations.
Additional locations include:
Bethesda Green Innovation Lab is the leading entrepreneurship program in the Mid-Atlantic region that identifies and attracts leaders who are building for-profit business models around innovative and sustainable solutions to tackle environmental and social challenges.
Nonprofit Village, in Rockville is the first and only multi-tenant nonprofit center which helps enhance the reach and effectiveness of nonprofits in the area. Members enjoy affordable office space, opportunities for collaboration and community building, free workshops, business development programs and more.
Why Innovators Choose Montgomery County, MD
Top Talent
Maryland is #1 among states for PhD scientists and #2 for the highest concentration of STEM jobs in the U.S. – Montgomery County has over 6,000 STEM PhDs. Meet top scientists and researchers, software engineers, innovators and investors in emerging technology to fuel your growth. LEARN MORE >
High IQ Livability
Discover the perfect work-life-play balance where the nation’s capital is in our backyard and award-winning restaurants and parks abound. MoCo is a welcoming business community with consistently top ranked schools and great cultural amenities.. LEARN MORE >
Access to Federal HQs
Some of the country’s most important federal regulatory institutions reside here. 18 federal agencies have headquarters in Montgomery County, including NIH, FDA, NOAA and NIST. Federal labs and tech transfer options help innovative companies move to the next level with partnerships that can change the world.
Ideal Location
With 3 international airports that offer more than 1,000 nonstop flights daily to domestic and international destinations, we focus on your global business needs. Plus, the County is perfectly situated for easy travel in the bustling east coast business corridor. LEARN MORE >
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
ENIWARE, LLC, Bethesda, MD
Imagine a world where everyone has access to infection-free healthcare, whether in rural Uganda, a military surgical center, or on the front lines of a natural disaster. Eniware, LLC does more than imagine. They have developed a portable, medical instrument sterilization system for surgical care – no power or water supply needed.
Eniware chose Montgomery as an ideal place for its growing global health biotechnology company, enjoying proximity to government agencies and D.C. Embassies which they call “a convenient hop away by subway and car.” World-class experts on any topic can be found at the National Institutes of Health, less than a mile from their Bethesda office and a perfect compromise for staff living in Baltimore or DC. They took advantage of highly attractive financial incentives: the MOVE grant, Maryland’s visionary Biotechnology Investor Incentive Tax Credit (BIITC) and TEDCO’s small business investment program.