Montgomery County Department of Economic Development

What Montgomery County Department of Economic Development does

The Montgomery County Department of Economic Development (DED) is the county-government economic development agency for Montgomery County, Maryland, operating under Montgomery County Government from its headquarters at 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 800 in Rockville. Its functional mandate is to stimulate economic growth, attract and retain employers, and create employment opportunities for county residents through tax incentives, financing programs, business development assistance, workforce support, and agricultural land preservation.

The DED's core product portfolio is organized as eight discrete programs rather than a unified software platform: (1) the Business Innovation Network, four incubation centers in Germantown, Rockville, Silver Spring, and Wheaton providing flexible office and lab space, training, legal support, and investor-network access for technology, life sciences, and high-growth professional services firms; (2) the Montgomery County Tech Transfer Program (MCT2), a federal-laboratory commercialization program anchored at the William E. Hanna, Jr. Innovation Center at Shady Grove; (3) the Small and Minority Business Empowerment division, serving over 33,000 small and minority-owned businesses; (4) the Local Small Business Reserve Program, which sets aside 20% of county procurements under $10 million for qualifying local small businesses; (5) Financial and Tax Incentives including the MOVE Program, Economic Development Fund, Small Business Revolving Loan Program, and sector-specific supplements (Biotechnology, Cybersecurity); (6) the Office Hours program offering free one-on-one consultations at 23 partner locations; (7) Workforce Development delivered through WorkSource Montgomery and MontgomeryWorks; and (8) Agricultural Services for land preservation. Underlying infrastructure is largely physical (8 DED-run offices plus partner co-working venues) and event-based (conferences, fairs, Speaker Series).

The DED's business model is a publicly funded government agency model: services are delivered free at point of use to county-based businesses and entrepreneurs, with the agency funded by Montgomery County Government appropriations and state/federal grants rather than commercial revenue. Its customer segments — startups and emerging firms, small and minority-owned businesses, federal contractors, biotech/cybersecurity employers, researchers, and agricultural operators — are served through a segmented vertical approach. Distribution is regional (Montgomery County only), with physical and partner-channel presence but no mobile app or API offering. Note: the data scrape also includes unrelated payday-loan SEO content that appears on the choosemontgomerymd.com domain; this is not a DED product or service.

Name

Montgomery County Department of Economic Development

Legal name

Montgomery County Department of Economic Development

Website

https://choosemontgomerymd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Montgomery County Department of Economic Development is a Maryland county-government agency that provides free business assistance, four incubation centers, tax and financing incentives, tech-transfer services, workforce programs, and small/minority business support to companies operating in Montgomery County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Economic Development Services

NAICS

Business Support Services (5614)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Workforce Development Programs (WIOA/One-Stop Career Centers) (EDAAAOAA)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Business incubation programs
• Small business assistance
• Tax incentive programs
• Workforce development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Economic Development Services: The Montgomery County Department of Economic Development operates as a government agency providing economic development services to stimulate growth and create employment opportunities for county residents. Services include tax incentives, grants, loans, business development assistance, and workforce support programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Montgomery County Department of Economic Development (DED) is a county government agency that delivers economic development services to stimulate growth and create employment. Its portfolio includes the Business Innovation Network (four business incubation centers with flexible office and lab space), the Montgomery County Tech Transfer Program (MCT2) for federal-lab technology commercialization, the Small and Minority Business Empowerment division, the Local Small Business Reserve Program (20% of procurements under $10 million reserved for local small businesses), a suite of tax and financial incentives (MOVE Program, Economic Development Fund, New Jobs Tax Credit, Brownfield Property Tax Credit, Green Building Tax Credit, biotech/cybersecurity supplements), the free Office Hours one-on-one business assistance program, workforce development services, and Agricultural Services.

Product overview

Montgomery County Department of Economic Development offers a comprehensive suite of economic development programs and services organized as multiple distinct initiatives rather than a unified software product. The portfolio includes the Business Innovation Network (four business incubation centers), the Montgomery County Tech Transfer Program (MCT2) for technology commercialization, Small and Minority Business Empowerment services, the Local Small Business Reserve Program for government contracting, Financial and Tax Incentives programs, the Office Hours one-on-one business assistance program, Workforce Development support, and Agricultural Services. These are government programs and services, not software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Innovation Network A network of four business incubation centers providing flexible office and lab space combined with business support services, training classes, legal support, and access to federal grant programs, state funding, and the investor community for emerging technology, life sciences, and high-growth professional services companies. Founded in 1999, the network works with approximately 100 teams at any given time and has graduated over 200 companies.
• Montgomery County Tech Transfer Program (MCT2) Technology transfer initiative assisting local businesses, entrepreneurs, researchers, and investors in commercializing federal-lab and university technologies. Includes the Gateway to Innovation Welcome Center at the William E. Hanna, Jr. Innovation Center at Shady Grove, monthly Speakers Series, Innovation 2 Commercialization Conference, access to local tech transfer events, partnership and networking opportunities, and Certificate Programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 companies graduated from Business Innovation Network
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• African Women's CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization supporting small and minority businesses through strategic partnerships focused on advancing opportunities in Montgomery County.
• Latino Economic Development CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing economic development services to Latino-owned businesses in the county.
• Maryland/D.C. Minority Supplier Development CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization advancing opportunities for minority businesses through certification and procurement connections.
• Maryland Small Business Development Center NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork providing small business development resources and technical assistance.
• Maryland Washington Minority Contractor's AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation supporting minority contractors through advocacy and business development programs.
• Maryland Women's Business CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResource center providing training and support for women-owned businesses.
• SCOREcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentor network providing business expertise and guidance to small businesses through volunteer business professionals.
• U.S. Small Business AdministrationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency partner providing small business resources, financing programs, and contracting assistance.
• Women Business Owners of Montgomery CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal organization supporting women entrepreneurs through networking and business development opportunities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Arlington Economic Development: Direct peer as a county/city-level economic development agency in the Washington DC metro area, competing for tech, government contractor, and corporate headquarters relocations with a comparable service portfolio.
• Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation: Direct peer as an adjacent Maryland county economic development corporation, competing for businesses, federal contractors, and workforce in the same Washington DC metro region with overlapping incentive offerings.
• Fairfax County Economic Development Authority: Direct peer as a county-level economic development authority in the neighboring Northern Virginia jurisdiction. Operates comparable business attraction, retention, and expansion programs targeting similar sectors (IT, cybersecurity, professional services) and competing for the same regional business base.
• Howard County Economic Development Authority: Direct peer as a Maryland county-level economic development authority that competes with Montgomery County for relocating and expanding businesses. Offers comparable incentive programs and business assistance services to a similar mid-Atlantic business community.
• Loudoun County Department of Economic Development: Direct peer as a Virginia county economic development agency in the DC metro area, actively competing for data center, cybersecurity, and technology company relocations with comparable incentive programs and proximity to Dulles International Airport.
• Baltimore County Department of Economic and Workforce Development: Direct peer as a Maryland county-level economic and workforce development agency, providing comparable business attraction, retention, and workforce training services within the same state policy framework.

Broad incumbents

• Maryland Department of Commerce: State-level economic development agency that oversees and complements county DEDs across Maryland, including providing state tax credits and programs that Montgomery County businesses access through the DED. Operates as a broader incumbent in the same public-sector economic development space.
• Virginia Economic Development Partnership: State-level economic development marketing and incentive authority that competes with Maryland for business relocations across the DC metro region. Offers broader portfolio of state-level incentives that complement or compete with Montgomery County's offerings.

Regional players

• Greater Washington Partnership: Regional public-private collaborative focused on economic competitiveness across the DC-Maryland-Virginia corridor. Operates as a complement/overlay to county-level agencies like the Montgomery County DED, with overlapping focus on workforce and capital attraction.

Others

• SBA (U.S. Small Business Administration): Federal partner and ecosystem enabler for the DED's small business programs. While not a direct competitor, the SBA provides overlapping small business development services (SBDCs, SCORE, financing programs) that the DED connects clients into as a referral partner.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mcded
• Facebookfacebook.com/MoCoDED
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/montgomery-county-department-of-economic-development

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Montgomery County Department of Economic Development