What it is
CarrTech is a Maryland medical device startup based at 321 Ballenger Center Drive in Frederick, the same building that houses the Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc. (FITCI). The company was founded by pharmacist Sue Carr, PharmD, who invented and patented its core product. Its current leadership team lists Mark Beliczky as CEO, along with a commercial lead, CFO, research and development staff, a board and a patent attorney.
The product
CarrTech's product is FROG (Filter Removal of Glass), a single device that pairs an outer filter with an inner hypodermic needle. Breaking a glass ampoule can release glass particles into the medication, and the standard filtering process requires switching between a filter needle and an injection needle. With FROG, a clinician withdraws the medication, removes the filter and then injects, without swapping needles. The company says the device can be used to inject into an IV bag, connect to an IV line or administer directly to a patient. CarrTech announced FDA 510(k) Class II clearance of FROG on its news page.
Funding and milestones
According to the company's news page, CarrTech has received investment from TEDCO through its Pre-Seed Builder Fund and RUBRIC relief program, and from Old Line Capital Partners, which also led a seed round covered by the Washington Business Journal. It received a $10,000 grant from Frederick County, won the 2020 Shore Hatchery pitch competition, and was approved as a Qualified Maryland Biotechnology Company (QMBC), a status that makes investors eligible for the state's Biotechnology Investment Incentive Tax Credit. The Maryland Tech Council named it the 2021 Emerging Life Sciences Company of the Year, and in 2023 it ran human factors studies at FITCI.
Who it is for
FROG is aimed at hospitals, pharmacies and clinicians who prepare medications from glass ampoules. For DMV founders, CarrTech is mainly relevant as a peer company and an example of how a single-product medtech startup can move from invention to FDA clearance using Maryland resources. The company says it welcomes inquiries about FROG and about investment opportunities through its contact page.
Why it matters in the DMV ecosystem
CarrTech's path shows how Frederick County's support network fits together: incubator space and testing at FITCI, county economic development grants, TEDCO pre-seed capital, a regional venture investor and the state QMBC tax credit program. Founders building medical devices in Maryland can look at this sequence as a practical map of the funding and support options available before a product reaches market.
