# Howard Carolan

> Howard Carolan is a Baltimore-based entrepreneur, CoapTech co-founder and former CEO who became an adviser in November 2025. His background combines Duke economics, graduate study at Johns Hopkins, and a decade of project and operational work. His CoapTech tenure included fundraising, commercialization and Baltimore manufacturing; a September 2026 portfolio-showcase report lists him as ICUFree’s CEO and co-founder.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and Advisor at CoapTech
- **Organizations:** CoapTech, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Hospital, ICUFree
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Economics, Duke University, MPH, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, MBA, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
- **Known for:** Co-founded CoapTech and led it from early development into commercial operations., Helped secure multiple rounds of financing during his tenure as CEO., Served as president of the Anna Baetjer Society during graduate study.

## Career timeline

- **Before CoapTech** — Worked for approximately ten years at Johns Hopkins, including leading project management for Emerge with the Applied Physics Laboratory.
- **2016** — Co-founded CoapTech with Steven Tropello; a licensing agreement was finalized in November.
- **2018** — CoapTech reported $2.35 million in seed funding.
- **2020** — Supported Maryland startup grant legislation; CoapTech closed a $7 million Series B led by Hunniwell Lake Ventures.
- **2022** — Presented at LSI USA and was listed as a speaker for the LifeBridge BioIncubator anniversary event.
- **2024** — CoapTech’s first production-grade batch made at The LaunchPort was market-ready in February.
- **2025** — CoapTech announced financing led by Good Growth Capital in May; Carolan transitioned from CEO to adviser in November.
- **2026** — A September 16 portfolio-showcase report identified him as CEO and co-founder of ICUFree.

## Achievements

- Co-founded CoapTech and led it from early development into commercial operations.
- Helped secure multiple rounds of financing during his tenure as CEO.
- Served as president of the Anna Baetjer Society during graduate study.
- Led project management for Emerge in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — A September 16 portfolio-showcase report lists Carolan as CEO and co-founder of ICUFree for an event scheduled September 25; participation is not independently confirmed.
- **2025-11** — CoapTech appointed Brad Kreger CEO; Carolan stepped down and remained an adviser to support the transition.
- **2025-05** — CoapTech announced an initial close of financing led by Good Growth Capital.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howard-carolan

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/howard-carolan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15