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DC daily roundup: Revolution VP’s rise; HawkEye 360 on SpaceX; Bowser’s $21M budget;

Plus, nominate someone for RealLIST Connectors.

The Washington Monument on a cloudy day. (Robb Hill for Technical.ly)

An immigrant’s journey to a top VC role

Alex Shtarkman, a Johns Hopkins grad and a vice president at Revolution Ventures, is passionate about helping the underdog.

He and his family immigrated to the US from Ukraine in the late 90s. Among the first of them to pick up English, he recalled helping his relatives with everything from signing leases to buying a car. He offered similar translation services to entrepreneurs who’d also came to the US from abroad.

“I didn’t really know what I was doing at the time,” Shtarkman said. “But it wasn’t until many many years later that that really shaped the formative foundation for me to say, ‘I want to be in this business finance world, and helping folks execute against an idea.’”

➡️ Learn about his path in my new “How I Got Here” series article.

TEDCO wants to invest in your growth

Did you know how many resources and programs TEDCO offers to support entrepreneurs throughout their journey? There’s Prelude Pitch — an chance to practice and perfect your pitching skills with live feedback from TEDCO thought leaders. There’s the Maryland Innovation Initiative — a program that supports the acceleration of bringing research from the lab to the commercial market. And more.

With opportunities for investment from TEDCO’s Social Impact Funds, Seed Funds and Venture Funds, this Technical.ly client has opportunities to support your growth.

➡️ Learn more and stay informed by signing up for the TEDCO newsletter

News Incubator: What else to know today

• The Baltimore venture capital firm Squadra Ventures will be expanding and opening an office in DC. [Baltimore Biz Journal]

• More news from HawkEye 360 Inc.: Satellite Clusters 8 and 9 will launch in April aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. [HawkEye 360]

• ICYMI: Mayor Muriel Bowser presented her fiscal 2025 budget on Wednesday. “Fairshot: Strategic Investments and Shared Sacrifice” is a $21 billion plan. [WTOP]

• Nominations for Technical.ly’s RealLIST Connectors are still open. This is our yearly series where we track local tech community members who inform others and link people together. Let us know who should be on the DC list by next week. [Technical.ly]

🗓️ On the Calendar

• Baltimore-based, former DC-resident founder Dawn Myers will be appearing on “Shark Tank” on April 5. Celebrate the feature and the relaunch of her company The Mint with a special event in DC that night. [Details here]

• Unstuck Labs hosts its “Unstuck Tuesday” pitch feedback sessions weekly. The next date is April 9.  [Details here]

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