Baltimore weekly roundup: Disinformation’s new reality; Treasury funds for small biz; DOJ sues over Key Bridge collapse

Welcome to the roundup of the latest from Baltimore's tech and entrepreneurship scene. Want this in your inbox? Subscribe for free.

Maryland wins $10M to build BRIDGEs

State-affiliated TEDCO nabbed the funds through a program led by the US Department of Treasury. This capital will go toward TEDCO’s new BRIDGE program, which will focus on helping marginalized business owners and founders of “very small” businesses with legal, tech and other services.

In other federal funding news, the Baltimore County-based IT and strategic planning firm RSC2 announced a $30 million contract for operations and engineering consulting services to the US Army.

➡️ Read more about these and other Money Moves here

Building bots is becoming easier and cheaper

As technology becomes more sophisticated and human-like, identifying false information can get tricky, Technical.ly reporter Holly Quinn writes. 

A few years ago, creating a bot to prey on political discord required some coding skills. But it’s since become a lot more accessible: Platforms that allow you to build bots without any special skills can cost as little as $20 a month.

“It’s easier to make it look like the message comes from human at scale,” one expert said. “And it’s actually not that expensive.”

➡️ As the election looms, learn about best practices in ID-ing false info here

Free advice from global business lawyers

Lawyers at Morgan Lewis are back with a new series of webinars that provide practical tips and address topics relevant to entrepreneurs and investors.

The Oct. 10 edition brings a look at IPOs and the path to liquidity for founders. The Nov. 21 session covers legal strategies for fintech and venture capital financing. On Dec. 11, lawyers discuss the trends affecting investing and fundraising for high-growth emergent companies. It’s all available totally free when you RSVP in advance.

➡️ See the full schedule with details and register online

This sponsored blurb supports our journalism. Want to see your message here? Find out more.

News Incubator: What else to know

•  The DOJ filed a lawsuit against the container ship Dali’s owner for negligence and mismanagement related to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. It claims, among other things, that the crew “jury-rigged their ship.” [Baltimore Banner]

• The healthcare innovation accelerator Healthworx announced the first cohort of its rebranded program. [Healthworx/Technical.ly]

•  C-360 Agency, a Baltimore-based marketing firm, hired a co-CEO and opened two new offices. [Baltimore Biz Journal]

•  Maryland ended the fiscal year with $479 million in uncommitted or unappropriated funds. [Baltimore Sun]

•  The cybersecurity training provider BCR Cyber is calling for applications for no-cost programming in CompTIA’s A+, Security+ training and other courses using the firm’s cyber range. [BCR Cyber/Technical.ly]

• An Anne Arundel County judge blocked a ballot question about a wide-scale redevelopment in the Inner Harbor. It’ll still appear on the ballot but the results of the vote will not be certified. [Baltimore Banner]

• We’re hiring a contract events reporter in Baltimore! If you love networking and being the go-to person in the scene, and want a platform to share what you experience, check out this listing and apply. [Technical.ly]

🗓️ On the Calendar

• Sept. 24-25: EcoMap Technologies is hosting its SuperConnect conference all about ecosystem building, economic development and innovation. [Details here]

• Sept. 28: Attend a demo day with Baltimore Code & Coffee. [Details here]

• Oct. 2: Meet and network with fellow technologists at the CharmCityJS monthly meetup. [Details here]