Baltimore weekly roundup: $6.4M to track the grid; AI infrastructure risks; digital forgery bill

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A local company landed $6.4 million to build out its tech tracking weather and demands on energy grids at the hyperlocal level. Plus, experts from the region’s preeminent private university have concerns about AI under Trump.

Read on for Technical.ly’s weekly roundup of top news in the region, and don’t forget to submit RealLIST Startups nominees!

📰 News Incubator: What to know

• Nine student ventures in and around Baltimore won $50,000 as part of a new awards program enabled by state funds. Startups include a firm developing an alternative energy storage solution that draws from tree sap and a device to treat obstructive sleep apnea. [Technical.ly]

• Federal employees are suing the feds over the Office of Personnel Management’s new email system. [Washingtonian]

• Trump moved to freeze federal spending on government grants and loans, but a judge temporarily blocked the move and he later rescinded the action. Officials in Baltimore, whose current $4.2 billion budget includes $299 million received directly from the feds, are pursuing a lawsuit. [Maryland Matters/Technical.ly/Baltimore Banner]

• Maryland’s investment organization TEDCO invested in the Baltimore firm ReBokeh, which builds assistive devices for individuals with vision impairments. The startup also landed a deal to provide the tech at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery. [TEDCO/ReBokeh]

• An incident at a Maryland high school spurred a new bill that would make it illegal to disseminate a “forged digital likeness” with the intention to deceive people. [Baltimore Banner] 

• Tickets are live for Technical.ly’s Builders Conference in May. Attend to meet fellow technologists and entrepreneurs across the Mid-Atlantic. [Technical.ly]

• Government contracts can be a tough get for small businesses. It’s important to plan ahead and partner with fellow local firms. [Technical.ly]

• Fulton-based cyber foundry DataTribe in Fulton led a $3.88 million financing round for the Charlotte security platform Frenos. [DataTribe]

• Eliot Pearson, Baltimore County’s former chief of enterprise applications, has joined the Digital Harbor Foundation as its new CTO. [Technical.ly/Digital Harbor]

🗓️ On the Calendar

• Partner Event: HBCUniverse Summit returns to Morgan State on Feb. 8 for a full day of skill-building workshops, panels with industry leaders, a founder expo, career fair and more. Use the discount code “HBCU50” for half-off tickets. [Details here]

• Get tips on how to break into the tech industry at a two-hour workshop on Feb. 1. [Details here]

• CharmCityJS is hosting its monthly JavaScript-focused meetup on Feb. 5. [Details here]

• Link up with a small group of fellow entrepreneurs and investors, all looking for opportunities, at the Big Idea CONNECTpreneur Baltimore Forum on Feb. 6. [Details here]

• Baltimore Climate Tech Meetup hosts lightning talks and a brunch on Feb. 8. [Details here]

• For medtech founders: Get the details on Feb. 12 on navigating the regulatory landscape in drugs and diagnostics at a UM Ventures event on Feb. 12. [Details here]

• Learn about recent trends in tech and disruptive commerce at a talk on Feb. 21 hosted by bwtech.  [Details here]