Beta City 2018 adds more room for Baltimore tech demos, after party

For year four, organizers of Beta City are planning to showcase more Baltimore companies, as well as smart city technology demos.
The celebration of Baltimore startups and early stage companies spearheaded by Betamore returns October 4 at the incubator’s base inside City Garage in Port Covington.

Join us on Thursday, Oct 4 for our largest event of the year! Register for #BetaCity here: https://t.co/ddyYdgJhI0 pic.twitter.com/UNIaMA8RNS

— Betamore (@betamore) September 7, 2018

The event includes a $25,000 pitch competition, followed by a networking event that doubles as a showcase for local tech products and demos calls “The Main Event.” This year, a few tweaks were made to the layout. According to Betamore cofounder and chairman Greg Cangialosi, the event will no longer be held in a large tent outside City Garage.
“This year’s event will be held entirely inside of City Garage and will use the entire Betamore space as well as the original Sagamore Spirit suite and Bustin’ Boards space, making this year the largest footprint Beta City has ever had to date,” Cangialosi said via email. “Given our new layout this year, we will be featuring even more local companies, organizations and institutions from our ecosystem, as well as sponsorship activations.”
Betamore is partnering with Port Covington’s Weller Development to provide a look at the development that’s in the works for the peninsula. This will include smart city technology demos and immersive media experiences, Cangialosi said.
Additionally, organizers added an official after party. It will be held at South Point, the recently-opened outdoor event space South Point outdoor at nearby West Covington Park. Beta City attendees will get access to the after party, and a separate $7 ticket is also available to others.
“For the last three years the energy and vibe at Beta City has been so good, that it continuously left people wanting to continue engaging and interacting,” Cangialosi said. “Now, that South Point is literally across our parking lot on the water, we have added an after party featuring Rob Garza of Thievery Corporation, who will be doing a DJ set on the waterfront.”
The event is also syncing with Baltimore Homecoming, a three-day conference bringing together Baltimore natives from around the country being held Oct. 3-5. The venture pitch competition and VIP reception will be among the destinations that attendees of the conference can attend, Cangialosi said.