Here’s who we met at Technical.ly Baltimore’s Super Meetup 2018

Meetups offer a chance to get and some perspective from technologists working with similar tools. They may seem focused narrowly, given the specific programming languages and professional focus areas that many of the regularly-organized technical gatherings take. But in that simple act of deciding to get together, there are signs of a common purpose, and a goal that goes beyond onself.
That’s immediately evident in a group like Baltimore Techies For Good, whose members apply tech skills to the organizations that help the city.
“The goal with our group is to connect nonprofits in need of technology guidance and troubleshooting with technology folks in the community interested in skills-based volunteering,” said Erica Woods a co-organizer of the group.
Woods was one of the meetup organizers who gave a quick pitch at Super Meetup 2018 on Tuesday, July 31. The event, which was organized by Technical.ly Baltimore, gathered 260 technologists in downtown Baltimore’s Center Plaza (Thanks for holding off, rain). In the case of this meetup of meetups, getting everyone together in one place helped organizers like Woods link with others working at the intersection of technology and community.
“Attending the Super Meetup allowed us to connect with the passionate individuals we are hoping get involved in our group, and to come to our meetings to help local nonprofits with their technology needs and strategy,” she told us once the event was over.

So excited to have so many of our awesome #tech volunteers here at @TechnicallyBMR annual #supermeetup18 pic.twitter.com/sDmsJeJkDx

— Baltimore #Tech4Good (@TechiesforGood) July 31, 2018

As always, we heard from some folks for the first time. Elsewhere, we met Stefan Bielski, a co-organizer of Professions on Purpose. The D.C.–area meetup gathers entrepreneurs and others making change. And to cap off the shoutouts, Justus Eapen announced the newly-formed Baltimore Artificial Intelligence Meetup.
As the exchange taking place at the Technical.ly Baltimore stakeholder meeting held at the offices of host sponsor Downtown Partnership of Baltimore showed before the event, it was also a place to find out about the other community events coming up around town at the intersection of technology and social impact, whether it’s Red Bull Amaphiko Festival,  Give Back Hack (Sept. 7-9) and Common Curriculum‘s Planathon for teachers (August 16).

@TechnicallyBMR #SuperMeetup @CodeForBmore @TechiesforGood @DowntownBalt Great to see everyone on this beautiful day in Baltimore. Check us out at https://t.co/4gS7gubUqj ! pic.twitter.com/JgtmKl54HE

— GiveBackHack Baltimore (@GBHBaltimore) July 31, 2018

The event also provided a place to connect with some of the companies in the tech community. While sipping on drinks provided by drinks sponsor 14 West, attendees perused tables from basys, CallTrackingMetrics, FX Well, Mosaic Learning, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP, SmartLogic, Southern Management and Towson University.
Over by the entrance, we ran into Sameer Ahirrao is the founder of Ardent Security, a data security startup based out of bwtech@UMBC. He was looking to meet others working in cybersecurity.
“I was really impressed with talented and energetic crowd from the engineering lead of a medical device company to scientists from [Johns Hopkins]”Ahirrao said.