A new platform to tackle tech silos
Hosting events like the Startup Soiree series gave Patrick Rife enough experience fostering connections across Baltimore’s sector divides to realize that in-person networking can only go so far.
“You go to a great networking event. You meet amazing people,” the Pixilated founder said. “But it can be really hard the next morning to build momentum. You aren’t a burning problem in their email box.”
That’s why Rife created Baltimore Creators, a new platform and network aimed at bringing the scene together in a more concerted way. He discussed the project’s inception and future, along with his thoughts on what makes local innovation possible.
➡️ Learn more about Baltimore Creators and sign up for the waiting list
Accelerator program targets MD startups
Chris Haug leveraged his positions as head of Startup Grind Maryland and entrepreneur-in-residence at UMBC to help launch a new program for companies across the state. The StartUp Accelerator just wrapped its pilot cohort last week, with eight companies from Baltimore, Gaithersburg and Annapolis helping establish a model for the program’s next stages.
We chatted with Haug and bwtech@UMBC leader Marjie Cota about this pilot cohort, how the virtual program relied on an Annapolis company’s platform and more.
➡️ Get details on the StartUp Accelerator and its first companies.
News Incubator: What else to know today
• Young Futures is giving 10 orgs educational resources and $100k each to help young people build a better relationship with social media. [Technical.ly]
• After almost three months and over $100 million of federal spending, the Port of Baltimore’s main shipping channel is finally open. [Axios/WYPR]
• The Baltimore Development Corporation and philanthropic consultancy Bloomberg Associates just launched a new dashboard that lets users explore and visualize local economic data, from job growth and VC investment to rent burden and downtown office occupancy. [BDC]
• Inner Harbor-based Fearless (a Technical.ly client) named six people, including a former federal deputy CIO and a philanthropic leader at JPMorgan Chase, to its advisory board. [Fearless]
• Harborplace developer MCB Real Estate lost its shot at a $700 million acquisition of Houston-based Whitestone REIT. [Biz Journal]
• Music superstar The Weeknd used EDGLRD and OpenAI to interview…himself? [SSENSE]
