Baltimore weekly roundup: Federal funds for clean energy; Commerce Dept. shuffle; Tenable CEO passes

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

A local startup’s $10M hydrogen tech win

Materic, an Early Charm portfolio company, will use these federal funds to accelerate development toward hydrogen fuel use. It has a ton of different applications, from transportation to industrial plants. Plus, it’s more energy efficient and has zero emissions (besides water vapor). 

This win further positions Baltimore as a hub for eco-friendly manufacturing, said Early Charm leader Ken Malone. He went as far as to get a tattoo of his company’s logo ahead of a ribbon-cutting event, where he joined leaders like US Sen. Chris Van Hollen and TEDCO CEO Troy LeMaile-Stovall. 

➡️ Read more about the award, hydrogen and advanced manufacturing here

We’re looking for our next reporter

Are you an aspiring journalist? Do you know a journalist who wants to write about tech?

Technical.ly is hiring a reporter through Report for America to cover Maryland’s rural-urban digital divide. 

Despite Baltimore’s designation as a federal Tech Hub, the city and surrounding region suffer stark disparities in digital access and tech job opportunities, and one of the country’s worst declines in economic mobility over the past decade. This new reporter will cover these topics, among others key to our region’s economic future.  

➡️  Learn more and submit an application by Feb. 3

News Incubator: What else to know

• Have an old computer you need to get rid of? Learn how to dispose of outdated electronics in Baltimore. [Technical.ly]

• Columbia cyber company Tenable’s CEO Amit Yoran died after a battle with cancer. We are working on a remembrance piece for Amit, so please hit reply if you have a statement you’d like to share. [TechCrunch]

• Thousands of longshoremen at ports on the East and Gulf coasts, including in Baltimore, are set to go on strike next week. Negotiations resumed Tuesday, with work rules still up for debate — including the question of further automating ports. [Maryland Matters]

• Maryland’s Department of Commerce followed up on Gov. Moore’s prior executive order by reorganizing and bringing in new leaders. One of them, Ricardo Benn, will head up the new Division of Innovation and Growth. [Commerce Department]

• A federal appeals court blocked the FCC’s efforts to enforce net neutrality, ruling that the agency needs congressional authorization to enforce the rules. [Technical.ly]

• Hellenic Cables started work at its new cable manufacturing site at Wagner’s Point. [Baltimore Banner]

• Orioles majority owner David Rubenstein received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden. [Sports Illustrated]

•  The Maryland Cannabis Administration named Alexandra Harris as its interim director. She previously worked as chief of staff for the agency. [Baltimore Biz Journal]

•  The University of Maryland Medical System is a finalist in a supply chain-focused contest from the tech and research consultancy firm Gartner. UMMS’ Gallion, created at the iHarbor Innovation Center, is a cloud-based platform that helps manage billing for high-cost procedures by linking with medical records and other hospital systems. [University of Maryland Medical System]

A note of gratitude

As we enter 2025, Technical.ly is kicking off our next 15 years. And the work is more important than ever:

• With so much concern about declining economic mobility, our guides help people access fast-growth careers.
• With so much confusion around AI use and resources, our ground-up reporting follows the people building the tech.
• With so much debate around immigrant contributions, our storytelling highlights people living the experience.

One thing we’ve learned about our business model: We need your help to keep our site paywall-free. Sending gratitude to all our donors — and all our readers. You’re our community, and we couldn’t do it without you.

➡️ Make a tax-deductible contribution to support local tech reporting

🗓️ 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]

• Learn from fellow developers and technologists at Code and Coffee’s first 2025 meetup on Jan. 11 at Mobtown Ballroom.  [Details here]

• Connect with the innovation scene at the next Equitech Tuesday on Jan. 14 at Guilford Hall Brewery. [Details here]

• Johns Hopkins’ Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute (ROSEI) showcases new research at its third in-person summit on Jan. 15. [Details here]