Baltimore weekly roundup: Fed buildings for sale?; Shift’s sale; Anne Arundel’s cyber woes

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

This latest newsletter features stories with themes reaching between Baltimore and the DMV, with importance to both the public and private sectors.

Joe Mechlinski of Shift, a Northern Virginia-based tech company that used to be headquartered in Fells Point, talked to us about the process of selling a platform he purchased from another company and remodeled. The founder, investor and best-selling author originally bought it during the height of the pandemic and divulged how it felt to be an acquiree this time around. 

Also, ICYMI: Lots of federal buildings across the country may be sold per a Trump administration plan. That includes many in Maryland, especially in Baltimore, Woodlawn and Frederick. We have a searchable database of each one. 

Scroll down for more highlights from the top tech news in the region, and remember that we’d love to see you at our Builders Conference in Philly this spring.

📰 News Incubator: What to know

• Gov. Moore is hoping laid-off federal employees come work for the state of Maryland. He announced new resource pages and a virtual information session for career transitions on March 7. The state will also expedite hiring for some positions and help residents get their teaching licenses to move to a career in education. [Washington Post/State of Maryland]

• The women-focused entrepreneurial organization Agora Initiative is hosting a venture competition, and applications to take part are due March 7. [Technical.ly]

• Anne Arundel County government is recovering from a cyber incident of “external origin” that shut down buildings and public services systems. [Patch]

• Local author Amber Ivey wrote a guide for parents on how to introduce AI to kids. [Amber Ivey/Technical.ly]

• Maryland lawmakers are considering a new 2.5% tax on services businesses sell each other in an effort to raise $1 billion and close a budget gap. [Baltimore Banner]

• Nearly 500 employees at the National Institute of Standards and Technology may be fired or laid off as part of the larger cuts to the federal workforce. Many of those staffers are involved in the US AI Safety Institute, which, a year ago, created a consortium of Big Tech companies and local startups to help fulfill former President Biden’s executive order on AI development. [Technical.ly]

• Democratic Maryland lawmakers had a lot to say following Trump’s address to Congress. Sen. Chris Van Hollen said it was full of “lies,” and 8th District Rep. Jamie Raskin called Trump “the felon President.” [Maryland Matters]

• Cybersecurity firm BigBear.ai moved its HQ from Columbia to McLean. [Baltimore Biz Journal]

🗓️ On the Calendar

• Partner event: The Greater Baltimore Committee unveils one of its major strategic initiatives — the Baltimore Region Economic Brand — at a special event in Towson on March 17. [Details here]

• Biotech leaders will share lessons they’ve learned in starting their ventures and leading businesses during a panel on Feb. 27 at 4MLK. [Details here]

• The CIAA basketball tournament anchors many in Baltimore this week, including a tech summit on Feb. 28.  [Details here]

• Founders: Get the details on how to boost your sales at the next Equitech Tuesday on March 4. [Details here]

• Learn about cooperative models for businesses and land over breakfast during a March 4 event hosted by Impact Hub and the Baltimore Roundtable for Economic Democracy. [Details here]

• Baltimore Climate Tech Meetup is hosting a networking event on March 12 at Wet City. [Details here]