DC daily roundup: Dcode Capital’s $19M; tech for sports events; the Key Bridge disaster

The latest on Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapse

At about 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, a cargo ship collided with a beam supporting the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which carries I-695 over the Patapsco River near the Port of Baltimore. Local, state and federal agencies have been coordinating rescue efforts, and Gov. Moore and Baltimore Mayor Scott both announced a state of emergency. Several people are still unaccounted for.

There are many unanswered questions, the biggest ones being, how could have this been prevented? And how does technology play into prevention?

➡️ Get more of the details from Technical.ly editor Sameer Rao

Fabric connects fans at sports events

Johns Hopkins alum Saul Garlick cofounded Fabric to enhance the attendee experience at sporting events. The augmented reality platform offers polls, games, and trivia. While technology has the potential to disconnect people, in this case it’s a tool to bring them together, Garlick told Technical.ly.

The company has raised at least $4 million, including a $1.9 million seed round, and has already worked with some of the country’s top professional sports leagues.

➡️ Read more about Fabric in Alanah Nichole Davis’ latest

News Incubator: What else to know today

• American University’s Kogod School of Business is incorporating AI into its curriculum starting next fall. [Washington Biz Journal]

•  Women-led VC firm Dcode Capital has raised $19 million toward a $30M goal for a fund to help startups secure government contracts. [Washington Biz Journal]

• MITRE, a nonprofit that manages research and development centers for several US agencies, opened a new lab at its McLean, Virginia, HQ. Called the AI Assurance and Discovery Lab, it will “discover and mitigate critical risks in AI-enabled systems.” [MITRE]

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed one of the most restrictive social media bans for minors on Monday. If it survives legal challenges, it will go into effect Jan. 1 [Associated Press]

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