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The impending presidential change didn’t stop DC-area companies from having a massively profitable, albeit vape-dominated, end to 2024. While we await how the economy fares under Trump, he’s already shown some action on AI — although what it actually means has yet to pan out.
Keep scrolling for Technical.ly’s weekly roundup of top news in the region, and be sure to nominate some companies for our RealLIST Startups.
News Incubator: What else to know
• Civic Tech DC’s first demo night highlighted tech solutions to social and environmental issues, including platforms to map climate risk and detect social media bots. [Technical.ly]
• The $500 billion AI infrastructure project Stargate will likely build on the region’s robust data center population, plus help local startups take part in the AI boom. [Washington Biz Journal]
• Robots cleaning the Potomac and high-speed rail rule DC’s 2276, according to a recent Technical.ly survey. [Technical.ly]
• Federal agencies are pivoting their policies to align with Trump’s executive order requiring their workers to return to the office. About 24% of federal workers living in DC work from home. In Maryland and Virginia, it’s around 25% and 16%, respectively. [Axios]
• The Commanders lost the NFC Championship on Sunday, but still made a huge comeback this year with tech’s help. Quarterback Jayden Daniels used AI and VR at speeds faster than real life to quicken his reaction time, wrote DC Startup and Tech Week co-chair Seema Alexander. [LinkedIn]
• False alarm: Elon Musk did not bid on the Line hotel in Adams Morgan. [Washingtonian]
• Student entrepreneurs at Georgetown won $150,000 in prizes at the Bark Tank Pitch Competition, thanks to funding from Monumental Sports & Entertainment CEO Ted Leonsis. [Georgetown]
🗓️ 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, a career fair and more. Use the discount code “HBCU50” for half-off tickets. [Details here]
• UMD is hosting a day-long summit about building sustainable social impact ventures on Jan. 30. [Details here]
• Connect with other women and nonbinary technologists at Women and Gender eXpansive Coders’ weekly virtual chat on Jan. 31. [Details here]
• Learn from local founders who took part in accelerators at the next DC Tech Meetup on Feb. 5. [Details here]
• DMV Rising is hosting a forum on Feb. 19 all about security, privacy and AI. [Details here]
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