Newsletter

DC weekly roundup: Founder pivots under Trump; H-1B visas, explained; an ICE tech contractor’s far-right ties

Plus, a locally connected climate tech company gets $50 million.

DC hosted the 2025 Data Center World conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. (Kaela Roeder/Technical.ly)

This week in DC, the region’s startups highlight what the federal government’s barrage of actions mean for their businesses. We also explore how these actions affect a popular work-based immigration pathway.

Read on for Technical.ly’s weekly roundup of top regional news.

📰 News Incubator: What else to know

• Crux, a climate startup with DC ties, raised an oversubscribed $50 million Series B. [Technical.ly]

• DC’s billion-dollar budget hole, caused by the most recent Congressional spending bill, led the mayor to order a spending freeze across the city government. Furloughs and temporarily closing facilities may come next. [51st]

• It’s been a busy month in local tech staffing. NobleReach hired former Commerce Department advisor Sree Ramaswamy to be its new CIO, while data science startup Prefect laid off a chunk of its workforce. [Technical.ly]

• Cannabis gifting shops in DC are being forced to close or transition to the legal medical market, leaving employees with an uncertain future. [Washington City Paper]

• Alexandria is launching an electric vehicle charging program for multi-family communities like apartment complexes or condos. [ALX Now]

• McLean-based Capital One cleared a legal hurdle to acquiring its competitor Discover Financial Services for billions of dollars. [Washington Biz Journal]

• A deal underway between DC and the Commanders would make the football team pay most of the bill to redevelop the RFK Stadium site. [Washington Post]

• DC’s The Pitch Place, the creator of a journalism jobs and networking platform, is a finalist in a startup competition focused on news and technology. The winner of The Next Challenge’s contest will receive a grant of up to $50,000, with that and other awards being announced at an event in June. [Pitch Place/The Next Challenge]

• The software ICE and the FBI use for facial recognition has far-right ties. [Mother Jones] 

🗓️ On the Calendar

• Catch leaders of Right to Start, Moxi and Lightship Capital in conversation during Technical.ly’s next Builders Live on April 23. [Details here]

• Georgetown is hosting an entrepreneurship showcase on April 23. [Details here]

• Network with founders, investors and technologists on April 23 at the next DC Tech Party. [Details here]

• Grab a beer with developers at Mustang Sally’s in Chantilly on April 24. [Details here]

• Dive into generative AI at a showcase at the AWS Skills Center in Arlington on April 24. [Details here]

• Recently laid off? Get to know other impacted federal employees and contractors on April 25 at a George Mason event. [Details here]

• DC Code and Coffee is hosting a coworking session on April 26 at the West End Neighborhood Library. [Details here]

• Meet fellow geographic information system technologists in the DMV at a meetup on April 30. [Details here]

Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Donate to the Journalism Fund

Your support powers our independent journalism. Unlike most business-media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational contributions.

Trending

Despite Trump's actions and rhetoric, Ukrainian tech workers are laying stakes in the US  

How tech and entrepreneurship can boost economic mobility

Florida cyber firm expands to Arlington, citing talent pool and access to government

5 things in the office you can't duplicate with work from home

Technically Media