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Welcome to the weekly roundup of the latest from DC's tech and entrepreneurship scene. Want this in your inbox? Subscribe for free.
This week, DC’s mayor got schooled by a 13-year-old on how to use a robot and VCs put way less money into DMV companies than in Q1.
Scroll down for more news from throughout the DMV and Technical.ly.
📰 News Incubator: What else to know
• Submit nominations for our annual RealLIST Innovators (formerly known as Engineers). We are looking for DMV technologists who are pushing the region forward. That might mean hosting a community meetup, leading research or mentoring new talent. [Technical.ly]
• It’s been a busy month of new hires and office openings. Incubation and venture capital company Red Cell Partners hired a chief product and technology officer, and UMD appointed a new quantum education lead. Publicly traded tech firm Qualys opened an office in downtown DC, too. [Technical.ly]
• Re-elected DC Council member Trayon White used generative AI to post videos pushing people to vote for him. There are currently no laws restricting people from using AI in campaigning in DC, but 26 states have banned it or now require disclosures. [51st]
• There are plenty of open tech jobs in the DMV. [Technical.ly]
• House Republicans are looking to overwrite several DC laws, including banning the city from enforcing traffic laws with automated cameras. It’s a major source of revenue for DC, and the city is drastically behind its goal of eradicating traffic deaths. [Washington Post/Technical.ly]
• DC council member Kenyan McDuffie introduced legislation to allow self-driving cars to operate in the city. [UrbanTurf]
• The Northern Virginia Chamber released a roadmap for the region’s economic growth, including moving “beyond its federal roots.” That includes investing more in sectors like quantum, AI and biotech. This report comes as the state grapples with rising unemployment due to federal layoffs. [NVC/Axios]
• AstraZeneca is set to build a multibillion-dollar manufacturing center in Virginia. [Washington Biz Journal]
• DC singles are increasingly turning to AI for romantic partnership. 28% of respondents in a survey by Match have interacted with an AI companion, and men and Gen Z singles are more likely to do so. [Axios]
• EV company Torev Motors won the people’s choice award at the most recent Accelerate Breakfast Series event hosted by George Mason. [GMU]
On the Calendar
🗓️ Partner event: Are you an enterprise-ready AI startup looking to accelerate your path to collaboration? Request to attend the fall info session for the Comcast LIFT Labs Enterprise Accelerator, happening Wednesday at noon. [Register here]
🗓️ Technical.ly event: US higher ed is in the crosshairs right now. What does that mean for the role universities have traditionally played as economic engines and ecosystem hubs? Join the next Technical.ly Builders Live podcast on Wednesday afternoon to find out. [Register here]
🗓️ Seed2Table is hosting an event all about life sciences on Wednesday, July 23. [Details here]
🗓️ Learn about how an AI agent works, specifically using Claude, at an event on Wednesday, July 23. [Details here]
🗓️ Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative is hosting a panel on Wednesday, July 23 to go over the basics of venture capital. [Details here]
🗓️ Civic Tech DC is hosting a hackathon on Saturday, July 26. I’ll be there! Let me know if you will be. [Details here]
🗓️ Network with leaders in the DC fintech scene at a happy hour on Wednesday, June 30. [Details here]
