Events Roundup: Betamore, FITCI extend Founder City with fall pitch competition

Events Roundup is a Technical.ly column where we highlight events happening in the Baltimore area each month. Have a submission for the next edition? Email us the details at baltimore@technical.ly.

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Founder City kicked off in the spring, with incubators Betamore and Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc. bringing weekly virtual programming for entrepreneurs. It’s a hybrid event that is taking a statewide, partner-centered approach to build on Betamore’s annual Beta City event.

Now, the organizers are extending programming into the summer, with free sessions on sales, crypto and Maryland’s tech ecosystem set for the coming weeks.

With that shift to extend programming, a planned pitch competition in June is also being rescheduled for the fall, offering finalists the opportunity to present live onstage. The deadline to apply for the $25K pitch competition is now September 17.

Open to all Maryland startups, applicants for the pitch competition can get access to mentorship from pros like Chris Haug of Startup Grind’s Columbia chapter, Mustafa Wahid of Johns Hopkins University, Henry Mortimer of Mortimer Communications and Mike Thielke of Hot Desks and F3 Tech Accelerator. They also get a year of access to video pitch platform Thumbraise.

The extension is part of the organizers’ efforts to keep offering support as the country emerges from a pandemic and economic shock.

“2020 was hard on businesses, especially emerging businesses like the ones we help,” said Kathie Callahan Brady, FITCI’s CEO, in a news release. “Many had to shut their doors. They lost funding. They lost staff. Because there is so much potential and innovation bound to startups, each one is precious. But the entrepreneurial spirit is indomitable. That’s where we can make a difference — by supporting founders as they pivot and grow, turning challenges into opportunities.”

Here’s more events supporting the local community of entrepreneurs and technologists:

CharmCityJS Monthly Meetup

Join JavaScript professionals at this virtual event from the local technical meetup. The session features talks including, “A WebSocket Primer”, by Stephanie Vizzi, and “Control a Vehicle with a Web Browser,” by Shane Knudsen.

• Wednesday, June 2
• 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.
• RSVP

Partnering with Maryland’s 75 federal research labs: An overview

The R&D that happens at federal research labs is a bedrock of Maryland’s innovation economy. At the next edition of DefTech’s Taking Technologies to Market webinar series, get a primer on how to work with them. Tech transfer expert Ron Kaese will provide an overview of Maryland laboratories and help attendees zero in on opportunities for businesses.

• Friday, June 4
• 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
• Register

Cyber Summer Kickoff

An in-person pitch competition arrives in Columbia. It’s presented by the Maryland New Venture Fellowship for Cybersecurity, a federally- funded program of bwtech@UMBC and the University System of Maryland that pairs researchers and graduate students to grow startups. Capping nine months in the program, fellows will pitch for $10,000 in prizes to a panel that includes investors and advisors from DataTribe, Brown Advisory and Blu Ventures.

• Tuesday, June 8
• 4:30 to 7 p.m.
• Lost Ark Distillery, 9570 Berger Road, Columbia
• Tickets ($30)

AI Roundtable: Data Science Meets AI

This virtual edition of the Baltimore Tech Meetup will focus on data science and AI. It will feature data science authority Kirk Borne as the expert guest. Borne recently joined Columbia-based DataPrime.ai as chief science officer. He also opened consulting firm Data Leadership Group LLC and publishes writing at at Rocket Data Science.

• Tuesday, June 8
• 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.
• Register 

Transformational Technologies in Manufacturing Conference

Regional Manufacturing Institute of Maryland presents a virtual event highlighting technologies that are transforming the local, national and global manufacturing industry. Specific technologies to be highlighted through conversations with local and national thought leaders include 5G, quantum technology, digital twins and virtual reality for manufacturing training.

• Tuesday, June 8
• 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Register

Women Spanning the Globe Leadership Conference

The World Trade Center Institute curates a daylong conference where female leaders and innovators have a chance to get inspired, connect, and learn. This year’s keynote is journalist, anchor and author Brooke Baldwin, who recently wrapped up a stint at CNN. Plus, hear from Under Armour Chief People and Administrative Officer Tchernavia Rocker, McCormick Director of Supply Chain Innovation LaToya Superville, Wells Fargo VP of Community Development Monica Mitchell and more.

• Wednesday, June 9
• 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Register ($25-50)

B’more Bold

Community College of Baltimore County’s Center for Business Innovation is bringing together thought-provoking speakers and innovative business owners for a virtual business conference for entrepreneurs and innovators. The conference includes a keynote from former Baltimore Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome Jr., a talk from Silicon Valley entrepreneur Clarence Wooten, and more sessions. TEDCO, The Ratcliffe Foundation and the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore are supporting this event.

• Friday, June 11
• 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Register ($29-99)

Rise of the Rest Tech Talent Tour

The virtual career fair features startup CEOs and hiring managers from companies in Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund portfolio. The three-day virtual event will highlight opportunities in Baltimore on June 22 at 3 p.m.

• Tuesday, June 22-24
• Noon to 3:30 p.m.
• Register

Donte Kirby is a 2020-2022 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation.