New attention from Naptown?

It's finally Thursday, Baltimore. Sorry to leave you without a newsletter yesterday, but based on some of your social media feeds, you were ... otherwise busy anyway. 

Indeed, it looks like some of y'all got all dressed in your black-tie best for the gala at the Convention Center that celebrated Gov. Wes Moore's historic inauguration earlier that day. Seeing your photos and reflections checked with what some of you have told me before about your own connections to the state's first Black governor, back before his run at the top spot in Annapolis. And it seems like from at least some of you, Moore's governorship could spell big things for the state's tech world — and especially efforts to make it more equitable. 

Consider these comments from Ken Malone, executive officer of Early Charm Ventures in Pigtown, who gave us permission to quote from a comment on his LinkedIn:

"There're not many of us that want Baltimore to be the next Silicon Valley or Boston, with a massive gentrification driven by a group of VCs and a small handful of entrepreneurs. We want to keep the diversity of neighborhoods and cultures that makes us the Charm City. We have to have a different model for growth that benefits everyone. We're certain that Wes embraces this as a core truth. He's a dynamic leader to rally behind. Now, whether we all can pull that off remains to be seen. But we have to try."

Do you share Ken's optimism? Did you also get to attend the inaugural gala? Have you any reservations about how Moore will work with the tech sector? Share your thoughts with us by emailing baltimore@technical.ly, and I'll be back in your inbox next week.