I had a blast at the Pride parade in Baltimore last weekend. I saw many mainstays of the city and state: Under Armour, Old Bay and the Orioles, to name a few.Â
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Anyways, let's get into this week's newsletter. A majority of workplaces do not have a mental health strategy, and one nonprofit leader is calling for more of them to develop a blueprint. Plus, an HBCU basketball tournament is staying in Baltimore. Scroll down for more.Â
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—  Kaela, Technical.ly lead reporter in Baltimore and DC
Image of the Day: The Orioles' mascot marches in Baltimore's Pride Parade. Â (Kaela Roeder/Technical.ly) Have a photo or chart we should feature here? Hit reply and send in your submission.
đź’ˇ Trivia quiz: Test your knowledge
Mental health strategy, who? đź§
Boards of directors are not engaged in mental health strategies, and C-suite members don’t model healthy behaviors, according to the annual report the nonprofit One Mind published this spring.Â
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Three out of four companies do not have a mental health strategy, per the index One Mind developed. That’s the core struggle for most firms trying to improve mental health among workers, explained CEO Kathy Pike at a recent briefing for journalists.Â
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“When you don’t have a mental health strategy and you don’t know what problem you’re solving for,” Pike said, “it’s very hard to know whether what you’re doing matters.” Continue reading ...Â
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Barely a week ago, Mark Anthony Thomas was part of a group pitching to keep the basketball tournament, contested by various historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), in Baltimore through 2029. For the Greater Baltimore Committee CEO, today's news showcased how much the city succeeded on a broader stage — especially since neither of its HBCUs play in the CIAA.
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"It means that Baltimore overperforms on charm, our ability to be collaborative and a great partner with the CIAA — and we actually put on a good show," he said.
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This news about the tournament, which spotlights Black entrepreneurship through programs like the Tech Summit House, came a day after Thomas held a fireside chat on economic development with Jonathan Bowles of the New York-based Center for an Urban Future (sign up for the Technical.ly community Slack and find our coverage on the #baltimore channel). Bowles discussed the importance of the cultural sector — something Thomas sees as crucial to this win and the GBC's priorities.
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"This is central to that type of potential we see for the region,” he said. Continue reading ...Â
• Curious how data centers work? We've got the details about the booming infrastructure. [Technical.ly]
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• Baltimore Development Corporation named its new president and CEO. Baltimore resident Otis Rolley will start the job on June 23, succeeding Colin Tarbert. [Mayor Brandon Scott]
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• Startup Genome ranked DC as the 17th-best place to start a company. Here, "DC" includes Baltimore and parts of West Virginia and Pennsylvania. [Technical.ly]
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• Brightbeam, an AI company in Ireland, is opening an office in Maryland. [Department of Commerce]
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• EcoMap Technologies officially launched its Ecosystem Relationship Management tool. The tech helps economic support organizations track and measure impacts in ecosystems. [EcoMap/Technical.ly]
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• Comptroller Brooke Lierman's office released guidance for businesses ahead of the 3% tech tax that goes into effect on July 1. [Maryland Matters/Technical.ly]
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• Engineers out of Johns Hopkins are opening a dog day care in Columbia. [Baltimore Biz Journal]
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• Maryland Science Center recognized young Baltimore engineers in its annual awards. [Maryland Science Center]
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• Tomorrow is Juneteenth, so check out how you can observe the holiday with events throughout the region. [Baltimore Beat]
🗓️ On the Calendar
• Partner event: Learn about the ways innovation, tech and outer space intersect on June 24 at the World Trade Center Institute's next AGILE Global Innovation Series event. [Details here]
• Conscious Venture Lab hosts a demo day for its latest cohort on June 24. [Details here]
• TEDCO is hosting a fireside chat for business leaders on June 25 about navigating political and economic uncertainty. [Details here]
• Baltimore Climate Tech Meetup will have its next networking event on June 26. [Details here]
• Baltimore Tech Meetup is hosting its next convening on June 26. [Details here]
• Local tech orgs come together for a cookout on June 28 at Wonderground Park. [Details here]
It’s an exciting time at Crossbeam. We have just joined forces with Reveal to change the way companies go-to-market. The merger has earned the support of some of the world’s best investors:...Find out more »
It’s an exciting time at Crossbeam. We have just joined forces with Reveal to change the way companies go-to-market. The merger has earned the support of some of the world’s best investors:...Find out more »
It’s an exciting time at Crossbeam. We have just joined forces with our competitor Reveal to change the way companies go-to-market. The merger has earned the support of some of the world’s best...Find out more »
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