City pledges 311 leak investigation

Newsletter for June 26, 2024

Thanks to everybody who said hey at last night's Conscious Venture Lab accelerator demo day. Catch some updates from that event in today's newsletter, along with an update on the city's response to last week's revelation of a significant 311 data breach.

— Sameer, Technical.ly editor for Baltimore and DC

The city's IT office offered the quote above in its response to our report on the discovery of a report exposing people's personal information attached to over 30 years of 311 complaints. BCIT officials told us they'll be investigating the incident and working to make sure it never happens again.

➡️ Learn more about the leak in our article here.

If you know Jeff Cherry, then you know he's bullish on the economic and personal value of companies that prioritize impact and holistic engagement — what he terms "stakeholder capitalism" — over "worshipping at the altar of shareholder value."

The head of the Novella Center for Entrepreneurship reinforced this message throughout last night's demo day for the latest Conscious Venture Lab accelerator. Cohort companies from Baltimore to Mexico City presented innovations including plant-based construction materials, a buy-now-pay-later platform for Latin American corner stores and non-insertive menstrual products. All these companies, Cherry said, reflect the values of innovation with a purpose (and particular impact from/for marginalized peoples) that define the accelerator's history.

➡️ Learn more about this cohort's participant companies.

• The Smithsonian Institution is partnering with Salesforce as it continues creating tech-enabled initiatives — like one it did with Baltimore's Fearless (a Technical.ly client). [Technical.ly/Technical.ly]

• Local real estate player Brandon Chasen discussed how he's adjusting his company's plans — and his own publicly flashy lifestyle — as it scales down its pace and operations. [Baltimore Banner]

• Baltimore-area companies and organizations like Early Charm Ventures, CraniUS, Johns Hopkins' Remington Energy Accelerator Labs, Saft, Maryland Association of Community Colleges and The Mill of Black Horse received awards worth between $500,000 and $1.25 million for tech-enabled initiatives via the state's Build our Future program. [Maryland Dept. of Commerce]

• Howard County-based Akeptus, which developed a smart home system for energy management, won $150,000 via the Google for Startups Founders Funds. [Google for Startups]

• The Equity Brain Trust CEO Angel St. Jean discussed Amtrak tunnel construction plans that she and other Reservoir Hill residents are opposing. [WYPR]

• A new data map highlights childcare shortages across Maryland's counties. [Capital News Service]