For tech companies with Ukraine-bas ed staff, fears aren’t just economic

What else happened this week?

Hey, Baltimore. We’re not going to lie: As the sun sets on another week of news, an elephant looms in the room that we must inevitably address.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine quickly became the world’s biggest story in the last two days, and it carries tremendous implications for technologists the world over. Between the cyberattacks on Ukrainian government websites, fear of such attacks on sites registered in NATO affiliates and the myriad companies with connections to Ukraine lies the personal stories of tech workers and leaders either surviving the invasion or watching their colleagues endure it from afar. We’ve reported on how such leaders at companies in DC and Philadelphia are trying to help employees living under the Russian siege; see that story below. If you’re in the Baltimore region and similarly impacted by the invasion, even from afar, please let us know at baltimore@technical.ly.
Of course, these often-harrowing stories aren’t the only ones to share from the local tech ecosystem. Just yesterday, Baltimore hosted two significant events that highlighted the racial equity and representation priorities central to local tech leaders’ narratives about the tech sector. Visit Baltimore hosted the Tech Summit House, a series of events tied to the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s basketball tournament in town this week, during the day. The convening featured local leaders like Fearless CEO Delali Dzirasa and Chief Digital Services Officer David Simeon, who spoke on a panel about the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture’s immersive and accessible Searchable Museum experience.

Fearless and National Museum of African American History and Culture Staff speak about the Searchable Museum immersive experience during the CIAA Tech Summit House event. (Courtesy of C3 Visionary Strategies)

At night, the Techstars Equitech Accelerators’ 12 companies celebrated its conclusion with an event for investors, technologists and one another that featured presentations and a few noteworthy announcements — including the relocation of some participant companies to Baltimore. More to come on that next week.

A crowd listens to presentations during the Techstars Equitech Accelerator’s Demo Day 2022. (Courtesy of Techstars)

For me, Technical.ly’s new editor overseeing Baltimore and DC coverage, the week’s highlights include these stories tracking major developments and emerging trends in Charm City:

And that’s just a few. Check out more worth reading in the sections below.

— Technical.ly Editor Sameer Rao (sameer@technical.ly)