Startup growth and rebrands in 2024

Newsletter for November 6, 2024

It's been a busy 24 hours, to say the least. A lot of big news has come out around elections in the region, including Angela Alsobrooks winning a Senate seat and voters largely approving of allowing residential buildings in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

We have non-election news for you, too. Our 2024 RealLIST Startups told us about different funding growth and opportunities they've experienced over the last six months. Plus, Hispanic tech workers are growing in the tech sector but are still underrepresented, per recent labor data.

— Kaela, Technical.ly lead reporter in Baltimore and DC

About 60% of RealLIST Startups across Technical.ly’s five geographic areas of focus — Philly, Delaware, Baltimore, DC and Pittsburgh — reported increases in their headcounts since being honored. That's in line with Baltimore's group, where 6 of 10 respondents reported staff increases.

On top of scoring funding and client wins, there was a rebrand among the startups: The firm EBO changed its name to Vettify. The change accompanied a larger pivot away from a platform coordinating media appearances to one helping influencers get media-trained, per its leader Crystal Berger.

➡️ Learn more about what the different startups are up to here

The region's Hispanic population has doubled over the last decade from 4% to 8%. But in most cities Technical.ly reporter Holly Quinn looked at, including Baltimore, the number of Hispanic people in tech jobs is not keeping up with the increase in population.

However, it's important to note that these numbers are tricky, and the data is often inaccurate. This is partly because of collection methods and that being Hispanic is not considered a race, but an ethnicity.

➡️ Dive into the data and Holly's takeaways

• Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, executive of Prince George's County, defeated Republican Larry Hogan in the Maryland Senate race. She will be the first Black senator from Maryland. [Axios]

• As of Wednesday afternoon, voters are favoring passage of Question F in Baltimore, which would allow for residential development at Harborplace. [Baltimore Banner]

• One more election point: Voters in Baltimore rejected a measure that would have cut the city council size nearly in half. It was backed by the Sinclair Broadcast boss David Smith, who also owns the Baltimore Sun. [WYPR]

• Content about cannabis was featured at a recent tech conference in DC, including advice for leaders navigating the industry in Maryland and the nearby district. [Technical.ly]

• Government leaders out of Howard County returned from a European Trade Mission on Monday. The tour included stops in Germany, Ireland and the UK focusing on cybersecurity. [Howard County]

• The Board of Estimates in Baltimore voted to end the city's contract with the beleaguered Baltimore Office of Promotion and The Arts (organizer of the annual Artscape festival), which has been rife with financial troubles. [CBS/Technical.ly]

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“Creating value in communities around the world — from developing skills to supporting refugees — is core to our belief in shared success,” said Jordan Rambo, managing director of Accenture’s Philadelphia office. “We collaborate with our clients, ecosystem and nonprofit partners and others to create positive, lasting change and help build stronger, more vibrant communities.”

➡️Learn more about Accenture and its culture of belonging

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