Geeks and gadgets in Charm City!
*monster truck guy voice* THURSDAY THURSDAY THURSDAY!
TEDxMidAtlantic is tomorrow at MICA. Statistically speaking, if you’re reading this, you probably aren’t going. Capped at 550 attendees, the event is full. They had to turn away 250, according to a Sun piece by Gus Sentementes.
Can’t make it? They’re running a live stream starting at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow. And I’ll be buzzing around with my Flip cam at the after party. Whether I see you there or not, have fun. And check back here afterwards.
Gus Sentementes is a Baltimore Sun reporter and the guy behind BaltTech. He was kind enough to answer a few questions for us the other day. We’ll probably be hearing more from him in the future…
What helped Baltimore become a hub for tech startups?
I think Baltimore has been attractive for tech startups for a couple reasons. There are lots of smart people being churned out by the local universities, i.e. JHU, Towson, University of Maryland, etc. It’s also still a comparatively inexpensive place to launch a tech business, when compared against other East Coast cities. But the strength of the region goes beyond just Baltimore city proper, there’s a lot of activity and innovation going on in the counties around Baltimore, too. It helps that the state sees a major influx of federal dollars every year, that support many, many small and mid-size businesses in terms of outsourcing and contracting. There’s a lot of high-tech expertise rooted in federal government and military work that often blends into the civilian and private sector. Lots of cross-pollination.
Is it fair to call Baltimore a geeky city? Why or why not?
There are two sides of Baltimore. Sure, there’s the geeky side, where people with plenty of education and degrees make positive contributions to society on a par with some of the other most vibrant cities in America. But there’s also the poor and desperate side of the city that too often seems to be on the outside looking in. The greatest challenge right now is to bridge these two realities.
What motivated you to start BaltTech?
After spending several years writing about the worst and most depressing aspects of life in Baltimore, I wanted to take some time to write about some of the smart, innovative things our fellow citizens are up to, in the form of their technology exploits.
