Navigating through Baltimore’s emerging tech and startup communities can seem challenging at first. In this free class, you’ll learn about some of the key events, people, and places where the community congregates, builds, and learns.

1. Introduc)on
to
the
Bal)more
Tech
Community
Mike
Brenner,
CEO
of
Betamore

2. Mike
Brenner,
@MikeMakes
• Co-Founder & CEO of Betamore (2012+)
• Sunrise Design (2006 – 2011)
• Refresh Baltimore (2008+)
• BaltimoreTech.net (2009+)
• StartupBaltimore.org (acquired by Technically Media)
• Startup Weekend, Education Hack Day, Reinvent Transit
Technology
Entrepreneur,
Web
Developer,
Designer
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

3. What
Makes
Up
#BmoreTech?
• Startups
• Talent
• Investors
• Mentors
• Service Providers
• Mature Companies
• Universities
• Coworking Spaces
• Hangouts
• Incubators
• Events
• News
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

4. Notable
(not
all)
Startups
• Advertising.com *
• Bill Me Later *
• Sylvan Learning *
• Millenial Media *
• Moodlerooms *
• Micros *
• Videology
• 2U
• Straighterline
• Social Toaster
• Direct Dimensions
• BTS
• Cyberpoint
• Localist
• 410 Labs
• Parking Panda
• Riskive
• Givecorps
*
Acquired
or
Public
Looking
for
coworking
spaces?
Use
the
BalHmore
Tech
Map
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

5. Notable
(not
all)
Industries
• EdTech
• Biotech & Health IT
• Cyber
• Gaming
• Civic & Social Change
• Consumer
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

6. Universi)es
• Community College of Baltimore County
• Coppin State
• Goucher
• Hopkins
• Loyola
• MICA
• McDaniel
• Morgan State
• Notre Dame of Maryland
• Stevenson
• Towson
• UMBC
• University of Baltimore
• University of Maryland, Baltimore
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

7. Investment
(VC
+
Angel)
• Baltimore Angels
• Dingman Center Angels
• TEDCO
• Abell Foundation
• Accelerate Baltimore
• ABS Capital
• NEA
• Sterling Partners
• New Markets Venture Partners
Looking
for
angel
investment?
Use
AngelList
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

8. Coworking
Spaces
• Betamore
• Beehive
• 716 Broadway
• Capital Studios
• Baltimore Node
• Baltimore Foundery
Looking
for
coworking
spaces?
Use
the
BalHmore
Tech
Map
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

9. Incubators
• Betamore
• ETC + Accelerate Baltimore
• Towson Global
• bwtech@UMBC
• Maryland BioPark
Looking
for
incubators?
Use
the
BalHmore
Tech
Map
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

10. Online
Hangouts
&
Resources
• Baltimore Tech Facebook Group (~2000 members)
• BaltimoreTech.net
• Baltimore Tech Map
• gb.tc
• #BmoreTech
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

13. Events
• Tech Breakfast
• B’more on Rails
• Baltimore: Javascript, Wordpress, Mobile, Lean Startup, etc.
• Refresh Baltimore
• BmoreTech Meetup
Monthly
Meetups
Looking
for
meetups?
Use
Meetup.com
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

15. Events
• Baltimore Innovation Week
• Betascape
• Surge Con
• Startup Crawl at Betamore
• gb.tc Tech Crawl
• Startup Maryland Bus Tour
• Hackathons (listed ahead)
Annual
/
Semi-­‐regular
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

16. Events
• Ignite Baltimore
• TEDx: MidAtlantic + Baltimore
• CreateBaltimore
Blended
CommuniDes
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

17. Hackathons
• Reinvent Transit
• Education Hack Day
• Hack for Change
• Baltimore Hackathon
• Startup Weekend
• RailsGirls
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

19. News
• Technically Baltimore
• Baltimore Sun - BaltTech
• Baltimore Business Journal
• BmoreMedia
• CityBizList
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

20. Mailing
Lists
• go.gb.tc Calendar
• StartupDigest Baltimore
• Meetup Event Mailing Lists
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

22. Regional
Orgs
+
Support
• Startup Maryland / Startup America
• TEDCO
• gb.tc
• EAGB
• Chesapeake Tech Council
• Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship (Howard County)
• #DCTech
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

23. Job
Boards
• Baltimore Tech Jobs
• Startup Crawl at Betamore
• Monster.com
• LinkedIn
• Craigslist
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

24. Common
Misconcep)ons
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

25. I’ve
got
a
great
idea,
so
now
I
just
need
investment.
“
”
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

26. I
can’t
find
investors,
it
must
be
because
I’m
in
Bal)more.
“
”
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

27. I’ve
got
a
great
idea,
so
I’ll
pay
someone
overseas
to
build
my
product.
Then,
I’ll
get
investment!
“
”
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

28. I’ve
got
a
great
idea,
but
I
won’t
tell
you
un)l
you
sign
my
NDA.
“
”
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

29. Coding
is
for
nerds
that
studied
computer
science
in
college
and
have
been
coding
their
en)re
lives.
“
”
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

30. I
tried
doing
a
startup
before
and
failed.
No
one
will
respect
me
on
my
next
try.
“
”
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

31. How
do
I
learn
to
code?
• Sign up for a class/course at Betamore.
• CodeSchool.com
• Codecademy
• Go work for a startup!
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

32. How
to
Meet
Poten)al
Investor/Mentor
• Start with an email.
• Keep it short, clarify the ask, make it easy to say Yes.
• Do research and let them know you’ve done that.
• Don’t ask them to lunch. Maybe coffee after a few previous emails.
• Ask for money, you’ll be lucky to get advice.
• Ask for advice, you’ll be lucky to get money.
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

33. How
to
Meet
a
Poten)al
Cofounder
• Go to events, like hackathons and technical meetups.
• Work from coworking spaces.
• Ask for their advice or feedback on your idea.
• Find out what they’re passionate about and integrate that.
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

34. How
else
can
I
get
involved
in
BmoreTech?
• Attend events, happy hours, classes.
• Listen to conversations and add value when appropriate.
• Provide feedback and support to those that ask.
• Volunteer for events and conferences.
• Amplify others’ news and events on your social channels.
• Participate in a hackathon – even if you’re not a designer/developer
• Give before you get.
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE
BALTIMORE
TECH
COMMUNITY

35. Thanks.
Mike
Brenner,
@MikeMakes