A Baltimore-made product to make work more fun

Newsletter for May 13, 2024

Happy Monday Baltimore tech denizens! Raise your hand (but not too high to keep you from scrolling down and enjoying this newsletter) if you like to play a little while you're at work.

If you raised your hand, we've got a treat in a new article with a local founder whose company is 3D printing its way into the future of play-at-work. Also, find insights on storytelling in fundraising that my colleague Kaela Roeder grabbed from our Builders Conference last week, as well as some upcoming events in Baltimore.

— Alanah, Technical.ly lead reporter for Baltimore

Plexo is a play system designed to engage adults in collaborative play at work. It uses Expo dry-erase markers as building blocks to connect with its own product, with prototypes mainly developed through 3D printing. Inspired by the need to foster community and creativity in office spaces, Plexo originated as its founder, Anthony Culps' thesis project at MICA's Product Design Program.

➡️ Read more on how Plexo reimagines play in every space.

A pair of founders got real about the challenges of fundraising in today's economic landscape during our Builders Conference last week.

Yasmine Mustafa, CEO of ROAR, and Amit Kumar Singh, CEO of NearStar Fusion, highlighted the importance of storytelling in capturing investor interest. They also highlighted the importance of maintaining investor relationships, as well as efficient ways to do so.

➡️ Learn more about fundraising and relationships in Kaela Roeder's recap.

• The Lightship Bootcamp is a free two-day entrepreneurship education program tailored for early-stage business founders and their teams. [Lightship]

• A temporary exhibit at Open Works, the Teen Maker Textile Showcase, features final projects by students who've mastered industrial sewing and digital design. It's on display in Open Works' lobby until May 17. [Open Works]

• B-360's Sound of Summer Camp 2024 will offer young people the chance to learn about safe dirtbike riding and the tech behind this beloved pasttime. Paren ts can learn more about the paperwork involved and meet the team at an orientation on June 14 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. [B-360]

• Central Baltimore Partnership's (CPB) Station North Economic Development Implementation Roadmap aims to accelerate the revitalization of the Station North Arts District. It integrates community engagement, vision plans and data analysis to understand economic dynamics and address challenges such as vacant properties, with a focus on arts-based strategies to grow Baltimore's creative economy. [CBP]

• Wexford Science & Technology, the developer behind the 4 MLK tower in Baltimore's University of Maryland BioPark, is launching a program to address the shortage of lab space for growing startups in the region. [Baltimore Biz Journal]