“Stakeholder capitalism” is alive and well
Best-selling author, entrepreneur, and investor Joe Meklinski quoted author Richard Bach to explain one of the driving forces behind the Conscious Venture Lab (CVL).
“We teach what we need to learn and create what we need to heal,” he said during a keynote speech at the CVL Accelerator’s 11th batch demo day last Tuesday.
The startups came from as far away as Baltimore and Mexico City with socially minded innovations ranging from non-insertable menstrual products to a buy now, pay later platform for corner stores in Latin America. As Jeff Cherry, leader of CVL’s Organizing Center, put it, they embody CVL’s focus on “stakeholder capitalism,” which he believes creates a more human culture of innovation without sacrificing economic value.
➡️ To learn more about the latest CVL cohort, check out our new article here.
Meet DC’s new incubators and angel investors
With its recently launched program, DC Tech Studio’s program director doesn’t just want to help founders get the capital and talent they need. To make the most of its position at the center of national policymaking and government contracting, Brandon Whitaker also wants founders to become thought leaders in an often highly regulated field.
He pitched this ahead of last week’s demo day for Adams Morgan’s incubator’s pilot cohort, a group of 11 startups that includes companies making everything from a platform for freelance journalists to an app that streamlines purchase returns to a simplified podcast editing platform. (Notably, the 2024 RealLIST Startups Stand and Outerly were also included.)
➡️ For more information on these projects and companies, check out Kaela Roeder’s latest article.
News Incubator: What else do you need to know today?
• Learn why satellite cities like Arlington, Virginia, have become vibrant hubs of innovation. [Technical.ly]
• Pigtown-based Early Charm Ventures partnered with Harford County Economic Development to repurpose a former community college facility into the CONVERGE Innovation Center, a biomanufacturing materials and learning hub funded by a $500,000 state grant that will build on research conducted at the U.S. Army’s Aberdeen Proving Grounds. [Biz Journal/Technical.ly]
• The Ralph S. O’Connor Institute for Sustainable Energy at Johns Hopkins University will use a $1.25 million independent state grant to open the R Lab New Energy/Tech Infrastructure Hub atop R House in Remington. [Technical.ly/Johns Hopkins]
• TEDCO (a Technical.ly client) has selected approximately 20 nonprofits, higher education institutions and facilities across the state as winners of its 2024 Makerspace program. [TEDCO]
• It’s been exactly one year since Maryland legalized recreational sales, and that’s the sentiment among cannabis industry advocates, citizens and other stakeholders. [Baltimore Sun]
• Gov. Wes Moore’s administration is working to build an east-west Red Line using light rail. [Baltimore Magazine]
• Check out Baltimore resident Pope of Trash’s local recommendations. [New York Times]
🗓️ Calendar
Before you go out…
Please consider supporting Technical.ly to help keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media, we don’t have paid content – instead, we rely on your personal and organizational support.
