Art & Science
Baltimore is a perfect setting for ecosystem building because the city is also a little bit of art and a little bit of science (okay, a lot of art and science) and is slow to trust, but once trust is earned, produces extraordinary results.
Based on what is learned, listening to different stakeholders, ecosystem builders can hypothesize whether the addition of an asset, resource or increase in a particular activity will have a positive effect on a part of the ecosystem, thus impacting a desired outcome for the whole. This cycle of listening, learning, and testing hypotheses together also requires a lot of trust and trust is built over time. Fortunately, Baltimore is a perfect setting for ecosystem building because the city is also a little bit of art and a little bit of science (okay, a lot of art and science) and is slow to trust, but once trust is earned, produces extraordinary results. Between talented artist like Amy Sherald, Ernest Shaw, and Kim Rice, exceptional writers and poets like Kondwani Fidel and D. Watkins, Chris Wilson who does both, young scientists like Isaac Kinde and Kizzmekia Corbett, and the incomparable hall of fame inventor, James West, Baltimore has creativity and innovation in its veins; past, present, and future.
Couple that with the city’s commitment to highlighting its creators through events like Artscape and its willingness to promote and invite innovation by pursuing conferences like Black Tech Week and you’ve got the makings of a city primed to lead and and people ready unleash their collective genius on the world.
It’s safe to say that, of the 7 forms of capital needed to create a successful startup community, the opportunities to raise the level of human, intellectual, network, and cultural capital are abundant in Baltimore. There is a magnetism to this place and once people are here, whether born in Baltimore or not, ideas come to life in a way that contributes to the forever evolving culture of the city. From Frederick Douglass to Billy Holiday, Edgar Allen Poe to 2Pac, Devin Allen to a crop of legends and new Baltimore rappers putting the city on their backs; resilience, creativity and innovation has always been a recipe for the brilliance of Baltimore.
Come celebrate and contribute to that collective genius with us at Equitech Tuesday, every week from 6-8pm at Guilford Hall Brewery. Next week, we will welcome the University of Maryland’s Dingman Center and Morgan State University’s homecoming for a night honoring the talent and innovation coming out of our local HBCUs. And if you’re looking for another DMV tech event to network, look no further than the Techsgiving Baltimore Tech Social Hour hosted at The Cube Cowork tomorrow from 5-9pm.
We can’t wait to see you at any or all of these upcoming events!
~The UpSurge Team
Strap on your tool belt! We are building the world’s first #Equitech City! #ThisIsEquitech