New ways to help accelerate Baltimore's renaissance

I got a nice email today from one of my favorite Baltimore groups, gb.tc, announcing a new initiative:

...we are adding a new emphasis on bringing the power of technology and entrepreneurship to building a better Baltimore...Our goal is to help connect the innovators and the new ideas with the “powers-that-be” and the resources that could help accelerate Baltimore’s renaissance.

This project is near and dear to my heart. There's been a disconnect between the powers-that-be and the independent hustlers here in town, and gb.tc has cooked up three interesting new projects to change that, excerpted below:

Groundwork - August 10–11 - Over the course of 24 hours (from Friday evening to Saturday), help collect and analyze publicly-available data about Baltimore from a wide variety of sources. We are inviting a diverse mix of technologists, public health researchers, community leaders, and non-profit representatives. Our goal is to identify points of strength and to find opportunities for action and collaboration in neighborhoods, with existing programs, and among talented people from different sectors of Baltimore innovation.

Baltimore UnWIREd - August 24–25 - An unconference to be held on the campus of Johns Hopkins University, UnWIREd will build on findings and tools developed at Groundwork. We will convene innovators and power-brokers from across the region for serious discussion and concrete action. We will identify specific problems, resources, and neighborhoods as focal points.

Start Something - Fall 2012 through Summer 2013 - We will take what we have learned from Groundwork and UnWIREd and tap into the energy and creativity of Baltimore area college students. We will connect talented young people with our innovation community and the mentorship, resources, and tools they need to build sustainable businesses that serve the goals of a greater Baltimore.

I'm particularly excited about the last one. We have a lot of smart people around here and tons of opportunities to solve real-world problems, while making lots of money. I'm looking forward to seeing what a group of these smart people can do when given a little support and mentorship while exploring useful business ideas.