DC Inno Beat 6/22: Tay Swift Slaps Apple, DC Tech Scene Rising and Qntfy Win $10K For PTSD Tech

Another day, another Taylor Swift news story that shows she could one-day successfully run for Congress...: Here Are All the Other Things We’d Really Love Taylor Swift to Fix via Time. (context below)

...Lets Get Started

The Big One

Chris: The music streaming v. music record industry battle that has become synonymous with the rise of Apple Music (and its predecessors) just took an interesting turn. As we have previously reported, Apple is working hard to position its new subscription-based music streaming service to compete against the likes of market leader Spotify, among others. An important aspect to this challenge, and a vital indicator of whether Apple Music can succeed, will be decided by whether Apple can successfully sign top artists like Taylor Swift.

Up until now, one of the largest issues has been that these artists were required to take a hit due to Apple Music’s 3-month free trial period. Neither the artists nor their record labels would be paid during this period and as such many were refusing to join on. Well, Taylor Swift spoke and Apple responded. After the popular pop-country artist publicly criticized Apple Music’s revenue model for artists the Cupertino, Calif.-based company quickly changed its previous trial period creator policy. While I would like to believe that Taylor Swift was able to push Apple into this decision all its own, I doubt that is the case. Instead, it’s more likely that Apple recognized the initial sign-up losses they would incur without these artists and chose to pay up.

Eric: Taylor Swift may have more to do with it than you think Chris. While her letter alone might not have changed Apple's mind, the fact that it sparked so much protest over Apple's plans make it clear she was an important catalyst, as evidenced by the tweets from the Apple executive who announced the change.

Making Moves

Chris: So, as pretty much every person who receives this newsletter knows by now, DC’s tech scene is quickly growing and the expansion means more people are getting hired for local tech-centric jobs. As part of this growth, however, each of these company has needed to create their own company culture and employee standards. On Friday, WaPo released its annual workplace employee ratings report and our local tech scene performed especially well. Here’s a look at who made the best of the best ratings. See how many companies you can recognize...

Eric: Startups traditionally make good places to work despite sometimes lower compensation because people are more likely to be there for more than a paycheck, not to mention they tend to make company culture a bigger priority than publicly traded companies since they don't need to explain the expense to shareholders.

Chris: WaPo reports that the Technology Council of Maryland with Baltimore tech incubator Betamore will be holding joint events and coordinate combined lobbying efforts, as part of larger partnership announced Monday. The news follows initiatives set in place by Md. Gov Larry Hogan to improve the state’s business image and to encourage entrepreneurial growth. The idea is that the move will hopefully bring greater national reputation to the local inno scene and may help associate it as a technology hub.

Eric: This is just the latest step by Maryland to boost its tech profile. The ongoing efforts by the state to get more tech startups to start or relocate there have been creative as it competes with Silicon Valley, not to mention D.C. and Virginia.

Chris: Startup incubator Eastern Foundry wrapped up its Foundry Cup on Saturday, an event where innovative startups presented/pitched their solutions to help treat PTSD. The winner of the competition was District-based startup Qntfy, who was awarded $10,000 to continue their research and development. Per Eric, “Qntfy has developed a method of analyzing social media posts on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms to broadly gauge mental health, specificially in those who may have PTSD. That data can help medical professionals work on the best treatment regimen for their patients, even if their condition isn't obvious.”

Eric: Eastern Foundry is staking a strong claim to the veteran/government-focused startup scene in the DMV and the Foundry Cup will definitely help up its profile. The fact that it was focused on helping veterans with PTSD will also get it the kind of positive attention it needs as it looks to its next big move, which I'll be hitting on later this week.

Community

We have a strong line-up of awesome local startup and networking events for you -- including an opportunity to speak with Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe about innovation and another where you can pitch/demo your startup to a group of tech enthusiasts for feedback. Here's the week's DC Inno Approved

Goss

We have heard from multiple sources that Power Supply is in talks with Upfront Ventureson what would likely be an extension of their seed round or part of a Series A raise. Power Supply launched LA as their second market this spring and now it appears they may have snagged the city's most notable firm as an investor. Upfront is heavy on what they deem "retail innovation" and Power Supply's distribution model separates the company from other food delivery competitors. Patrick Smith and team are sharp – and are standing out in what is a very hot market right now.

What We're Reading

Reach out

Tips? Rumblings? Complaints? Something you want to see in the email? Reid@dcinno.com & Chris@dcinno.com