MATR Newsletter – November 16, 2023
The state with the best education wins!

Access to Finance in Montana – A Study of the Funding Landscape for Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses – Part 1: Survey of Funders 2023

Humane’s Ai Pin puts wearable AI on tap

Come Home Montana

• Next Frontier Capital’s 2023 Annual LP Meeting Recap

  We expect many companies of global impact will be founded in the Rocky Mountains over the coming decade, as more and more people choose this region as their home and place of work.

• 14 New Montana Nonprofit Jobs

  Director of Communications and Outreach Executive Director Director of Business Development   and more…

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• One stat that could spur a compromise on the child tax credit

  Congress is closer to giving cash to the poorest kids than you think.

• Creating hyper-local food supply chains

  One startup is eliminating middle-mile food emissions with its local micro-factories

• Access to Finance in Montana – A Study of the Funding Landscape for Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses – Part 1: Survey of Funders 2023

  This report provides quantitative information, views of specialists across the state of Montana, and
  recommendations that state and federal policymakers, lenders, investors, and economic
  development organizations can use to shape small business programs.

• MONTANA RURAL EXPLORER – NOVEMBER 2023 USDA Rural Development

  Welcome to the MONTANA RURAL EXPLORER, USDA Rural Development in Montana’s monthly newsletter with information about our business, community facilities, energy, electric, housing, telecommunication, and water and environmental programs.

Big Sky Economic Development

• Billings Welcomes Allegiant Airline’s New Flight Service Connecting Billings, Montana to Los Angeles, California

  Scheduled to commence on May 16th, 2024, the new flight service will offer unparalleled convenience and accessibility for travelers seeking seamless connections between Billings and Los Angeles.

Montana Business

• Public invited to learn more about proposed changes to Missoula’s Brooks Street – 11/16 – Missoula’s Fairgrounds

  The Transform Brooks-Connect Midtown study hopes to develop designs for transit, walking, biking, and roadway improvements for the busy corridor.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• Purdue University Launches Broadband Team to Serve All of Indiana

  The team will focus heavily on Indiana’s 76 rural counties and expanding their broadband access.

Montana Business and Govt. Agency Collaboration Success

• Gov. Greg Gianforte talks property taxes on Montana This Morning

  Including incentives to attract veterans to Montana.

Funding and Building your Business

• Top VC Firms Sign Voluntary Commitments for Startups to Build AI Responsibly

  The new guidelines are part of an effort to enact some guardrails for potentially thousands of startups across the AI industry.

Come Home Idaho

• Idaho National Laboratory opens 2024 Bright Future in Energy Scholarship competition

  The scholarship program is open to 11th- and 12th-grade students interested in pursuing a postsecondary education and career focused on science, technology, engineering or math. Applicants must be U.S. citizens. It is not limited to just Idaho students.

Come Home Wyoming

• Wyoming lawmakers reject California’s property tax system despite GOP backing

  After a state-funded study highlighted a deficient legal framework and the potential for depleted state revenue, a committee left the proposed legislation behind.

21st Century Education Initiative – “You Should Care…”

• States Begin to Address Media Literacy Through Legislation

  New Jersey becomes the latest state to sign a bill centering media literacy in schools, raising further awareness of the need for widespread media literacy policies. But more needs to be done, say experts.

• The evidence on school vouchers that’ll please nobody

  School vouchers, or school choice as it’s known among advocates, is public funding for children to attend private schools. It’s a controversial policy — some say it undermines the public school system, others say it gives parents the ability to choose the best school for their children.

2023 Montana Legislature and Politics

• The Coming Fight Over Municipal Financial Data

  Rapidly developing AI-powered technology is making it easier to appropriate the public sector’s financial information for proprietary uses. Businesses that slice and dice this data should be renters, not owners.

Government News & Events

• Tapping into AI to reduce water leaks and losses

  A data analysis platform is using AI to help utility companies track factors affecting water loss

Transportation

• Cities Plan Safer Streets With Boost from Infrastructure Bill

  The Safe Streets for All program is awarding millions of dollars directly to cities and counties to improve roadways for all users. Many are applying multiple times.

VR/AR, Blockchain, Bitcoin, Artificial Intelligence and The Internet of Things

• Humane’s Ai Pin puts wearable AI on tap

  The wearable device, which is similar to a Star Trek communicator, powers a person to make calls, ask questions of its onboard assistant, understand foreign languages, request music and take pictures.

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