Message from the vtTA
Apply to Join the VTTA Board; Recent Legislative Activity

The Vermont Technology Alliance is looking to expand its Board of Directors. The Board welcomes applications from individuals from a diverse range of businesses and organizations, backgrounds and experiences. The Vermont Technology Alliance Board of Directors defines, leads and enables the mission of the VTTA to support, promote and grow technology jobs and technology-focused businesses and organizations in Vermont. Board members serve a minimum of one three-year term, renewable for additional three-year terms, and commit to approximately 2-4 hours a month participating in Board and Committee meetings.

If you are interested and believe you can support the mission of the VTTA and add to the diversity of perspectives and experience of the board, please complete this VTTA Board of Directors Candidate Application so that our Nominating Committee can learn more about you and your interest. 

Legislative Updates
The VTTA continues to stay connected with legislation and activity in the statehouse. Here are a few areas of note:

Corporate Tax/Cloud Tax
The Senate Finance Committee continued discussion on S.53 which, despite the carry-over of its original name, contains changes to the corporate tax and proposes adding the cloud computing sales tax. The committee is focusing on the corporate tax proposals, given their complexity, and has deferred cloud tax discussion. There are a number of proposed changes to the corporate tax, including applying the tax only to sales in Vermont and exclude employees and property, which could benefit some Vermont based businesses. Originally, the changes were projected to lead to a loss of corporate taxes of up to $13 million annually, which was to be made up through the cloud tax. However, in the latest estimates the changes would result in a gain of approximately $1.7 million over the next four years, which would appear to negate the need for the cloud tax as a backfill. Chair Senator Cummings said that she did not think the committee will not have time to address the cloud tax before the cross-over deadline for all bills. If so, it would appear that if the cloud tax goes forward this year it will not be part of this bill.

Workforce Recruitment and Development
The House and Senate economic development committees have been looking at legislation intended to help recruit and prepare Vermont’s workforce.

The Senate Economic Development Committee is developing an Omnibus Economic Development bill S.263. The initial draft includes initiatives supported by the VTTA, including new funding for remote worker and worker relocation programs, without any restrictions on who can participate, and $8.46 million in funding over three years for the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing for marketing Vermont (including for tech and other job roles) and regional funding for recruitment, relocation and retention programs. 

The House Commerce and Economic Development Committee continued to take testimony on actions to recruit employees and improve workforce development, including expanding and improving career and technical education for students and adults. The Department of Labor has proposed $3.7 million for worker training and recruitment, which includes funding for six Workforce Expansion Specialists, work-based training and apprenticeships, and for regional recruiting efforts.

Employment Agreements
Bill H.667 was introduced in the House Commerce Committee, which seeks to enact the Restrictive Employment Agreement Act proposed by the Uniform Law Commission to address issues such as non-compete and non-solicitation agreements. The VTTA was involved in changes to a previous bill on non-compete agreements in 2020, which passed the House, but did not move forward in the Senate. As with the previous bill, this legislation applies only to those who make 1.5x Vermont’s median salary. Please let us know if you have concerns with this proposed bill.

This and other legislation will take shape in the upcoming weeks as the Mid-March crossover deadlines to pass bills between each chamber approaches.

Unlocking Your Potential
Join us in partnership with York IE on Feb. 21, for a webinar featuring a fireside chat with executive performance coach Dr. Julie Gurner, discussing how leaders can unlock their true potential. Dr. Gurner has worked with some of the nation’s top executives and will share her unique approach to helping high performers thrive and reach even greater heights.



Jeff Couture
Executive Director
Vermont Technology Alliance

Featured Member – Institute for American Apprenticeships at Vermont HITEC
The Institute for American Apprenticeships at Vermont HITEC (IAA) has developed and implemented programs to serve numerous apprentices in nontraditional occupations for regional and national employers. IAA also provides technical assistance around the U.S. to assist in developing and registering apprenticeship programs.

Locally, solutions have been developed for healthcare, advanced manufacturing, IT, and business services. Nationally, solutions have included comprehensive workforce development solutions which often include pipeline development, post-secondary institution partner development, upskilling programs for incumbent employees, programs for new hire development, and funding.

Find more at https://iaahitec.org/
Upcoming Events
Unlocking Your Potential with Dr. Julie Gurner 
(February 21, 2022)
 
Join the VTTA and York IE for a fireside chat with executive performance coach Dr. Julie Gurner, discussing how leaders can unlock their true potential. The Wall Street Journal has compared her to the character Wendy Rhoades on the Showtime series “Billions.” 
 
Find more and register here.
Vermont Technology News
Tech Jobs Top Glassdoor’s List of the 50 Best Jobs in America for 2022
(February, 2022 – VTTA)

Glassdoor has released its report on the 50 Best Jobs in America for 2022, and tech jobs top the list. Glassdoor's provides insights into jobs and businesses and says its Best Jobs for 2022 show where job-seekers can hope to find the most widely available jobs, offering the highest salaries and job satisfaction.

This list identifies the top careers for job seekers based on jobs on Glassdoor that contain the right mix of available job openings, high job satisfaction and high earning potential. Most roles in the top 10 are in tech, including Enterprise Architect (#1), Full Stack Engineer (#2), and Data Scientist (#3).

Glassdoor says that tech jobs feature prominently on this year’s list, due to their flexible working schedules, generous benefits and opportunities to work on cutting edge technology. 

Read more here.
Scott Proposes $51 million to Expand Cell Service to Rural Areas
(February 11, 2022 – VermontBiz)
Governor Scott is proposing to spend $51 million of federal money to expand cell service into Vermont’s rural areas.The effort would require siting about 100 new towers. The Legislature would have to allocate the money.

The governor said at his press briefing that so far lawmakers have not shown much interest in the proposal. “I hope they’ll see the merits of doing so,” the governor said.
Public Service Department Commissioner June Tierney said, “A hundred cell towers will significantly improve the state of coverage in Vermont,” she said. She added that the locations will be carefully chosen and would go through significant community scrutiny before being sited.

She added that the marketplace will not solve the problem of gaps in service because if there’s no business case to site new towers, the commercial carriers simply won’t, which is why the state needs to step in.

Scott said the expansion of cell service would complement the $116 million already being deployed to build out the state’s broadband service through the Broadband Construction Grant Program.

Read more here.
CoreMap completes $23 million financing for A-Fib cure
(Febuary 10, 2022 – CoreMap)

CoreMap, based in Burlington,Vermont announced it has closed a $3 million Series A Milestone financing concurrently with a $20 million Series B financing. The financing includes a diverse group of strategic, institutional, venture and individual partners.

Founded in 2016, CoreMap’s mission is to develop a cure for atrial fibrillation (AF). The financing will be used to accelerate the company’s ongoing product development efforts and initiate clinical outcome studies.

CoreMap’s technology is aimed at identifying the drivers of complex arrhythmias, which will, in turn, unlock patient-specific treatment options for those suffering from AF or any complex arrhythmia. CoreMap’s patented electrode design and configuration, combined with algorithmically driven mapping and visualization technology will enable electrophysiologists to make more informed, patient specific therapeutic decisions to improve outcomes.

Read more here.
Resonant Link Raises $9.3 Million Investment for Wireless Charging Technology
(February 2, 2021 – Resonant Link)

Resonant Link, a VTTA member and developer of a new wireless charging technology for medical devices and electric automotive fleets, announced it has raised a $9.3 million seed round, led by The Engine, the venture firm spun out of MIT that invests in early-stage Tough Tech companies. New investor Volta Energy Technologies also participated in the round, alongside previous pre-seed investors including: Emerson Collective, Scout Ventures, Urban Us, and FreshTracks Capital.

The new capital will be used for strategic hiring and to support product development and customer deployment. Resonant Link is building best-in-class wireless chargers to power implantable medical devices and accelerate electrification in robotics, material handling, and electric vehicles. Its powerful multi-layer self-resonant structure (MSRS) enables wireless chargers that are 5-10x higher performance and deliver a 5-10x faster charge than is possible with existing technologies.

Read more here.
U.S. Army Partners with eVTOL Developer Beta Technologies
(January 31, 2022 – Flying)

Vermont-based Beta Technologies announced it has won a U.S. Army contract to support flight testing of its Alia electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.

The partnership eventually aims to help the Army test specific military cargo and logistics missions for eVTOLs, while allowing Beta to accelerate development for both military and civil applications. 

The Army contract isn’t Beta’s first partnership in the military sector. In 2020, it joined the U.S. Air Force’s AFWERX Agility Prime program, specifically designed to accelerate development of the emerging eVTOL industry. 

“This partnership with the Army marks another important step in the military’s commitment to advancing and adopting sustainable electric aviation solutions,” said Beta founder and CEO Kyle Clark in a statement.

Initially, Army engineers and Beta’s team plan to evaluate how Alia might best be applied to specific missions by measuring its range, altitude, endurance, and payload limits.

Read more here.
A New Investment Fund Seeks to Spur Vermont’s Startups
(January 26, 2022 – Seven Days)

Private equity investor Jim Crook and four associates have launched an investment fund aimed at injecting $12.5 million into promising startup businesses in Vermont.

The Dudley Fund will focus on early and mid-stage Vermont companies that need an initial infusion of about $50,000 to $150,000 in order to grow. The goal is to find and fund entrepreneurs who have demonstrated that they can create jobs and inject money into the state’s economy.

“This is for companies that are going to create a significant economic impact, that will create jobs here, pay taxes here, support other local businesses here and generate wealth,” Crook said. “That is our most important objective.”
In preparation for the Dudley Fund’s debut, the founders last year raised $250,000 from each of about 50 partners, all but two of them in Vermont. Another 25 people who aren’t investors will serve as mentors or advisers for the companies that Dudley is investing in.

Read more here.
VT Company Wins International Award by Using Scent for Virtual Reality
(January 25, 2022 – VermontBiz)

OVR Technology, a leader in multisensory VR/AR, has won the AUREA Award for Excellence in Impact in augmented, virtual or mixed reality. Started in 2018, the AUREA Awards are an industry-leading event honoring the world’s best innovations that demonstrate the potential of this sector for technology and immersive entertainment. OVR Technology was one of 10 selected finalists. Award categories included innovation, creative, experience, impact, and interaction. 

OVR Technology won the AUREA Impact Award for its groundbreaking approach using scent technology to make XR, AR, and VR experiences more immersive and effective. Scent is the only sense directly linked to the limbic system of the brain and plays a critical role in human motivation and behavior. 

Read more here.

Vermont Technology Alliance Membership Update

The Vermont Technology Alliance works on behalf of its members and is able to carry out its mission through the support of its membership.

New and Renewing members: 
New members include Northfield Savings Bank and Ecopixel, and individuals Jeff Guyette, Tina De la Torre, Sharon Trautwein, and Charlene Wallace.
 
Renewing members include Echo Consulting, Faraday, Gallagher Flynn HR Solutions, Global-Z, Institute for American Apprenticeships at Vermont HITEC, and individuals Andrea Bacchi, David Del Toro, Joe McVicker, Melissa DeBlois.and Sarthak Agrawal

Not a vtTA member yet? Then why not join now? Find more information and register here. You can also contact us at admin@vtta.org.
Useful Information & Links
Remote Worker Relocation Grant Program Accepting Applications

The New Remote Worker Grant builds upon Vermont’s previous worker relocation incentive programs to attract new residents to the state. This grant offers up to $7,500 in reimbursements for eligible expenses to remote workers who become full-time residents on or after February 1, 2022 and continue to work for an out-of-state employer. The application portal is now live and accepting applications.
Qualifying Relocation Expenses include:
  • Closing costs for a primary residence or lease deposit and one month rent,  
  • Hiring a moving company,  
  • Renting moving equipment,  
  • Shipping 
  • The cost of moving supplies 
Find full details and FAQs at the ThinkVermont Relocation page.
Invitation to Bid on Vermont Medicaid Data Lake and Data Analytics and Reporting Solution

The State of Vermont, Agency of Digital Services (ADS) has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to establish a contract with one or more vendors to develop, implement, operate, and maintain Software as a Services (SaaS) solutions for a Medicaid Data Lake (MDL) and Data Analytics and Reporting (DAR) capabilities, including related information technology systems and business consulting services.

The bid documents can be accessed here. All notifications, releases, and addendums associated will be posted to this site.
Champlain College Spring Career Fair

Champlain College is hosting its Spring 2022 Career Fair in person on Wednesday, March 9, 2022

For this Fair, they are targeting employers who are actively recruiting positions (full- and part-time, internship, and summer/seasonal) of direct relevance to Champlain’s academic programs. Click here for a list of our majors and specializations to determine which ones best align with your talent needs.

Find more information and register here.
VTTA Career Center
 
Vermont Technology Alliance member companies are hiring, and when you visit the Career Center on the Vermont Technology Alliance website you can browse and search for these job openings and subscribe to updates. The Career Center on average features 150+ tech and non-tech jobs with Vermont Technology Alliance member businesses. Jobs available from VTTA members are listed at no charge in the Career Center as a member benefit.
 
Find the Career Center here.  
The VTTA Thanks Its Member/Sponsors
Leadership Sponsors:

Partner Sponsors: