In June, Technical.ly Delaware officially launched with the goal of providing original editorial content that serves not only technologists and entrepreneurs across the First State, but everyday people who care about technology’s local impact.
In these two months, we’ve attended numerous community events, met with leaders and heard from the movers and shakers in the technology and innovation community.
So here’s a look back at the first dozen startups we’ve covered. (Click the first link for the story and additional links for context.)
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- The Archer Group: In 2003, this Wilmington-based digital design firm started with six employees. Now, more than a decade later, the creative firm employs 60 creative individuals. The Archer Group boasts a client list of three-dozen, including Comcast, Chase, DuPont, Time Warner and Wawa, just to name a few. Partner Todd Miller loves being based in Delaware: “Delaware is a badge of honor for us,” he said.
- Squatch Creative: The Wilmington-based design firm is creating a name for itself by marrying mobile-minded design with the increasing demand for online video. Squatch is helping to popularize the trend of including background video playing on a loop on websites they design. This is to help give their brands a different feel.
- entreDonovan: Linda Farquhar is taking her business-clothing boutique to the next level by offering unique, 3D body scanning technology. Farquhar is pursuing her passion and receiving national accolades for entreDonovan along the way.
- IndieGameStand: A few guys from Wilmington, who happen to love video games, started a website which allows users to buy independent video games. IndieGameStand offers something different, though — a unique cache of games that are widely unavailable elsewhere. Cofounder Mike Gnade and marketing manager Matt Cangialosi also host a weekly podcast. The two are also helping to bring gaming nights to Wilmington through a Meetup group.
- DeliveryCircle: The New Castle startup — think Airbnb for deliveries — uses a community-centered approach that leverages the needs of merchants, customers and delivery drivers. The entire delivery can be done on the DeliveryCircle website, with customers selecting their preferred driver, location of delivery and time of delivery. “In two to three years I see us as a global brand,” said founder Vijaya Rao.
- Anniversary: While many emerging social media apps toy with the ephemeral (think Snapchat), University of Delaware alumni Kenneth Wallach and Benjamin Klein created an app that plays on the opposite — nostalgia. Anniversary turns present moments into future memories.
- Joyce Company: The Wilmington-based organization isn’t quite a startup, but they produce two to three companies per year and sees what works. It’s a unique model that has yielded both Movy, a video messaging service, and Exert, a body coolant for menopausal women. Movy is only currently available on Android devices, but the company is working to develop the same app for Apple users.
- 1313 Innovation: It’s a collaboration between The McConnell Companies (a commercial real estate firm) and Digital-Vikings (a mobile app design studio). 1313 Innovation wants to be more than just known for solid work in the technology field; it hopes its creativity will help revitalize Wilmington by in attracting more tech-savvy individuals to Delaware. Another goal of the 1313 team is to host a week of innovation events this fall, called “Wilmington Tech2gether.”
- MUNI-Tech: The goal of the Wilmington-based startup is to create hardware and software to connect people all over the world, visually. Earlier this year, MUNI installed a large touch screen board in the lobby of the Hercules Building at 1313 Market St. in Wilmington. The board has rotating carousels that show the building’s tenants and their websites, weather, news and more. The startup was recently accepted into the DreamIt Philly accelerator program.
- RegDesk: The Bear startup connects life sciences companies with regulatory consultants worldwide. Priya Bhutani is the CEO of the four-person firm, which is currently based out of the University City Science Center at 3401 Market St., Philadelphia. The startup is currently participating in the DreamIt Health Philly accelerator.
- Nfoshare: University of Delaware grad Nikhil Paul created Nfoshare, which uses data to boost student and employee retention. Over 80 percent of Nikhil Paul’s University of Delaware engineering class didn’t make it to graduation. Disappointed with those results, he developed a platform for predicting and preventing dropouts. Now Nfoshare is scaling into the business world. The startup was recently accepted into the DreamIt Philly accelerator program.
- GemHouse: Cofounders Keith Elliott and Jamie McConnell are soon launching a beta pilot of GemHouse, a new app for real estate agents and home buyers. It’s not Zillow or Trulia — and it doesn’t want to be. The idea for GemHouse, Elliott said, presented itself when he was searching for a home in the Wilmington area.
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