Swim with the Sharks: Drone startup building a fireworks alternative wins $10k Delaware pitch competition

It’s the drones’ year to shine.

The New Castle County Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Swim with the Sharks competition selected 2024 RealLIST Startup Droneversity as its 12th winner on Wednesday, with a prize of $10,000.

The annual event, which returned to Penn Cinema on the Riverfront this year, got its start at the University of Delaware’s (UD) Bob Carpenter Center. It has evolved over the years from a more student entrepreneur-focused pitch competition, to what it is today: A party for the community that celebrates diverse founders and businesses.

Over the years, the event has been a luncheon, a virtual event and a televised special. At last year’s Penn Cinema event, where the Trash Porters, founded by Christopher Boozer won, it seemed to find its stride as an accessible and fun event to support local businesses.

Droneversity, founded by Ashlee Cooper, is a drone education and services company that was the runner-up in 2023. It added a new product for 2024: Drone light shows, an alternative to fireworks.

“Investment in Droneversity is going to expand our brand, as well as market visibility through the offerings of drone light shows,” Cooper said.

The winners were selected by judges José Lopez of La Tolteca Mexican Restaurant, Margie Crouch of WSFS Bank and Tierra Fair of United Way of Delaware.

The $2,500 runner-up was Coffee Rendezbrew, a Rehoboth Beach coffee company founded by Wanda Guyton.

The winner of the Swim with the Shark’s $1,000 people’s choice award was STEM manufacturing startup Sindri Materials, also a 2024 RealLIST Startup, founded by Christopher DiMarco.

The other finalists were Color & Blow, a sustainable shampoo company founded by Diana Taylor, and tech education startup Kai Coders, founded by 2022 RealLIST Engineer Deanna Bledsoe.

During the event, host Ivan Thomas, founder of DETV, announced that all five finalists would receive a free 30-second spot on the network to help spread awareness of their businesses.

Delaware’s involved public servants offer support to startups

The event welcomed former winner Mac MacLeod, CEO and cofounder of Carvertise, a junior at UD when the company won the first Swim with the Sharks in 2012, as a keynote speaker this year. New Castle County Executive and Democratic candidate for Delaware Governor Matt Meyer also spoke.

The accessibility of strong government leadership in the tech scene, MacLeod said, is a uniquely Delaware perk. He added that Meyer and other local public servants have helped him and his now international mobile advertising company along the way.

“Leverage the ecosystem in Delaware,” MacLeod said. “In LA, Boston or New York, you’re a statistic. But here you’re special.” 

As the winners were about to be announced, MacLeod gave the finalists one last word of advice.

“You actually have to believe in yourself and what you’re doing in order to see it,” MacLeod said. “All you can really do is believe.”