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And the 2017 Delaware Innovation Award winners are…

So, how'd you do in the Delaware Innovation Awards office pool?

The very spiffy 2017 Delaware Innovation Awards were made by Barrel of Makers. (Photo by Holly Quinn)
The Delaware Innovation Awards capped off the #DIW17 Innovation Celebration (which it itself was capping off the third Delaware Innovation Week), and it couldn’t have been more of a blast.

Between the live HipHoponomics performance by Rodney Woodland and Tai Jones of Cab Calloway School of the Arts (more on them in another post), the many moments of glory and the fact that the festivities began at 5:00 p.m., there was plenty of fun to go around.
It may have been part of the party, but the Delaware Innovation Awards are a serious honor, with members of the tech community nominated by and voted for by their peers.
This year, we had seven awards, all presented to people/entities that had not won in that category previously. This year’s awards were designed by Barrel of Makers and made at the new Innovation Center at the Route 9 Library.


And the winners are:

Dev Product of the Year: Textable

Technical.ly Editor-in-Chief Zack Seward presents the award to Alex Brown and Joe Roddy of Textable. (Photo by Dominique Nichole)

Technical.ly Editor-in-Chief Zack Seward presents the award to Alex Brown and Joe Roddy of Textable. (Photo by Dominique Nichole)


Textable just had its beta launch in April, but it’s causing a big buzz. The app makes it easy to text businesses (or customers), with features like automated answers to frequently asked questions and direct interaction via SMS.

Tech Mission Org of the Year: Zip Code Wilmington

Tariq Hook of Zip Code Wilmington accepts the coding school's 2017 Delaware Innovation Award. (Photo by Dominique Nichole)

Tariq Hook of Zip Code Wilmington accepts the coding school’s 2017 Delaware Innovation Award. (Photo by Dominique Nichole)


This has been a big year for Zip Code, with its shiny new space at The Mill that will allow the coding bootcamp to take on more students. It’s no shock that Zip Code scored lots of votes — many in Wilmington’s tech community have launched careers thanks to the program.

Design/Dev Firm of the Year: The Barn

Nick Matarese of The Barn accepts his award. (Photo by Dominique Nichole)

Nick Matarese of The Barn accepts his award. (Photo by Dominique Nichole)


The Barn seems like its always got something big going on, from landing huge national clients like NBC Sports to taking on major local projects such as the Conrad Schools of Science’s rebrand.

Technologist of the Year: Erin Perry, JPMorgan Chase

Erin Perry of JPMC accepts the award for Technologist of the Year. (Photo by Dominique Nichole)

Erin Perry of JPMC accepts the award for Technologist of the Year. (Photo by Dominique Nichole)


JPMorgan Chase has been working hard to solidify its image as a tech company, and having Erin Perry win Technologist of the Year can only help put them on the map.

CTO of the Year: Mark Thompson, WhyFly

WhyFly's Mark Thompson. (Photo by Dominique Nichole)

WhyFly’s Mark Thompson. (Photo by Dominique Nichole)


No big surprise here — WhyFly is probably the most talked about startup in Delaware right now, and they may just change how the entire state (and beyond) consumes WiFi.

Tech Startup of the Year: BookBandit

Founder Jim Jannuzzio (left) and members of the BookBandit team accept the award for Startup of the Year. (Photo by Dominique Nichole)

Founder Jim Jannuzzio (left) and members of the BookBandit team accept the award for Startup of the Year. (Photo by Dominique Nichole)


Founded by Jim Jannuzzio, who’s still a student at University of Delaware in the Horn Program for Entrepreneurship, BookBandit is an app that helps college students find the best deals on textbooks. It’s already gaining attention beyond Delaware, including an invitation to the exclusive Google Advantage Program.

Growth Tech Company of the Year: The Archer Group

Archer Group CTO Frank Lee accepts the award for Growth Tech Company of the Year. (Photo by Dominique Nichole)

Archer Group CTO Frank Lee accepts the award for Growth Tech Company of the Year. (Photo by Dominique Nichole)


Once a small boutique design firm, The Archer Group is truly growing — and had a recent office upgrade to prove it. If you’re a fan of Wawa hoagies, you see their work every time you order using the Wawa touchscreen.

Companies: Textable / The Mill / Zip Code Wilmington / Archer Group
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