How Technical.ly covered Delaware in 2022

Editor’s note: This story first appeared as a newsletter alongside a roundup of Technical.ly’s best reporting from the week, job openings and more. Subscribe here to get updates on Delaware tech, business and innovation news in your inbox on Thursdays.

By that we mean, not the worst of years, not the best. As we look forward to 2023, there is hope and dread and uncertainty, to be sure. We’re seeing the end of the “uncertain times” tunnel — though we may be facing more “unprecedented times.” We’ll find out in due time.

Now, in case you’ve already blocked 2022 from your memory, here’s a quick rundown of how the year played out in Technical.ly’s Delaware market, from beginning to end:

• The year started with Wilmington taking an active role as a member of the National League of Cities in January, as Wilmington Alliance CEO Renata Kowalczyk joined with other city leaders to develop the Roadmap to Inclusive Entrepreneurship.
• In February, we looked at ageism in tech with a few Gen X and Boomer technologists across the mid-Atlantic.
• In March, Delaware State University opened its Riverfront Wilmington campus, located in a building donated by Capital One in 2021.
• We also explored “Other World,” a new fantasy musical taking place inside a video game with real-world effects born out of a collaboration with WETA Workshop in New Zealand. The show had its world debut at the Delaware Theatre Company.

A scene in “Other World.” (Courtesy image)

• As April drew in, we experimented with VR workspaces, complete with awkward videos of this reporter demonstrating how it works.
• In May, Wilmington technologist Joey Davidson showed us how remote work made working (remotely) in the gaming industry possible in Delaware.
• In June, we toured HouseCallVR, the metaverse’s first healthcare hub, launched by Delaware podiatrist Linda Ciavarelli.

HouseCallVR’s virtual auditorium. (Courtesy image)

• In July, HX Innovations cofounder Nicole Homer shared her experience as a Black woman seeking VC funding.
• Also in July, Sussex County-based Momiji Studios dropped Video Game Fables, its nostalgia-fueled retro-look RPG.

Momiji Studios’ Video Game Fables. (Courtesy image)

• August means the #MILLSUMMIT, and this year’s event, for which we were a media partner, did not disappoint.
• In September, we spent time on the then-Emmy-nominated (and now Mid-Atlantic Emmy-winning) documentary “The Pathway Home,” about a vacant luxury waterfront hotel in Wilmington transforming to The Hope Center for homeless families and individuals.

A scene from “The Pathway Home.” (Screenshot via YouTube)

• We also went back to the metaverse to meet some of the members of Horizon Worlds’ diverse creator community.
• In October, we kicked off the Checking the Box series, underwritten by the Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce, exploring ways to make state contracts more accessible to historically shut-out Black businesses.
• In November, we explored the “secret lives of downstate Delaware remote workers” — our most-read story all year!
• We also checked out AI High School’s new esports arena, part of a partnership with Futures First Gaming and the first step to a gaming industry Pathway in a Delaware school.

Students playing Super Smash Bros in the AIHS esports arena. (Photo by Holly Quinn)

• And in December, NERDiT Now opened its new warehouse-sized IT recycling center in Riverside, an expansion that is expected to bring more positive impact to the historically redlined area of Wilmington.

The new NERDiT NOW recycling center. (Photo by Holly Quinn)

What are we looking forward to in 2023? More Delaware startups doing great things, especially in the green and blue tech industries. More remote workers outside of New Castle County making an impact on downstate economies. The Mill Sussex County. More interacting with the Technical.ly community on Slack.

See you then!