Delaware News Roundup: CompassRed got acquired by a fellow Wilmingtonian

Editor’s note: This story first appeared as a newsletter alongside a roundup of Technical.ly’s best Delaware 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.

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Happy March, aka Web3 Month! For the next few weeks, expect lots of Technical.ly coverage on blockchain, cryptocurrency and newly hyped technologies such as nonfungible tokens. And while the immersive web and the decentralized web are not synonymous, you can also look for stories on the still-somewhat-mysterious metaverse (which is already quite active, whether you’re aware of it or not).

Technical.ly reporter Michaela Althouse kicked things off with a piece on DC-based Enquire AI’s move to stake out a piece of the virtual Sandbox to conduct virtual business meetings that are miles more immersive and interactive than Zoom, while reporter Sophie Burkholder dropped a list of Pittsburgh-based resources for learning more about the ins and outs of blockchain.

If you’re involved with Web3 — whether it’s NFTs, DAOs, DeFi or the like — I’d love to hear from you, whether you think this third iteration of the web as we think of it now is the future or a fad. If you have a VR setup, I may even interview you in the ‘verse.

The big news: CompassRed acquired by LabWare

In other news, this week we got a big announcement about two impactful Delaware companies: Data analytics and AI firm CompassRed has been acquired by Wilmington-based firm LabWare. The latter is a global leader of laboratory information management systems, aka LIMS, and instrument integration software products. The company truly is global, with 125 locations around the world.

CompassRed will retain its employees, now within ​​LabWare’s Data Analytics Innovation team, per a press release.

“We share LabWare’s vision for the need to innovate how data is captured, analyzed, understood and acted upon in order to help organizations drive more impactful strategy,” said Patrick Callahan, CEO of CompassRed, in a statement. “We are beyond excited to attach our innovative offerings to a massively successful global company to scale what we’ve built to date.”

Check out Callahan’s January guest post on seven data trends to expect in 2022, including deepfakes, greater privacy awareness and yes, the metaverse.

What else happened this week in Delaware?

This week Gov. John Carney announced that Delaware will join 13 other states in adopting California’s Zero Emission Vehicle regulations, another step in Delaware’s Climate Action Plan. The regulations will make electric vehicles more accessible to Delaware residents.

Amazon has selected Wilmington University as an education partner for its Career Choice program, which provides Amazon’s hourly employees tuition-free access to more than 150 certificate, associate, and bachelor’s degree programs in fields including computer science, cybersecurity and business management.

Did you know that multimillion-dollar NYC venture SnackMagic was founded by University of Delaware grads? Check out their story.

TheraV, founded by Amira Idris Radović, hit another milestone: The medtech startup announced that the first batch of its ELIX 2.0 wearable vibration therapy devices for amputees have arrived and will be distributed next week.

Frito-Lay has announced plans to build a 7,884-square-foot warehouse and distribution center on a 22-acre parcel on Lafferty Lane in east Dover.

Wilmington honored Dave Wooley, entrepreneur, producer, adjunct professor at Wilmington University’s College of Business and creator of the city’s annual Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, with a street naming ceremony this week at 16th and Claymont streets.

Upcoming Delaware events

Delaware’s 24-hour charitable giving event, Do More 24 Delaware, returns on March 3 and 4. Starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, and concluding at 6 p.m. Friday, individuals will be able to donate to more than 430 nonprofits serving Delaware on the DoMore24Delaware website.

2018 Delaware State University graduate Jannah Williams, aka J the Artist, captured a moment in time with mural work on the then-shuttered windows of the Nomad Bar on Market Street in Wilmington in 2020. The work is now on display at the Longview Museum of Fine Arts in Longview, Texas, part of their exhibition “Addressing the Moment: The Artist’s Voice” that runs through March 5.

Confused about what’s happening overseas? Hear from University of Delaware faculty experts on the implications of the Russian attack on Ukraine for Europe, NATO and the “new global order” on a free livestream on Tuesday, March 8, at 3:30 p.m. Speakers are Prof. Dan Green, Prof. Stuart Kaufman, Prof. Alice Ba, Prof. Muqtedar Khan and Prof. Matt Weinert.

Recover Delaware will be holding a free roundtable Zoom session on Wednesday, March 9, from noon to 1 p.m. with a focus on coordinating infrastructure investments for Delaware.

Jobs for Delaware Graduates and Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County are partnering to host a job fair for high school students on Wednesday, March 23, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Goodwill Center in Wilmington.

Recent Delaware Power Moves

Facility Logix has a new director of project management services: Howard Chapman, former VP of Coakley Williams Construction, will be responsible for expanding the firm’s life science sector-specific consulting services.

SummerCollab, which recently named founding member Kristina Woznicki as its new CEO, is looking for a new director of programs to lead the nonprofit’s signature programs, Tyler’s Camp, Literacy Corps and the Community Mentor Network. Its outgoing director, Jay Clinton, is moving on to a position with Soccer Shots.

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