Colleagues and friends remember Vince Sharps’ love of local tech, uplifting others

Vince Sharps had a superpower.

“He could get to anybody,” said Mindgrub founder and CEO Todd Marks. “He could befriend anybody… He had a gift to create leads and open doors with very senior people.”

Sharps, who worked at Mindgrub for seven years before he became an executive vice president at VersaTech, died on Sept. 24 at the age of 45.

VersaTech paid tribute to Sharps, who started at the company in June, in a LinkedIn post that described him as “a visionary leader, a mentor, and a friend to all who had the privilege of knowing him.”

“Vincent Sharps leaves behind a legacy that will forever inspire us at VersaTech to reach for new heights and strive for excellence,” the post read. “His warm smile, wisdom, and caring spirit touched the lives of everyone he met.”

Friends, colleagues and members of the Baltimore and Maryland tech communities remembered him as a compassionate people person who was especially gifted at making “high-level connections.”

Marks confirmed details in a biographical page on Mindgrub’s old website that described Sharps as “the son of a retired U.S. Air Force officer” who “spent most of his childhood traveling around the country and the world.”

The page also said Sharps attributed his worldview to his childhood abroad. Seeing other youth with less opportunity developed a strong compassion within him for other people.

He settled in Maryland in his 20s and partnered in a printing firm. At one point, he met Marks’ wife; when Marks asked her about the best salesperson she knew, she introduced him to Sharps, who soon became an early team member of Mindgrub.

Marks said that Sharps was so invested in the tech field that he would go to up to five events a day to connect with the community.

“He loved what he did,” Marks said.

Mindgrub CTO Jason Michael Perry called Sharps “a wind of chaos” and also noted his talent for introducing people.

“God is prob telling the man ‘you’re coming in too hot, you gotta turn back around and come back in,’” he said in an email.

He also noted that Sharps had a favorite song: Jason Derulo’s “Trumpets.”

“And the man didn’t dance, he marched,” Perry said. “That song and Vincent are inseparable.”

Mindgrub COO Shalisa Mohamed also noted Sharps’ ability to have fun — including at work.

“Whether work or play, Vince made the journey worth your time,” she wrote. “He would say, ‘If we have to go through this, we are at least gonna have fun doing it,’ and he meant it. He had a smile that would brighten your day instantly. Even when he was going through his own obstacles, he continued to focus on others. He would always tell me, ‘Mohamed, if you’re good, I’m good.'”

Sarah Quackenbush, who worked at Mindgrub with Sharps from 2019 to 2022, said in an email, “Vince was one of my biggest cheerleaders and supporters. He had a big heart and cared deeply for his family and friends.

Sharps’ influence spread throughout the ecosystem among people who weren’t his colleagues, as well.

“Vince worked tirelessly to create and support opportunities for people that he believed in — especially throughout Maryland’s tech community,” Quackenbush said.

Karina Mandell, a business attraction specialist with the Baltimore Development Corporation, said she knew Sharps from events she had planned in the past.

“Vince was so kind and he was one of the first to step up and sponsor an event I did,” she said in a text message. “He believed in treating people with kindness, he was never arrogant and he deeply loved his son and family.”

Sharps will be remembered during a visitation from 4 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 9 at Witzke Funeral Homes in Columbia, Maryland. There will be another visitation from 9 to 10 a.m., followed by a funeral service at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at Columbia’s Bridgeway Community Church.