Meet the winners of the first Delaware Startup Launchpad accelerator

A couple of months ago, the University of Delaware Horn Program for Entrepreneurship, Delaware Small Business Development Center and the Delaware Founders Initiative kicked off the Delaware Startup Launchpad accelerator, which put $5,000 on the table for winning companies. This week, the first cohort of eight companies, none of which included students, completed the program. Here’s how they stacked up.
Fashion tech company Thimble, a company you might also recognize from Startup Weekend Delaware, placed first. The company created an app to help tailors, designers and consumers connect easily for alterations or simple updates to clothes they already own. Thimble won $3,500.
Second place went to FundingFuel, an idea that is not yet a company that was envisioned by Delaware investor Pedro Moore. He wanted to create better funding opportunities for other startups and investors, the idea is to create a platform that makes it easy for everyday people to invest in their own neighborhoods. FundingFuel won $1,000.
An “honorary second place” went to fashion tech company SmartMaterials, which won an undisclosed amount of money. The company makes materials for wearable tech and smart textiles so products can adhere to the fabric with ease.
ThankTank made third place, a company created by Michael Niman that was recognized by the Delaware Economic Development Office (DEDO) last year. It plans on creating a user-friendly platform to automate nonprofit donor appreciation letters, as thank-you letters are usually an integral part of the giving process for philanthropists. The company won $500.
Other companies that made it through the program include:

• Kevin Kriss and Nick Barba’s blockchain startup Coakt.
• entrepreneur management information system platform 14 Rings.
• sports data metrics company FistFit.
• edtech fundraising company United Tech Project.