The thousands of votes are in, and it’s time to recognize DC’s many accomplishments from 2025.
Each year, the Technical.ly Awards honor the tools, people and programs making a difference in the region. It’s proof that despite a tumultuous moment for the region, people continue innovating to make circumstances better, from building tech to match residents with jobs to launching a program that empowers college students to invest in startups.
It also seemed like this year’s finalists took campaigning to a new level. I saw the voting form shared in countless posts on LinkedIn and threads in Slacks — including our own (request here to join so you can connect with folks in the ecosystem year-round).
Keep scrolling to meet the winners in the 2025 Technical.ly Awards.
Product of the Year: Talentcapital.ai
This agentic AI platform connects DMV residents to job opportunities, skilling courses and mentoring as federal layoffs and a government shutdown disrupted countless workers in the region — and it has racked up 80,000 visitors, with over 61,000 receiving personalized job matches.
Government leaders, nonprofit heads and academics collaborated to put it together ahead of its launch in the fall, including DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and labor secretaries in Maryland and Virginia.
The local startup BuildWithin is developing and maintaining the platform, led by cofounder and CEO Ximena Gates-Hartsock. There are also plans to keep building — local leaders behind the project plan to introduce training programs and upskilling related to in-demand jobs in 2026, per Clark Mercer, the executive director at the Metropolitan Council of Governments
“Our goal is to make it easier for employers to hire locally and to ensure they can access a skilled talent pool,” Mercer said, “ensuring that former federal workers and other job seekers can remain in the DC metro area, keeping their skills and families anchored in the region.
Programming of the Year: Johns Hopkins Ward Infinity Impact Accelerator
This local program for startups finding solutions to health and environmental issues in the DMV brought in a record-number of ventures in its most recent cohort. Fifteen teams are working to find solutions to issues like kidney health and older adult well-being, per the accelerator’s director Al J. Browne.
This time around, founders were also matched with business and AI experts, which he’s particularly proud of. During this cohort’s upcoming showcase in January, AI will also be integrated in the judging process.
“2026 will be a year of steady expansion,” Browne said, “strengthening what works, refining where needed and continuing to create conditions where meaningful solutions can take root.”
Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year: Kathleen Borgueta
When Borgueta got laid off from USAID this year during paternity leave, she decided to start Pivoting Parents, a support network for laid off federal (and government adjacent) parents.
She’s proud of what she’s building, but her greatest accomplishment from this year is her one-year-old son, she said.
“Through every sleepless night and moment of uncertainty, he’s been my motivation — and my husband, my steady champion,” Borgueta said. “I’m deeply grateful for their support and for how we’ve weathered this season together as a family.”
Thought Leader of the Year: Sheila D. Collins
Collins, a partner at the California venture firm Portfolia, spends much of her time rallying for underrepresented founders through presenting at conferences, writing informative LinkedIn posts and connecting startups to capital.
“I’m grateful to be part of the DC startup ecosystem,” Collins said. “As a two-time founder, I know firsthand how valuable that kind of community is, which is why helping guide founders has become the most rewarding part of my year.”
She’s excited to keep helping her portfolio companies grow, including those in health innovation and financial inclusion, and loop in more likeminded people to venture capital in 2026.
Power Move of the Year: DC Startup & Tech Week turns 10
DC’s premier event for innovation had a big birthday in 2025, along with hitting a record of 8,000 attendees, per founder and director Rachel Koretsky.
Seema Alexander, co-chair of DC Startup & Tech Week, is proud about the connections she saw attendees make over the week.
“This year reminded me why I do this work: to give people access, possibility, and a platform to build what’s next,” Alexander said.
There were also new features, including a new track for investors and headline speakers like seasoned local entrepreneurs Ted Leonsis and Seth Goldman. This momentum won’t slow down next year. In 2026, the team is looking to expand programming beyond the one week in the fall.
“We’ve already begun mapping out next year and we have tons of new and exciting opportunities planned throughout the year that will provide more points of engagement ahead of our annual conference in October,” Darius Clair, director of programs and community, said.
“We’ve built something special over the past decade,” Koretsky said, “and 2026 is about scaling that impact even further.”
Money Move of the Year: $250k student venture fund launches at American University
College students are identifying and deploying investments. The Eagle Venture Seed Fund officially launched in February thanks to donations from alumni, entrepreneurs and VCs. Students have since invested $12,500 in startups so far, per Tommy White, the director of American University’s entrepreneurial center.
“We’re proud of the startups we’ve backed so far,” White said, “and even more proud of the relationships we’ve built with founders, angel groups, and venture capital firms along the way.”
He’s looking forward to guiding students to deepen involvement in the DMV tech ecosystem, and, of course, to see more startup investments.
