Meet DC’s winners in the 2024 Technical.ly Awards

You voted. We counted. Now it’s time to see who won the races for DC’s second-most important election of the year. 

Over 3,000 readers across the Mid-Atlantic cast their ballots for this year’s Technical.ly Awards, and we’ve got the winners you decided for our six brand-new categories. 

Keep scrolling to find out which sector leaders, companies, products and convenings took home the top honors in the DMV. 

Product of the Year — Knope Tests 

Northern Virginia startup KnoNap developed a portable device to detect 12 drugs often placed in alcoholic drinks to prevent drink spiking. It officially went on the market in July and is already helping its users. 

Founder Danya Sherman was told by a customer that the test detected drugs, and they were able to leave the situation safely. 

“Witnessing this product, created to protect and empower individuals, begin to make the social impact we envisioned at the outset of this journey is truly fulfilling,” Sherman told Technical.ly. 

In the future, Sherman said she’s working to expand the Knope Tests’ reach and develop partnerships to grow awareness about KnoNap and drink-spiking prevention. 

“I firmly believe that what we have accomplished is merely the beginning, and I look forward to witnessing how our efforts will continue to create a lasting, positive impact on communities around the globe,” she said. 

Educator of the Year — Portia Richardson, founder and executive director of Tumaini DC

Richardson’s organization works to foster students’ social and emotional wellness through a trauma-informed curriculum and opportunities, including a summer entrepreneurship program. 

That culminates in a student pitch competition, and students then head to Miami to present their ideas with the Grant Cardone Foundation. Since the program’s start in 2021, students have raised $85,000 in seed funding, per Richardson. 

“Witnessing their creativity and passion was incredibly rewarding,” she said. 

Richardson also organized a retreat to Ghana this year for DC students, educators and parents to become immersed in Ghanaian culture. It’s the third iteration of the trip, and students apprenticed with local businesses and learned cooking, fashion design, carpentry and other activities. 

In 2025, she’s looking forward to launching more programming, including a two-week study-abroad program in Ghana for students, as well as an international exchange fellowship for educators.

Program of the Year — DC Tech Meetup

The group returned in 2023 after a pandemic-era hiatus and hosted events throughout the year that brought together technologists and founders over topics like AI and fintech. 

At the eight (soon to be nine) events, DC Tech Meetup put 47 startups in front of an audience through demos. That’s what the planning team is most proud of, said Ann Marie Guzzi, an organizer for the meetup and a local founder. 

The team is planning to sign on sponsors, work with large tech companies headquartered in the DMV and loop in the public sector more, she added. For instance, DC Tech Meetup hosted an event all about AI uses in the public sector in September. 

Guzzi hopes to bring in that group, one of the region’s key economic drivers, “so we can take advantage of the truly unique environment that DC has to offer.

Creator of the Year — Artechouse DC

This immersive art facility uses tech like Lidar sensors and towering projector screens in new installations multiple times a year. It has expanded since its 2015 establishment in the district in 2015 and now has locations in New York City, Miami and Houston as of this year. 

That opening was a highlight of the year, cofounders Sandro Kereselidze and Tatiana Pastukhova said in a joint statement, as was the exhibit from this fall exploring the depths of the ocean. 

The cofounders are looking to expand programming in other cities, like through a soon-to-be-launched incubator for digital creators in New York. 

“By fostering collaboration and pushing the boundaries of experiential art, this program aims to transform how we engage with and experience creativity in the digital age,” per the cofounders. 

Power Move of the Year — Tyto Athene’s two acquisitions in two months

The Herndon IT services government contractor acquired the aerospace tech company Microtel in mid-April, then the cybersecurity firm MindPoint Group in early June. These moves followed Tyto’s CEO Dennis Kelly assuming the role in March. 

Tyto Athene made yet another acquisition in November, this time of the bid and proposal consulting firm Key Solutions out of Chantilly.

Those deals resulted in almost 500 new staff members at Tyto, said Kelly, alongside new expertise for the company. 

“We’re eager to take advantage of new opportunities in government by leveraging our expertise in network modernization, AI [and machine learning], cybersecurity and secure voice communications,” Kelly told Technical.ly. 

Money Move of the Year — HyperSpectral raises $8.5 million

The Alexandria startup, which builds tech to identify health threats like pathogens and contaminants, announced the Series A and emerged from stealth over the summer.

HyperSpectral uses artificial intelligence in conjunction with spectral data, which includes everything from ultraviolet to infrared light range, to identify pathogens. The 2022-founded firm started off in the food safety sector to identify threats like E. coli, salmonella and listeria.

Cofounder and CEO Matt Theurer told Technical.ly he’s looking to expand these capabilities in 2025, and scale operations so the tech can be used more widely. 

“These efforts will help us bring our innovative solutions to more industries and markets,” Theurer said, “ensuring even greater impact.”