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

You cast your ballots, Delaware, and now the results are in.

After thousands of votes across Technical.ly markets and a nomination process that began back in October, we have found our six 2024 Technical.ly Awards winners in the region.

This year, the categories are Educator of the Year, Program of the Year, Product of the Year, Creator of the Year, Power Move of the Year and Money Move of the Year. 

Keep reading to find out who won. 

Educator of the Year — Vincent DiFelice, University of Delaware Horn Entrepreneurship

Delaware’s most nominated person this year, DiFelice is clearly well respected among UD entrepreneurship students. 

“Vince consistently goes above and beyond, making a lasting impact on students’ lives,” said one nominator. “His passion for teaching is evident in the extra time they spend supporting, mentoring, and inspiring each student to reach their full potential.”

The longtime professor told Technical.ly he loves seeing his students bring impactful change to their communities.

“There is no more powerful form of learning than entrepreneurship; no more powerful form of personal development than that which comes from working on a startup,” DiFelice said. “Students realize potential and successfully pursue individual aspirations aligned with their interests; they begin to discover where they fit in the world.”

He shouted out examples of mentees doing impressive things, like Maya Nazareth of Alchemize Fightwear, “who disrupts the sports gear market and in so doing empowers women,” and Adam Stager of TRIC Robotics,, “who provides farmers with a chemical-free alternative for pest control helping to save the environment.”

Many other of the startups we’ve covered in these pages also have a connection to DiFelice, including Garry Johnson III at Bison Venture Partners, Amira Idris at Vibrating Therapeutic Apparel and NerdIT Now’s Markevis Gideon. 

Product of the Year – NESTER

Founded by Brendan Kennealey, NESTER helps homeowners and homebuyers estimate how much money they need to save each month in anticipation of inevitable home repairs and when the work will need to be done. New Castle County is among the app’s clients, offering it for free to eligible homeowners and buyers.

“We’re on a mission to bring NESTER to as many people as possible, so we’re really proud of our partnership with New Castle County and its 100,000 homeowners,” Kennealey told Technical.ly. “On a smaller scale, we love working with Habitat for Humanity and Stand By Me, a housing counseling program that is part of the United Way.”

With that in mind, it’s looking ahead to what’s next. 

“In 2025, we’re really looking forward to the launch of our enterprise product for single-family rental and other multi-unit owners,” Kennealey said. “We’ll also have some big partnership announcements with financial institutions and some state housing authorities.”

Program of the Year – VentureOn

A program of Horn Entrepreneurship at the University of Delaware, VentureOn offers aspiring entrepreneurs resources and services, as well as weekly community sessions.

The program has nearly tripled in size since the pandemic, according to minor academic advisor Kay Patel, who shouted out connected projects like Maya Nazareth’s Alchemize and Joel Amin and Bryce Fender’s Wilminvest.

“VentureOn continues to serve as a launchpad for transformative ideas and entrepreneurial success,” Patel told Technical.ly. “In 2025 … we look forward to nurturing the development of innovative ideas and concepts and supporting students as they turn their passions into impactful ventures.”

Creator of the Year – Alexis Harris, First State Destinations

Originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, Alexis Harris moved to Delaware after college — and was disappointed with the “boring” narrative about her new home state.

So she became the influencer she was looking for, creating a travel brand on Instagram and TikTok that gets people excited to visit places in Delaware, whether as a local or as a tourist.

First State Destinations, aka FSC, hosted its inaugural international group trip this year, where Harris brought a group of 10 Delawareans to explore Bali.

She called the adventure “a testament to the vision of ‘”‘Delaware-based, not bound,'” and said it “highlighted how connections formed here can extend globally, building relationships and experiences that are unforgettable.”

Coming up in 2025, the focus will continue to be on “supporting the community, championing its businesses, and inspiring people to discover the possibilities that Delaware offers,” Harris said. “It’s an honor to represent Delaware and its vibrant creative community.”

Power Move of the Year – Carvertise to triple revenue

The Wilmington-based advertising company that wraps cars in client messaging is one of the fastest-growing companies in the US.

Between 2019 and 2022, Carvertise doubled its revenue, allowing it to maintain its spot on the latest Inc. 5000 fastest-growing businesses in the U.S. for the third consecutive year. In 2023, the company moved into its 15,000-square-foot headquarters in Wilmington’s Riverfront and nearly doubled the amount of wrapped cars it had on the roads.

This year, it’s been on a hiring spree as part of a plan to triple revenue over the coming half-decade.

Money Move of the Year – TeenSHARP receives $300k grant

WSFS Cares awarded funding to this organization that helps underresourced youth achieve their goals of attending top-tier universities.

Founded by Atnre Alleyne and Tatiana Poladko in 2009 and based in Wilmington since 2017, TeenSHARP helps teens in the Greater Philadelphia region with extracurricular and summer programs that fill educational gaps. The org also advocates for students to be put into honors classes.

TeenSHARP celebrated 10 program years in Delaware in 2024, Alleyne told Technical.ly, and recently expanded its career and financial coaching. Members of the organization were also featured in a national CBS documentary about the impact of affirmative action on college admissions.

This latest grant provide $300,000 over three years for TeenSHARP’s A-List program, which provides participants with assistance from high school through college and into professional careers.

Alleyne is looking forward to national expansion in 2025, and is planning to ues technology to scale the work, including developing an AI chatbot that helps advise students and families.

“We have adopted new technology to streamline our college advising work and help students find schools that are the best match based on their interests, financial aid requirements, geographic restrictions, and intended course of study,” Alleyne said.

“TeenSHARP’s Delaware Goes to College Academy program has become so successful in Delaware that we are making it available to students nationwide starting in 2025.”