Tech Council of Delaware is officially a nonprofit after 2 years of growth

This month saw milestone moments in Delaware’s tech and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

The state’s major organization for technologists rang in two years — just months since it became a post-incubator independent entity. Founders and owners of qualified small businesses interested in doing business with the state government now have a more efficient tool to get certified and Delawareans from Wilmington to Millsboro made powerful moves this month. 

Keep reading to get the details, after the chart showing recent Delaware data on the most desirable tech skills for regional jobs, how many job postings request each skill and how much those hired make.

Tech Council of Delaware celebrates two years

The Tech Council of Delaware celebrated its second birthday with a virtual event on March 21, bringing together members of the state’s tech ecosystem from up and down the state. 

The last year brought big change for the organization, as the council’s three-year incubation with the Rodel Foundation (including developing the org, which officially launched in March 2023) ended last July when it launched its new strategic plan. It officially spun out from Rodel to become an independent nonprofit.

“We’re one of the newest tech councils and associations in the country, but we’re doing some really great things,” said the council’s Executive Director, Zakiyyah Ali during the event. “So we’re super proud of Delaware and its ecosystem and all of you.”

Among the announcements during the event was that the council had completed the process of becoming a 502(c)(3) nonprofit organization, a major step as it moves forward independently.

Some of the council’s accomplishments since its first birthday celebration include:

• Attending the Tech Councils of North America (TECNA) fly-in in Washington, DC and meeting with the Delaware delegation
• Ali’s attendance at TECNA’s Summer Conference and CEO Retreat
• Continuing and evolving the YES We Tech! summer internship program
• The graduation of the first class of the American Dream Academy, a tuition-free technology training program, and the redesign of the American Dream Academy into Tech Ready Delaware
• The release of three issues of Tech Council Chronicle (in collaboration with Technical.ly)
• The annual Tech Ecosystem Conference, including the tech startup symposium and AI-focused day
• Leading the regional America Achieves Good Jobs Economy Initiative with partners including the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia and Ben Franklin Technology Partners
• Continuing local in-person networking events like Tech Thursdays

“We do try some new and innovative things here in Delaware so that we can say, here’s a model that we want to replicate or continue to invest in,” Ali said. “We are a new and burgeoning kind of hub, if you will. And so it’s going to take repeated times for folks to hear these messages before they start to get that, yes, this is available to them.”

Upcoming for the council is the annual Tech Ecosystem Conference, which will take place on May 20 at Wilmington University in New Castle. 

A new online portal for the Delaware Office of Supplier Diversity 

On Monday, the Delaware Office of Supplier Diversity (OSD) launched a new online portal to streamline the certification application process for diverse businesses. 

OSD, which is part of the Delaware Division of Small Business (DSB), offers two types of certifications that can enhance economic opportunities for small businesses in Delaware: the Diverse Business Certification, which includes veteran, minority, women and individuals with disabilities-owned businesses and the Small Business Focus Certification which applies to uniquely-sized small businesses.

“I’ve heard from small business owners for years that they wish our application process was automated, and now I’m thrilled to let them know we heard them and to be able to give them this tool,” said OSD Director Shavonne White. “We should be exploring any opportunity that can make it easier for businesses to become certified and advance their opportunities to obtain contracts with the state.”

More Delaware Moves:

• Amanda Irwin, who first started at Mountaire Farms in Millsboro as an intern, was named the new president of the poultry processor — one of the three major players in the Delmarva peninsula’s $4 billion chicken industry.
• Irene Rombel, founder of BioCurie and a 2024 RealLIST Connector, was elected to the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals Technical Activities Committee.
• Bertrand Hankoua, an assistant professor in the department of human ecology at Delaware State University (DSU) and Ayalew Osena, a former DSU postdoctoral researcher who is now at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, were awarded a series of patents for a plant propagation innovation that could lead to an increase in the production of biofuels and bioenergy.
• The Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce is holding the final pitch event for its inaugural Pitch Perfect Competition on March 27 at CSC Station, featuring five Black women-owned businesses.

• Digital marketing agency First Ascent Design was officially recognized for its contributions to the city’s entrepreneurial community by the Wilmington City Council in honor of its 10th anniversary.