A growing but dispersed Delaware technology community came together this week at the first Technology Trends event.
Based on the estimated attendance of 325, downtown Wilmington has not seen the last of the event rolled out by the Technology Forum of Delaware at the Capital One building on Delaware Avenue.
“The success of the event and high level of attendance and engagement of the attendees validates the expanded focus of the Tech Forum on larger pillar events showcasing our local talent and innovation,” said Rick Sommer, chairman of the Tech Forum. “The positive feedback we have received on our inaugural Tech trends event has been fantastic and solidifies it as one of our annual recurring showcase events.”
On hand were a large number of companies that ranged from corporate mainstays like Capital One and DuPont to a growing number of start-ups.
Twenty-one companies, in all, were honored and all appeared at the Technology Trends event, organizer and Technology Forum board member George Rotsch noted. Interest in Technology Trends continued throughout May, aided by social media traffic that continued before during and after the event. Twenty-five people registered at the door and the event ended up being sold out.
It is the hope of sponsors of the event that more collaborations between large and small companies will take place, thanks to this event and others that are held throughout the year.
Downtown Wilmington has two clusters of start-ups at 1313 Innovation and The Loft at Start It Up Delaware. Both offer incubation services and collaborative work environments.
In Newark, the Delaware Technology Park, a venture led by the University of Delaware, has long been a center of start-up activity. The park is now expanding its operations to the STAR Campus, the former Chrysler plant. It is credited with the creation of 16,000 jobs.
In addition, the New Castle County Chamber operates the Emerging Enterprise Center. Also an incubator program was recently launched by the Middletown Chamber of Commerce.
The partnership is using the Google Glass, a wearable computer technology that is worn like eyeglasses. Medical professionals working with ill children on their way to the hospital can consult with colleagues while taking care of parents.
The system is now being used in the region served by the Delaware children’s hospital.
Capital One direct banking leader Jim Kelly said the technology shown at Technology Trends is important. That’s because Delaware is at a crossroads with the opportunity to become a technology leader or be left behind in a global economy, Kelly said.
Kelly noted that the site of the event – the Capital One building on Delaware Avenue in downtown Wilmington – houses 500 technologists. According to Kelly with openings for 100 more information technology staffs.
Capital One also has operations on the Wilmington riverfront. Kelly’s job description on the company’s website indicates that his work is focusing on mobile and web technology as more people use their personal devices
As part of the Tech Trends event, Capital One held an information technology job fair at the building.
Rotsch, said one encouraging surprise to come out of the event involved the diversity of the innovation taking place in the state.
After an era when discoveries came out of university labs and companies like DuPont and W.L. Gore, start-ups are helping to drive innovation, with some evidence of new companies working with the larger organizations, Rotsch said.
The event took a look at everything from the inflatable technology of spacesuit maker ILC Dover to Capital One’s financial services apps for mobile devices.
Providing an overview on the variety of work taking place in technology community were Jim Lee, founder of Strategic Foresight Investments, Wilmington and Rick Jensen, a WDEL radio talk show host.
Trends outlined by Jensen and Lee included:
- Digital finance at companies like Capital One.
- Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing.
- Health care advances.
- Clean and sustainable technologies at DuPont, the University of Delaware and Bloom Energy. Lee focused on hydrogen technology for automobiles, an area that is seeing major advances.
- High altitude technology with inflatable products from ILC Dover.
- Internet of things (wireless technology moving to home appliances and other devices).
- Incubator firms in Delaware.
Twenty organizations that included Nemours and Digital Vikings made presentations during the event.
The Technology Forum holds monthly educational, networking and social events.
Chairman Sommer said the organization focuses on the universe of technology, rather than specific areas such as information technology.
Rotsch says the event should prove to be a catalyst for growth in the technology community. Beginning in the fall, the Technology Forum will assess trends and begin the process of selecting firms to be highlighted.
The next event event for the Tech Forum is Inspiring Women in STEM Forum on May 28. Click here to register.
