Delaware’s first Innovation Week aims to bond techies

A host of events through next Saturday hopes to connect and grow the state’s tech industry.

Wilmington and the surrounding community might not be the next Silicon Valley, but that doesn’t mean Delaware isn’t home to a growing tech community. It’s that community organizers of Delaware’s first Innovation Week hope to connect with and encourage.

“You won’t survive as a local community in the future if you don’t have a technology hub,” said Christopher Wink, co-founder of Technical.ly, which is presenting Delaware Innovation Week.

Wink’s company operates online-only newspapers focused on local tech news in cities including Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Brooklyn. Last year, the group added Technical.ly Delaware to their roster. “Delaware Innovation Week is meant to be a gathering of a lot of the pieces that have been here for years, but helping to convey that it’s getting even stronger.”

From a small business boot camp to a 24-hour hackathon at the University of Delaware, the week-long event is designed to spread the word that Delaware is a place for tech workers and companies to grow.

“That’s the goal here essentially,” Wink said. Spreading the message that smart and savvy developers coming out of the University of Delaware “…can stay here to build a company and be part of something great. That’s where Delaware is. [It’s] getting that message out to those who are already here.”