DOVER, Del. – The Delaware Division of Small Business (DSB) is excited to announce the finalists and dates, for the EDGE 2.0 Grant Pitch Competition. The pitch competition will be held on Thursday April 30 and Friday May 1, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Delaware Technical Community College’s Del-One Conference Center, 700 Technology Dr, Dover, DE 19904. The public is invited to watch the competition in-person. There is no cost, but registration to secure your seat is required at https://bit.ly/4sAcqQa.

There are nine Entrepreneur category finalists and eight STEM category finalists. One hundred twenty-three individuals applied for this round of EDGE, the thirteenth since the program’s launch.

The Entrepreneur finalists are: 3 E’s Equestrian Education Program, Expanding Ideas Inc., Fin Outdoor Recreation LLC, Huxley & Hiro, Little Town LLC, Mother Nurture Composting Services, SOMA Skin & Sculpt, Solid Earth Studio LLC, Rooted Properties Group

The STEM Finalists are: Able Sciences, Bison Venture Partners/NGARI, Dunya Analytics, Gida Health LLC, Housecall VR Inc., NeuroSync, Trial IQ Technologies, Zephyr Materials Inc.

“EDGE 2.0 is about opening doors for Delaware entrepreneurs and giving them a platform to take strong ideas and bring them to life,” said DSB Deputy Director Jaimie Watts. “This group of finalists reflects the creativity, determination, and innovation we see across our small business community, and we’re excited to watch them take the next step in their journey.”

Applicants undergo several rounds of internal review by DSB Business Finance Unit staff and leadership before finalists are selected. They will be judged by an independent panel of expert judges. Judging for the Entrepreneur category will occur April 30, and STEM judging will occur on May 1.

EDGE 2.0 is an updated version of the original program launched in 2019. A total of $1.15M in funding awards is available. There are no pre-determined number of winners and no set award amounts. All awardees will be funded based on the strength of their pitch and proposal, not their funding request. Entrepreneur Class businesses compete for a share of $400,000, while STEM-based companies can receive funding from a $750,000 pool, to support expenses such as equipment purchases, marketing, infrastructure improvements, or technology upgrades.

All finalists and awardees will also receive additional post-pitch in-kind services and/or award supports to help them grow. These supports will include memberships to networking organizations and expedited pathways to DSB funding programs and more.

EDGE stands for Encouraging Development, Growth and Expansion. It is the Delaware Division of Small Business’ (DSB) flagship funding program, which has distributed nearly $9.1M to 127 small businesses in the last six years. Businesses eligible for the program are those in existence for less than 7 years, including startups not yet in the marketplace, having 15 or fewer employees, and fewer than $700-thousand dollars in assets. Additionally, businesses must be majority located (51% or more) in Delaware.

To learn more about EDGE visit de.gov/edge.

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The Delaware Division of Small Business (DSB) is a service-focused state agency, within the Delaware Department of State, that is committed to helping businesses start and grow in Delaware. Our Regional Business Managers can help you navigate government processes, connect with partner organizations that offer resources to small businesses and identify opportunities to access capital. DSB also oversees the Delaware Tourism Office and Office of Supplier Diversity.

Media Contact
Andrea Wojcik
Division of Small Business
O: (302) 672-6802; C: (302) 554-0060
andrea.wojcik@delaware.gov

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