Author: Delaware Prosperity Partnership

View DPP’s 2022 Annual Report

Partnership, Prosperity & Progress: Year in Review 2022


Partnership, Prosperity & Progress is Delaware Prosperity Partnership’s most recent annual report. For a snapshot of the DPP team’s accomplishments during 2022, please click on the image to view a flipbook. Please direct any comments or questions to Susan Coulby, DPP’s senior manager, communications, at scoulby@choosedelaware.com.

To download a PDF copy of the report, click here.

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Jo Norris, Co-Founder and CEO of Carbon Reform

An Ongoing Series Highlighting Delaware Innovators


Jo Norris cares so deeply about climate change that she made the transition from budding painter to co-creator of Carbon Reform with Nick Martin – earning a spot on the Forbes 30 under 30 list along the way.

Founded in early 2020, Carbon Reform aims to democratize access to carbon capture under the mission of wanting clean air for people and the planet. The company is developing a modular carbon capture device that can be added to commercial buildings’ HVAC systems to improve indoor air quality and cut down on tons of carbon annually. The entire process will remove pathogens and particles from the air indoors and lead to savings because of the reduction in HVAC usage.

A self-described “climate scientist, materials engineer and artist who combines all three in the climate tech startup space,” Norris leads a team of engineers, all of whom are governed by the company’s three core principles: Climate, Health and Equity.

Norris did her Ph.D. research and coursework in materials science and engineering at the University of Delaware after earning bachelor’s degrees in sustainability studies and economics (with minors in geology and fine art) from Hofstra University and a master’s degree in climate and society from Columbia University,

Norris recently shared her views on innovation in Delaware – and the advice she’d give to hungry innovators – with Delaware Prosperity Partnership:

Why is Delaware a great state to be an innovator?

Delaware looks out for its people, learns from its past and has a vision for the future. While large companies and universities established a solid infrastructure and knowledge base, Delaware is so much more today than its previous “four Cs” (chemicals, cars, credit cards and chickens). Resources from the incumbent organizations and the government are poured into raising up innovators from all sectors and backgrounds across the state.

Delaware also recognizes how it differs from other states. Rather than trying to be the next New York or Silicon Valley, it leans into the small-but-mighty mindset of community over competition. Friendly competition is welcome, of course, with the EDGE Grant, Startup302 and other financial support for startups. But, ultimately, Delaware is a place where you can go from being a learner to being a leader with just the right resources and support to slingshot your career wherever you may want to take it.

Jo Norris talks with Noah Olson and Erica Crell of Delaware Prosperity Partnership during DPP’s 2022 anniversary and investor celebration.

Jo Norris talks with Noah Olson and Erica Crell of Delaware Prosperity Partnership during DPP’s 2022 anniversary and investor celebration.

What qualities should a successful innovator have?

I don’t think there is one way to define success, nor do I think there is a limit to the shape innovation can take. However, one common trait I have seen is creativity, combined with the desire or need to solve a problem. Not everyone has a choice – some people are naturally drawn to innovation as a career. But others need to be innovative to survive. If you’re driven, willing to make more mistakes than you can count, willing to ask for help and you can balance confidence and humility, then you might be a great innovator.

What advice would you give innovators just starting? How do you decide whether a new idea is worth pursuing (or should be set aside)?

One piece of advice I would give is that innovation does not necessarily equal invention. In fact, sometimes inventing something new is the wrong choice when something existing, with a few tweaks, would work better. Innovation is driven by human need, originating from our most beautiful developments and our most terrible mistakes. So, if you have an idea, try to follow it back to the source. Why did you think of it? What existing problem would it solve, or would it add something new to the world? Then, once you have a good handle on it, talk to multiple people about it. Certainly, people will tell you it’s a bad idea, and they might be right – but they also might just like hearing themselves talk. The best thing I’ve learned from this process is not to listen to the people who say, “no,” but listen to the people who say, “yes, but…” or “maybe, have you considered…” because they’ve actually taken the time to listen and reflect. Then, take their advice into consideration, iterate and repeat.

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Delaware is #1 Entrepreneur-Driven Economy

Entrepreneurs Are Driving the Most Economic Growth In These 10 U.S. States, According to Shopify Internal Data


A recent report found that Delaware, Wyoming, and California were leading in entrepreneurial contributions to their local economies in 2022.

Being an entrepreneur or self-starter doesn’t just mean you’re contributing to your own financial success, you’re also contributing to the local economy.

A recent report by the e-commerce platform Shopify analyzed the economic impact of entrepreneurs worldwide by measuring how people in the platform’s ecosystem contributed to jobs supported (the number of jobs sustained by entrepreneurs who use Shopify’s platform to sell goods and services), GDP impact (value of goods and services produced by merchants), and business activity (merchant revenue plus the revenue of suppliers who provide materials and services).

Overall, entrepreneurs in Shopify’s ecosystem supported 5.2 million jobs globally in 2022 (an 8.3% increase from 2021) and generated $490.5 billion in economic activity (+8.6%).

Leading Shopify’s global ranking was the U.S., with over $270 billion generated from business activity, 1.1 million jobs supported, and a GDP impact of $128.7 billion. The second and third spots were both in Eastern Europe — Lithuania (No. 2) and Romania (No. 3) — followed by the United Kingdom (No. 4) and the Czech Republic (No. 5).

In the U.S., Delaware was the top state for entrepreneurial contribution to the economy with business activity of $2.2 billion, 9,280 jobs supported, and a GDP impact of over $1 billion.

After Delaware, the Mountain States dominated the ranks, with three out of the top five across the country being in the region: Wyoming (No. 2), Montana (No. 4), and Utah (No. 5). California ranked No. 3, and was also independently leading for the most jobs created across the country at 134,024.

Here are the top 10 U.S. states where entrepreneurs in Shopify’s ecosystem are generating the most business for their economy:

Delaware:
Business activity: $2.2 billion
Jobs Supported: 9,280 jobs supported
GDP Impact: $1 billion

Wyoming:
Business activity: $912 million
Jobs Supported: 3,710
GDP Impact: $416 million

California:
Business activity: $57.6 billion
Jobs Supported: 235,237
GDP Impact: $26.6 billion

Montana:
Business activity: $694 million
Jobs Supported: 2,838
GDP Impact: $325 million

Utah:
Business activity: $6.9 billion
Jobs Supported: 28,081
GDP Impact: $3.1 billion

Nevada:
Business activity: $3.4 billion
Jobs Supported: 13,885
GDP Impact: $1.5 billion

Alabama:
Business activity: $2.6 billion
Jobs Supported: 10,832
GDP Impact: $1.2 billion

Florida:
Business activity: $15.5 billion
Jobs Supported: 63,560
GDP Impact: $7.2 billion

Idaho:
Business activity: $1.3 billion
Jobs Supported: 5,612
GDP Impact: $639 million

Hawaii:
Business activity: $826 million
Jobs Supported: 3,380
GDP Impact: $389 million

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15 Ventures with Underrepresented Founders Share $198,000 In Startup302 Grant Prizes

15 Ventures with Underrepresented Founders Share $198,000 In Startup302 Grant Prizes

Startup302 logo with DPP logo | Delaware Prosperity Partnership

First in-person finals conclude Delaware’s annual funding contest for technology and tech-enabled startups led by members of underfunded groups


April 28, 2023

WILMINGTON, Del. – Fifteen tech-enabled startups with at least one team member from an underrepresented demographic are sharing $198,000 in non-dilutive grant funding from Delaware’s third Startup302 competition, which was coordinated by Delaware Prosperity Partnership (DPP) and partners from throughout Delaware and beyond.

Finalists competed in five primary categories and represented multiple industries in the final pitching round, which took place in person for the first time in Startup302’s three-year history. The funding contest launched in December and attracted 169 applicants from throughout Delaware and across the United States as well as Canada, Brazil, Uruguay, Italy, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. The April 27 finals, which were sponsored by UD Horn Entrepreneurship and featured lunch by Out of the Ordinary Catering of Middletown, Delaware, was held at Theatre N in downtown Wilmington.

“What an exciting day! Having the chance to recognize innovative startups, both those from Delaware and around the country, at an event here in Wilmington in conjunction with our partners in the community, was an immensely rewarding experience, and a great chance to show off Delaware to our competitors from outside the First State,” said DPP Director of Innovation Noah Olson, who led organization of the competition with DPP Innovation Manager Erica Crell and a steering committee made up of key players in Delaware’s startup community.

All three finalists in each category received a monetary award as follows:

FinTech
Sponsors: Delaware Prosperity Partnership, Discover Bank, JP Morgan Chase & Co., M&T Bank

  • 1st: KidVestors® (Louisville, Kentucky) – $21,000
  • 2nd: Stakana Analytics (Seattle, Washington) – $11,000
  • 3rd: Fleri (Columbus, Ohio) – $6,000

Clean, Green and Blue
Sponsors: Delmarva Power, DuPont, FMC Corp., The Innovation Space

  • 1st: Ecotone Renewables (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) – $25,000
  • 2nd: New Breed Meats (Atlanta, Georgia) – $14,0000
  • 3rd: Frontline Waste (Delray Beach, Florida) – $6,000

Early Stage
Sponsors: Delaware Prosperity Partnership, Delaware State University, JP Morgan Chase & Co.

  • 1st: SomnOSA (Baltimore, Maryland) – $10,000
  • 2nd: MiraHeart (Baltimore, Maryland) – $6,000
  • 3rd: BASEstud.io (Los Angeles, California) – $4,000

Life Sciences
Sponsors: Delaware Bioscience Association, Delaware Prosperity Partnership, Highmark Delaware, The Innovation Space

  • 1st: ReHeva BioSciences (Dublin, Ohio) – $22,000
  • 2nd: MyoGene Bio (San Diego, California) – $12,000
  • 3rd: GelSana Therapeutics (Boulder, Colorado) – $6,000

Delaware Tech-Enabled
Sponsor: Delaware Division of Small Business

  • 1st: Toivoa (Wilmington, Delaware) – $22,000 + one-year World Trade Center Delaware membership
  • 2nd: College Essay App (Bethany Beach, Delaware) – $13,000 + one-year World Trade Center Delaware membership
  • 3rd: Rush Roto Studio (Dover, Delaware) – $6,000 + one-year World Trade Center Delaware membership

Finalists with University of Delaware-affiliated founders also were considered for the Blue Hen Prize, which was sponsored by UD Horn Entrepreneurship. Winners, all with founders/co-founders who are UD alumni, were as follows:

  • 1st: SomnOSA (Baltimore, Maryland) – $7,000
  • 2nd: Toivoa (Wilmington, Delaware) – $5,000
  • 3rd: Stakana Analytics (Seattle, Washington) – $2,500

Bios for each of the competing startups are here.

Sylvester Mobley, managing partner of Plain Sight Capital and founder of Coded by Kids, delivered the event’s keynote address. His talk advised entrepreneurs to avoid getting caught up in perfectionism and instead take responsibility for outcomes, expect to be wrong and to “mess things up,” to remain coachable, to always default to action and to focus on what’s important.

Another feature of the day was an investor panel discussion featuring Mark Crawford of NEVA SGR, Holly Flanagan of Gabriel Investments, Lauren Graupman of AE Industrial Partners, Martin Hunt of Swanlaab USA Ventures and James Massaquoi of Osage Venture Partners. Troy C. Farmer of Delaware State University’s The Garage Maker Space served as moderator.

Judges included Cynthia Cai of Viva BioInnovator, Will Cruz of The Innovation Space, Leilani Decena-Shepherd of Goldey-Beacom College, Emiliano Espinosa of Chesapeake Agriculture Innovation Center, Dan Freeman of the University of Delaware’s Horn Entrepreneurship Program, Edgar Monroy Gonzalez of Delmarva Power, Dr. Jalaal Hayes of Elyte Energy, Anastasia Jackson of the Delaware Division of Small Business, Katherine Lakofsky of Delaware BioScience Association and Delaware Biotechnology Institute, Sarah Mailloux of Small Business Development Center of Delaware, Lauren Markell of FMC Corp., Regina Mitchell of the Delaware Division of Small Business, Dwayne Parker of Highmark Delaware, Deb Travers of The Innovation Space, Alexandr Vinokurov of M&T Bank and Raghu Vudathu of JP Morgan Chase & Co. Pitch session moderators included Alysse Bortolotto of the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce, Dora Cheatham of the Delaware Sustainable Chemistry Association (DESCA), Joseph Lewis III of DPP, Linda Walck of UD Horn Entrepreneurship and Marcie Reilly of The Innovation Space.

Startup302 is coordinated by DPP and steered and sponsored by key innovation-supporting businesses and organizations. Steering committee members include representatives from Big Idea Ventures, First Founders Inc., the Delaware Sustainable Chemistry Alliance, University of Delaware Horn Entrepreneurship, Delaware State University, the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce, the Women’s Business Center at True Access Capital, the Emerging Enterprise Center, The Innovation Space, the Small Business Development Center of Delaware and StartOut.

Startup302 competitors must be technology-based or -enabled with at least one founder from an underrepresented group: women; people of color, including African Americans, Latin Americans and Native Americans; and members of the LGBTQ+ community – all of whose ventures are underinvested in relative to their demographic’s percentage of overall United States population. Because Startup302 aims to foster diverse perspectives, promote inclusive and equitable consideration and attract diverse communities of founders to the region, participants aren’t required to be located in Delaware.

“Delaware is a very inclusive and diverse community with many resources and opportunities to help empower and lift up startup companies,” said Crell. “To have these amazing startups from all backgrounds converge, engage and network with each other here in the City of Wilmington in this beautiful theater, is what Startup302’s mission has been since the start. Startup302, DPP and Delaware recognize the economic potential in and outside the state by supporting and prioritizing our underserved startup communities. I am proud to say that Startup302 is allowing these communities to have a voice and is leading the charge in Delaware on driving the investments to those that are underfunded.”

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About Delaware Prosperity Partnership

Delaware Prosperity Partnership (choosedelaware.com) leads Delaware’s efforts to attract, grow and retain businesses; build a stronger entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem; and support employers in place-marketing Delaware to potential employees. Collaborating with economic development partners throughout the state, the DPP team works with site selectors, executives and developers focused on where to locate or grow a business and helps with reviewing potential sites, cost-of-living analyses and funding opportunities, including available tax credits and incentives. DPP advances a culture of innovation in Delaware, working with innovators and startups to connect them with resources and showcase their successes. DPP and its partners support and advance the missions of companies of all sizes and sectors.

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Fisher’s Popcorn to Expand in Delaware

Fisher’s Popcorn of Delaware Chooses Delaware for Major Expansion of Manufacturing and Wholesale Operations


WILMINGTON, Del. – Fisher’s Popcorn, which has produced hand-crafted gourmet popcorn in Delaware for 40 years, has chosen Frankford, Delaware, as the location for a new $4.85 million facility that will more than quadruple space for its manufacturing and wholesale operations.

The company’s current production facility in Fenwick Island, Delaware, is approximately 2,000 square feet, and the new 17-acre site on Delaware Route 20 just off the U.S. Route 113 corridor is almost 10,000 square feet. The additional space will allow Fisher’s Popcorn of Delaware to utilize new equipment – including two kettles and a large packaging machine – that will increase production capacity many times over. For example, bag-packing capabilities will rise from eight bags per minute to 30 to 35 bags per minute.

Fisher’s Popcorn of Delaware currently has 22 full-time employees staffing its manufacturing, retail, wholesale and e-commerce operations, all of which are in Sussex County. The company plans to create 20 additional wholesale jobs at the new site over the next three years.

“Fisher’s Popcorn has been a part of the Delaware beach experience and the Sussex County business community for 40 years, and we’re glad the company has chosen to expand here for its next phase of growth,” said Governor John Carney. “Delaware is a great place for manufacturing. This new facility will enable Fisher’s Popcorn to better serve its existing customers and grow its production and wholesale operations.”

Fisher’s Popcorn was founded in Ocean City, Maryland, in 1937, and a branch of the founder’s family began operating Fisher’s Popcorn of Delaware independent from the original company in 1983. Still family-owned and -operated, Fisher’s Popcorn of Delaware has retail shops in the resort towns of Fenwick Island, Rehoboth Beach and Bethany Beach. The company also sells its products online and in more than 2,000 grocery stores across the United States, including many Giant, Weis, Food Lion and Fresh Market locations.

Fisher’s Popcorn officials presented to Delaware’s Council on Development Finance an application for a Jobs Performance Grant of $60,000 and a Capital Expenditure Grant of $145,500 from the Delaware Strategic Fund to support the company’s investment in construction, fit-out costs and new equipment.

Distribution of grants from the Delaware Strategic Fund are dependent on the company meeting commitments as outlined to the CDF, which reviewed and approved Fisher’s Popcorn of Delaware’s request for up to $205,500 in total grant funding.

“We’re very grateful for the opportunity to expand our operations while still being part of our local community here in Delaware,” said Vice President Russell Hall, who runs the company’s wholesale and e-commerce divisions. “This expansion will enable us to bring the classic flavors of the Delaware beach resorts to more people around the country while adding quality jobs in Sussex County. The grant assistance from the state is a key component to making this happen.”

Delaware Prosperity Partnership began helping Fisher’s Popcorn explore how it could continue to grow in Delaware in 2022. Providing additional assistance throughout the site search and other location processes was Bill Pfaff, director of economic development for Sussex County.

“We are so excited that Fisher’s Popcorn’s new manufacturing facility is calling Sussex County its home,” Pfaff said.

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About Delaware Prosperity Partnership

Delaware Prosperity Partnership (choosedelaware.com) leads Delaware’s efforts to attract, grow and retain businesses; build a stronger entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem; and support employers in place-marketing Delaware to potential employees. Collaborating with economic development partners throughout the state, the DPP team works with site selectors, executives and developers focused on where to locate or grow a business and helps with reviewing potential sites, cost-of-living analyses and funding opportunities, including available tax credits and incentives. DPP advances a culture of innovation in Delaware, working with innovators and startups to connect them with resources and showcase their successes. DPP and its partners support and advance the missions of companies of all sizes and sectors.

About Fisher’s Popcorn of Delaware

Fisher’s Popcorn of Delaware (fishers-popcorn.com) got its start in 1937, when Everett Fisher began making and selling copper kettle caramel popcorn on the Ocean City Boardwalk in Maryland. More than 40 years later, Everett’s granddaughter, Marty Fisher Hall, and her husband, Bill, opened the first Fisher’s Popcorn store in Delaware. Today – independent of the Maryland operations since 1983 – the Halls and their children run production and e-commerce operations and Fenwick Island, Rehoboth Beach and Bethany Beach retail locations along with a wholesale division launched in 2012. Each batch of Fisher’s Popcorn is still made now as it was in 1937, but a wide variety of flavors have been added, including Caramel with Peanuts, Butter-Flavored, White Cheddar, Old Bay®-Seasoned Caramel, Kettle Corn, Caramel Dusted with White Cheddar and the seasonal flavor Caramel Pumpkin Spice.

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Cora Castle of OmniPotential Energy

Cora Castle, Founder and CEO of OmniPotential Energy Partners

An Ongoing Series Highlighting Delaware Innovators


Considering Delaware’s status as a state where innovation prospers, Cora Castle begins by quoting late U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Louis Brandeis, who is credited with saying “states are the laboratories of democracy.”

The founder and CEO of Wilmington-based OmniPotential Energy Partners says the quote suggests it is “difficult, dangerous or both to make broad changes without evidence that they produce the anticipated benefit. This sentiment is equally applicable to new economic activity, products and services as it is to innovative legislation or new governing principles.”

The 1995 graduate of the University of Delaware’s electrical engineering program leads a company committed to a world where practical and cost-saving electrical vehicle (EV) ownership does not require a garage or high-income zip code. OmniPotential’s approach to EV charging works for all communities regardless of parking style, and its decision to not charge for its Curbstar hardware or installation makes home EV ownership a great choice for underserved communities.

OmniPotential, a winner in last year’s Startup302 pitch competition for ventures with underrepresented founders and one of Technical.ly’s 2023 RealLIST Startups, developed the Curbstar publicly shared residential charger in 2020. Castle subsequently helped pass Delaware Senate Bill 187, which requires large municipalities to issue permits for the installation of EV charging stations, in 2022 – a great first step for a company entering its commercialization phase.

Castle recently discussed innovation in Delaware with Delaware Prosperity Partnership and shared her advice for budding and current entrepreneurs.

Why is Delaware a great state to be an innovator?

Size matters. Delaware is a comfortably sized laboratory where ambitious projects can be undertaken, even (perhaps especially) if they require legislative action. OmniPotential’s mission is to shift the entire EV fueling paradigm for day-to-day charging away from unfair and inconvenient public charging to one of ubiquitous, fair, convenient and affordable home charging for everyone. This is a heavy-lift mission, with both product and public policy facets. It is impossible for me to imagine a state besides Delaware where I could have expected to get a state legislator to seriously consider my proposal, much less pass it with a bipartisan supermajority with no prior advocacy, legal or legislative experience more substantial than YouTube videos and “Law & Order” reruns.

In Delaware, a good idea needs less overall signal boost to distinguish itself from background noise and competitors. In particular, if your innovation is reliant upon a shift in public policy, Delaware is uniquely suited for your work.

In your view, what qualities should a successful innovator have?

Passion, confidence, patience and ego.

  • I cannot imagine a more valuable quality for innovative success than an inextinguishable passion for what you’re doing. Until and unless your business becomes commercially successful, the only payout you’re likely to receive is the satisfaction of moving one more inch up the field. You really need to care about your subject matter more than commercial success.
  • Confidence (bordering on fearlessness) is, anti-intuitively, more important to successful commercialization than product quality. Both are important, but if you want to move your product or service out of your garage, you need confidence.
  • As for patience, just know that you’re in for a long road trip filled with random landmines of things you never considered when your journey began. It is audacious to think that willpower and creativity alone will ensure your idea or company one day wins grants, receives headlines or signs customers.
  • Self-doubt and imposter syndrome will interfere with your ability to process your success. You will need a healthy ego to process these feelings. Accept your success and traction at face value. Take bows when you can and always remember to clap for your entrepreneurial peers when it’s their turn to win awards. Remember that you may reapply next year for the grant you didn’t win this year.

If you aren’t passionate and confident about a new venture you’re considering, I would wait for another opportunity.

What advice would you give innovators just starting?

  • Get out of the office. Go meet interesting people who support you and your mission. Join the a chamber of commerce, go to events, attend town halls, do it all. You can’t succeed from behind a desk.
  • Don’t trailblaze when you don’t have to. Read the blogs and press releases of area startups that are showing success. They have laid a trail for you to follow. What awards, grants and recognition have they won? Do the same things.
  • Look for deep insight. Research your area of interest deeply. Spend six months in your area of interest reading the top 10 stories every day and collecting the top 10 headlines every week. Make a word cloud on those headlines. Find the problem in the cloud. When you think you really understand the root cause of the problem, solve it. If you can’t find the satisfaction in this kind of research on a topic you’re passionate about, then entrepreneurism will be a challenge for you.
  • Validate your understanding. Talk to 100 people you believe might give you money to solve the problem. Ask each of them 10 questions focused on assumptions that can destroy your conclusions about the problem or solution. Do not lead the respondents to their answers! Record the answers. This insight will save you a lot of money and years of your life.

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