Delaware Startup Resources

The Delaware College of Art and Design has been developing artists, designers and downtown Wilmington since 1997. Delaware’s first and only professional art and design school offers the associate of fine arts degree in five majors – animation, fine arts, graphic design, illustration and photography – and boasts a 2+2 transfer program that allows students to earn their AFA degrees in two years and then matriculate as juniors into baccalaureate programs. An internship program offering paid, real-world experience supplements studio and classroom work. DCAD also offers continuing education courses in fine arts, graphic and web design, interior design, jewelry making and photography as well as art and design programming for youths.

Acquiring both academic and technical skills in combination with meaningful work experience gives students the freedom to choose their life’s path.

Delaware Pathways link education and workforce development efforts for youth and provide opportunities for youth to gain work experiences aligned with their career goals through a series of high-quality education programs that link to postsecondary education and careers. Programs and supports are available across Delaware’s local education agencies and a statewide workforce intermediary.

The Food Business Incubation Center (FBIC) is a fully-licensed, professionally equipped commercial kitchen for food service producers to start or expand their businesses. The shared-use facility gives prospective business owners a venue for food production without the massive overhead associated with owning and operating a commercial kitchen. The FBIC is open all year round and offers flexible hours. Rates are affordable and discounted based upon usage.

Starting and operating a business takes a lot of effort and know-how. The Entrepreneurship Certificate program offers the foundational basics of taking your passion and turning it into a business. This certificate is designed to augment the degrees earned in other academic and technical programs. Whether you are in health care, automotive, refrigeration-heating-air conditioning, agriculture, or any other career vocation, you can learn the basic skills of how to launch your business. 

This is the place where jobseekers find training to enhance or gain skills; and employers connect with a qualified workforce.

UD’s Premier Startup Funding Competition. Entrepreneurial students, alumni, faculty and staff make connections, collect feedback on ideas and compete for startup cash and prizes totaling $100,000.

UD’s Pre-Accelerator for Student Ventures. The Summer Founders program is a 12-week program designed for students with early stage startups to work on their ventures and receive a stipend, mentorship and education sessions.

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Looking for a new job? A better job? Looking for great, local employees? Join or build the workforce in the area! You have come to the right place for what you need to know about available jobs, our fantastic local employers, and our great community!

The National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) program uses experiential education to help researchers gain valuable insight into entrepreneurship, starting a business or industry requirements and challenges. NSF is developing and nurturing a national innovation network to guide scientific research toward the development of solutions to benefit society. I-Corps enables the transformation of invention to impact. The curriculum integrates scientific inquiry and industrial discovery in an inclusive, data-driven culture driven by rigor, relevance, and evidence. Through I-Corps training, researchers can reduce the time to translate a promising idea from the laboratory to the marketplace.

Ready to kickstart your IT career? With over 500 graduates, ITWorks is a proven program training young people in Philadelphia, PA; Wilmington, DE; and Las Vegas, NV for entry-level IT careers. During the FREE 16-week program, students spent the first 11 weeks in the classroom learning about PC hardware, troubleshooting, IT networking, security, and much more to prepare for the CompTIA A+ certification. Then, students gain real-life, hands-on experience during a five-week internship at a local corporation or nonprofit. The program is offered twice a year – Spring and Fall – and is bolstered by the support of over 100 volunteers in each location.

The Blue Hen Proof of Concept (BH-POC) is a program designed to provide gap funding and training during the initial technology commercialization activities of researchers and inventors across the University of Delaware Campus. It supports building prototypes, proving technology concepts and validating that the technology will meet customers’ needs and wants.

The University of Delaware MakerGym is a 5,000 square foot interdisciplinary design and fabrication space, serving all UD students, faculty and staff. Located in the former gymnasium behind Pearson Hall, the UD MakerGym operates as a central hub of the UD MakerNetwork, with state-of-the-art technologies including 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC routing, water-jet cutting, industrial sewing machines, electronics and a full wood shop. The main entrance is located across from the student services building on Lovett Avenue, where you will be greeted by a staff member at the genius bar who will help guide you in turning your ideas into action.

The management information systems (MIS) program at UD teaches how to use information technology to solve business problems and find creative competitive advantages. There are several MIS capstone courses that offer real world work experience, and are a great resource for the local business community to take advantage of. Students and employers should contact Barbara Cullis at bcullis@udel.edu for more information regarding capstone project courses.

Achieve new levels of economic development by bringing together the collective and integrated talents of University of Delaware and the state’s business, academic and entrepreneurial communities.

UD’s Spin In Program, founded, managed and trademarked by the Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships, connects University undergraduate students with community entrepreneurs and early-stage startups to give them an inside look at business innovation in action and a chance to apply what they’re learning in real-life situations.

Achieve new levels of economic development by bringing together the collective and integrated talents of University of Delaware and the state’s business, academic and entrepreneurial communities.

Master the Basics of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. Explore the concepts and innovations that drive small businesses and position your business for success with Wilmington University’s Entrepreneurship/Small Business Management certificate program. Whether you’re looking to elevate your existing business to the next level or building a startup venture from scratch, courses in finance, small business law, management and marketing can help to sharpen your management skills.