The Delaware Division of Small Business announced the finalists and dates, for the EDGE 2.0 Grant Pitch Competition.
The pitch competition will be held on Oct. 28 and 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Tower Audion & Atrium at STAR Campus, University of Delaware.
The public is invited to watch the competition in-person. Registration is required: bit.ly/3IVaAYG.
There are nine Entrepreneur category finalists and five STEM category finalists.
The Entrepreneur finalists are: Atomic (Milton), Focus Pharmacy (Smyrna), Insight Ag Scouting LLC (Wyoming), Kiyamel (Dagsboro), NFN Brain Connections Inc (Dover), Rooted Properties Group (Lewes), Stay Jung LLC DBA Holding Hands (Newark), Still Water (Townsend), TAM IV (Rehoboth Beach).
The STEM Finalists are: BVP Coffee Co. (Newark), CarbonForm Inc. (Wilmington), FR888T LLC (Dover), Grad Village LLC (Wilmington), KiposTech (Newark).
In addition, three more companies will compete in a bonus round for $1 million in funding through the Small State Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) under the Delaware Accelerator and Seed Capital Program.
Those businesses are: Crystron (Wilmington), Wunderwood Corporation DBA Prismm (Newark), Lectrolyst (Wilmington). These finalists will be judged on STEM Day and are also eligible for the same post award supports as all recipients.
“As Delaware’s business community continues to evolve, it’s critical that our support evolves with it.” said DSB Division Director CJ Bell. “EDGE 2.0 is not just funding – it’s a statement that Delaware backs its boldest entrepreneurs and invest in businesses that will shape our future.” They are visionaries and innovators who with help to back their plans will make an impact on Delaware’s economy.” Applicants undergo several rounds of internal review by DSB Business Finance Unit staff and leadership. They will be judged by an independent panel of expert judges.
EDGE 2.0 is a new version of the original program launched in 2019. Among the upgrades for this round are a total amount of $1.15 million in funding – double that of previous rounds, no pre-determined number of winners and no fixed award amounts.
The Entrepreneur finalists are eligible for a portion of a $400.000 pot, and the STEM finalists, will compete for a piece of the $750,000 pot.
All finalists and awardees will also receive additional post-pitch in-kind services and/or award supports. These supports will include memberships to networking organizations and pathways to DSB funding programs.
EDGE stands for Encouraging Development, Growth and Expansion. The funding program has distributed nearly $8 milliion to 120 small businesses in the last six years.
Businesses eligible for the program are those in existence for less than seven years, including startups not yet in the marketplace, having 15 or fewer employees, and fewer than $700,000 in assets. Additionally, businesses must be majority located (51% or more) in Delaware.
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