Delaware and the Delaware Prosperity Partnership are rolling out a plan to support the innovation economy.

At The Mill Space in Wilmington Monday, Governor Matt Meyer introduced Innovate Delaware and described what it would do: “Innovate Delaware will help formalize how our universities, investors, economic development organizations, corporations and entrepreneurial support groups work together.”

(appearing in the video: Governor Matt Meyer; Delaware Prosperity Partnership Vice President of Innovation Noah Olson; Dunya Analytics founder Megan Pillsbury)

According to Meyer, this is about getting inside the mindsets of innovators and investors: “What are the decisions they’re making? What are their stresses? What can we do to reduce those stresses and increase the opportunities?”

The DPP will oversee what’s being called a digital front door for founders to get connected and get questions answered. According to the Partnership’s Vice President of Innovation Noah Olson, this is a two-year pilot program.

“We are formalizing some of the things that already exist, and then we’re going to go out and wave a banner: Innovate Delaware. It gives a message that Delaware is now in the game and in the field,” Olson said. 

Key pillars of Innovate Delaware are to advance statewide infrastructure to support scale-able start-ups, working to attract capital as well as foreign-direct investment into Delaware, and building better connections between corporations and start-ups. Access to rural healthcare will be addressed in Innovate Delaware’s first major project: The Delaware Rural Health Challenge, described as “a reverse-pitch, multi-stage health technology accelerator program designed to define specific gaps and barriers in delivering care to rural, medically underserved and health professional shortage areas and select innovative health technology companies to deploy novel solutions to address these issues.”

DPP operates as a public-private 501(c)3) non-profit on a $3.1-million appropriation in the state Bond Bill, as well as private sector investments. Separate money from the Delaware Strategic Fund will support Innovate Delaware during a two-year pilot. 

Delaware Division of Small Business Director CJ Bell said Innovate Delaware’s “front door” approach helps the state make the most of a unique advantage.

“We’re not going to win the companies of tomorrow by giving the biggest incentive package. We’re going to win those companies by being able to give that personal touch,” Bell said. 

Megan Pillsbury described the experience of founding Dunya Analytics, a software company, and how she was able to get plugged into programs and groups to get the business going and growing.

“This ecosystem is small but it is well-networked, and it’s stacked with people who want to see innovators succeed,” Pillsbury said.

“We want others to know that Delaware is an innovation leader.”

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