Delaware highlights blue tech startups with new accelerator and research support
It's summer in Delaware, the perfect time to talk about the ocean technology that continues to burgeon in Sussex County.
The state economy is boosted by beach tourism, sure, but our coastline is an opportunity for tech, from robotics to environmental technology, that Technical.ly has been following for years, and we may be on the verge of something bigger.
Also in this month's Delaware Moves, an AI Summit to support underrepresented communities, the spring EDGE grant recipients, a new LGBTQ+ Commission, and more, after a look at the most popular tech job skills listed in Delaware job listings.
15 startups join accelerator to become the next blue tech standout
Rob Nicholson, meteorology and oceanography officer with the US Navy and affiliated scientist with University of Delaware's (UD) College of Earth, Ocean and Environment, recently gave Technical.ly some updates on Delaware's blue tech industry — technology relating to the ocean, including robotic vessels, offshore wind farms and other marine tech systems. Over the last few years, blue tech has had an increasing impact on the state's economy, with the potential to have the biggest impact downstate, where fewer traditional tech companies live.
Without giving too much detail, Nicholson said that there was a recent science and technology study that spotlighted Delaware as a blue tech hub.
'The study has recommended that the state focus on a niche growth area, which is blue tech,' Nicholson told Technical.ly. In 2023, UD launched Project ABLE, a two-year, $1.3 million project aimed at advancing the state's blue tech economy that developed foundations for a blue tech workforce, including an autonomous systems bootcamp.
One blue tech project currently underway is the VentureWell accelerator, funded by NOAA as an ocean enterprise accelerator. The program involves 15 startups in total, currently in phase one, with the University of Delaware as a key partner. The startups receive support through coaching and access to UD's ocean research infrastructure at its Lewes campus.
Nicholson is personally coaching five of the teams, helping them refine product roadmaps and identify technological gaps.
The unnamed startups include:
A fishery management company focused on creating better forecasts for large-scale fishing operations;
A lake management company with an autonomous surface vehicle for environmental monitoring, using AI to detect biomass buildup;
An aquaculture technology company that streamlines fish health inspections, helping farmers identify and remove less healthy fish before they move to the next stage of farming; and
An oceanographic sensor company that develops an energy harvesting system powered by water movement, allowing sensors to operate in areas with limited sunlight.
The program is expected to last approximately nine months, with startups potentially moving to a second phase in late summer after an evaluation.
ReadyPromptOne AI summit coming to the Chemours STEM Hub
On July 19, ReadyPromptOne, a culture-driven AI brand founded by entrepreneur Malcolm Coley, will bring together leaders across business, education, healthcare, real estate and workforce development for a one-day summit to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping every industry.
ReadyPromptOne focuses on empowering underrepresented communities as well as positioning Delaware as a national model for community-led innovation through immersive events, accessible education and strategic partnerships.
'The ReadyPromptOne summit is more than just AI, it's about making sure our communities aren't left behind in the next wave of innovation,' Coley told Technical.ly. 'We're creating a space where culture, equity, and technology intersect to shape a smarter, more innovative and inclusive future.'
The ReadyPromptOne Summit, he said, is focused on bringing awareness of and education about artificial intelligence, giving attendees tangible action items on how to implement AI in their work.
The event will be held at the Chemours STEM Hub at Eastside Charter School. Speakers will include Blerdtech founder Nikki Magee, software engineer Tariq Hook, real estate technologist Dustin Parker and technologist Stephen Sye, who, among other things, is a cofounder of Futures First Gaming with Coley.
Delaware announced 10 more EDGE grant recipients
The Delaware Division of Small Business (DSB) announced the 10 spring 2025 winners of the Encouraging Development, Growth and Expansion (EDGE) Grant competition last week. The awards were presented to local, small businesses in a ceremony at Bally's Resort in Dover by DSB Director CJ Bell, and Secretary of State Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez.
Five of the awards went to STEM companies, each of which received a $100,000 award:
AKOS Solutions of Newark, creator of a collaborative AI chatbot that supports research and reduces hallucinations;
Archie of Georgetown, pioneering a 'liquid real estate' model for home sellers that cuts out the traditional process of finding a buyer;
Essence Infusing of Newark, reimagining how herbal infusions are made at home and in small businesses;
Higher Medicine of Wilmington, developing functional cures for the inherited pediatric disorder Friedreich's ataxia; and
Livestock Labs of Wilmington, a bioscience company developing new technology to produce sustainable meat without industrial animal farming.
The other five $50,000 awards went to small business entrepreneurs up and down the state:
American Fire Protection (Seaford)
Bayside Gymnastics (Milford)
Harvey Haven Lavender Farm (Townsend)
Introspection Counseling (Wilmington)
The Menopause Clinic at Oasis Family Wellness (Newark)
New Delaware LGBTQ+ Commission secures leadership
During her short tenure as Delaware Governor between Governor John Carney's pivot to becoming mayor of Wilmington and the inauguration of current Governor Matt Meyer, Bethany Hall-Long signed Executive Order No. 1, creating the state's first LGBTQ+ Commission. Its mission is to 'help remove barriers to societal participation for LGBTQ+ people and improve the delivery of services to the community in Delaware in areas such as employment, equality, education, mental health, social services, health and housing.'
Last week, Cora Castle, LGBTQ+ advocate and founder of OmniPotential Energy Partners, announced on LinkedIn that she had been appointed by Governor Meyer to be the chair of the nine-person commission.
The commission also includes 19-year-old youth advocate Vienna Cavazos as vice chair, CAMP Rehoboth board president Leslie Ledogar, as well as Dwayne Bensing, Noah Duckett, Mark Purpura, John Kane and Daniel Lopez.
'This appointment by Gov. Matt Meyer is profoundly humbling and I'm excited to work alongside the rest of the commission to ensure that Delaware is never a place where people have to wonder whether they are welcome,' Castle posted.
More moves:
Delaware State University opened its new state-of-the-art Early Childhood Innovation Center on June 9, offering students wraparound supports like stipends, device support and childcare.
Since the Delaware Division of Small Business relaunched the Small State Business Credit Initiative under Director CJ Bell, it has distributed $2.4 million to small business owners, with a goal to distribute $14 million to small businesses by the end of the year.
The next Grit Talk at The Mill in Wilmington will feature Grotto Pizza President Jeff Gosnear, who will talk about his experiences going from a server at Lamberti Restaurants in New Jersey to the head of Delaware's iconic beach-based pizzeria chain.
The Delaware Council on Banking launched the Delaware Community Investment Venture Fund in May, which will provide grants to banks, credit unions and community development financial institutions for programs for businesses in low- to moderate-income areas in Delaware.
Juneteenth celebrations in Wilmington will begin on Saturday, June 14, with the Juneteenth Freedom Parade, followed by the Freedom Celebration in the Park starting at 11 a.m. at Harriet Tubman-Garrett Park. On June 19, the 31st Juneteenth Observance Ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. at New Destiny Fellowship Church.
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After all those years, I came here again in 2017 — but now with my family, my wife and two kids. It's difficult for everyone who's moving to another country. We were quite lucky, so I cannot complain. My wife is working for the World Bank Group, which means they brought us here. So it was not supposedly 'difficult,' because one of us had a job and everything was smoothly operated. I think, for everyone, the difficult part is adjustment. Doing business is different, maybe not completely different, but that is culturally different. Again, we're lucky, but I still work with so many immigrant founders and volunteer at refugee programs as well. These people are prone to success more, but they do have difficulty reaching out to resources, which includes myself as well. That is why, right now, with all the network that I have, all the people I have known, all the resources that exist in the DMV or East Coast ecosystem, I help those people reach out to those resources. There's no soft landing. It is always a hard landing. But if you realize this and work on utilizing your skills, keep on sharpening them. My skills were people skills. I love bringing people together, and I am very good at it. What advice do you have for startup founders? It's always very difficult to be an entrepreneur. Being a professional is not easy, either. Life is not easy. The most common mistake is that they, entrepreneurs, believe that they know the problem themselves, and they start working immediately on a product. Which is not a big deal — everybody can create a product, right? The big deal is to understand whether that problem is really a problem, and what the solution is. They should be courageous. They are, but they can be successful by creating [a] great team — starting with themselves, of course. But they can't do that alone, and they should not do that alone.
