Issue 11.28

July 18, 2025

EPISODE 23| 30-YEAR OVERNIGHT SUCCESSES

FEATURING BILL PROVINE AND NOAH OLSON

Delaware is punching above its weight when it comes to innovation. Ranking 8th overall—and 1st for innovation environment—on WalletHub’s 2025 Most Innovative States list, the First State continues to attract forward-thinking entrepreneurs. In this season 5 premiere, Kelly is joined by Bill Provine of The Innovation Space and Noah Olson from the Delaware Prosperity Partnership to explore why Delaware’s collaborative ecosystem, strong support networks, and startup-friendly culture make it a hub for problem solvers and change-makers.

Listen to the episode on your favorite streaming platform >

Check out past episodes of the Delaware Deep Dive podcast >

DELAWARE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT

The State of Delaware’s economic growth has been driven for more than 200 years by scientific innovation, led by industry giants such as DuPont. Today, innovation continues to be a driving force of Delaware’s growth and prosperity. The Delaware Prosperity Partnership commissioned a study to identify Delaware’s innovation strengths and assess where the state can enhance the support ecosystem to more fully capture the economic potential of its science and technology growth sectors.

Download the report summary >

View the full report >

GROWTH OPPORTUNITY AREAS:

EMERGING SECTORS:

Integrated Agriculture & Sustainable Food Production

BlueTech Innovation

Rehabilitative & Performance

Enhancement Tech

FAST FACT: Delaware’s research universities are seeing substantial growth in R&D funding and have made significant investments in their infrastructure to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. Despite this, Delaware’s universities are not commercializing research at a pace fast enough to promote broad-based economic vitality. Read more >

THE INNOVATION SPACE

2024 IMPACT REPORT

Since their founding in 2017, The Innovation Space has been recognized by Delaware and U.S. legislators and early-stage science entrepreneurs for the critical support they provide through collaboration and expertise. As a result, 140+ life sciences, clean tech, and advanced materials startups have benefitted from their lab space, resources and/or programs, supporting 1,000+ jobs and raising more than $1.2 billion as they work to change the world. Read more >

2024 BY THE NUMBERS:

49

startups supported

$74M+

raised in cumulative funding

200+

new jobs created

or supported

23

companies added to

their portfolio

$50M+

raised by startups in Delaware

90+

jobs added in

Delaware

26

lab space residents

50%+

lab space residents

founded in Delaware

40%+

lab space residents attracted to Delaware

FAST FACT: 55% of all startups supported by The Innovation Space are in life sciences, with 47% led by women and 37% led by founders of color.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Tariffs lead the news again today, with the White House announcing a 30% tariff on goods imported from the European Union and Mexico. In a CNBC story out this morning, the numbers are as follows: “The U.S. and EU have the largest bilateral trade and investment relationship in the world, representing almost 30% of global trade in goods and services. Last year alone, the value of EU-U.S. trade amounted to 1.68 trillion euros, or $1.96 trillion dollars.” That’s the equivalent of roughly $5.0 billion per day. Read more >

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

The Delaware Young Professionals Network, Intern Delaware, and Leadership Delaware (LDI) partnered for a Leading Change Through Challenging Times Lunch and Learn. LDI alumni led attendees through a series of interactive stations focused on frameworks for managing change, building momentum, and navigating the daunting valley of despair.