EDGE 2.0 Finalists and Pitch Competition Dates Announced

April 8, 2026/Joe Ciccanti

The Delaware Division of Small Business has announced finalists and dates for the EDGE 2.0 Grant Pitch Competition. The event will take place April 30th and May 1st from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Delaware Technical Community College’s Del-One Conference Center in Dover. The public is invited to watch the competition in-person. There is no cost, but registration is required to secure your seat. This round features nine finalists in the Entrepreneur category and eight in the STEM category. A total of 123 applicants applied, marking the program’s 13th round since its launch. Officials say EDGE 2.0 aims to give Delaware entrepreneurs a platform to turn strong ideas into reality, with finalists representing innovation and growth across the state’s small business community. Finalists were selected through multiple rounds of review and will be judged by an independent panel. For more information and to read about the finalists, visit de.gov/edge. The registration link is  https://bit.ly/4sAcqQa.
 
Additional Information from the Delaware Division of Small Business:

There are nine Entrepreneur category finalists and eight STEM category finalists. One hundred twenty-three individuals applied for this round of EDGE, the thirteenth since the program’s launch.

 

The Entrepreneur finalists are: 3 E’s Equestrian Education Program, Expanding Ideas Inc., Fin Outdoor Recreation LLC, Huxley & Hiro, Little Town LLC, Mother Nurture Composting Services, SOMA Skin & Sculpt, Solid Earth Studio LLC, Rooted Properties Group

 

The STEM Finalists are: Able Sciences, Bison Venture Partners/NGARI, Dunya Analytics, Gida Health LLC, Housecall VR Inc., NeuroSync, Trial IQ Technologies, Zephyr Materials Inc.

 

“EDGE 2.0 is about opening doors for Delaware entrepreneurs and giving them a platform to take strong ideas and bring them to life,” said DSB Deputy Director Jaimie Watts. “This group of finalists reflects the creativity, determination, and innovation we see across our small business community, and we’re excited to watch them take the next step in their journey.”

 

Applicants undergo several rounds of internal review by DSB Business Finance Unit staff and leadership before finalists are selected. They will be judged by an independent panel of expert judges. Judging for the Entrepreneur category will occur April 30, and STEM judging will occur on May 1.

EDGE 2.0 is an updated version of the original program launched in 2019. A total of $1.15M in funding awards is available. There are no pre-determined number of winners and no set award amounts. All awardees will be funded based on the strength of their pitch and proposal, not their funding request. Entrepreneur Class businesses compete for a share of $400,000, while STEM-based companies can receive funding from a $750,000 pool, to support expenses such as equipment purchases, marketing, infrastructure improvements, or technology upgrades.

 

All finalists and awardees will also receive additional post-pitch in-kind services and/or award supports to help them grow. These supports will include memberships to networking organizations and expedited pathways to DSB funding programs and more.

 

EDGE stands for Encouraging Development, Growth and Expansion. It is the Delaware Division of Small Business’ (DSB) flagship funding program, which has distributed nearly $9.1M to 127 small businesses in the last six years. Businesses eligible for the program are those in existence for less than 7 years, including startups not yet in the marketplace, having 15 or fewer employees, and fewer than $700-thousand dollars in assets. Additionally, businesses must be majority located (51% or more) in Delaware.

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