State presents 10 small businesses EDGE grant awards

This is an edited release from the Delaware Division of Small Business. Delaware Live and its sister publications will be developing profiles on selected winners, including this one on Chris Boozer, founder of The Trash Porters.

WILMINGTON – Governor John Carney joined the Division of Small Business to present awards for the most recent winners of the EDGE Grant competition on Nov. 20. Ten awards were presented to Delaware small businesses for the fall 2024 round in a ceremony at The Mill Space in Wilmington, where several previous EDGE winners have offices.

Awardees in the latest round of the competition include several healthcare-related biotechnology companies working on new diagnostic and therapeutic tools, an Indo-Trini restaurant and a beauty-based business expanding to new locations, a company producing natural sweeteners, a valet trash service for multi-residential properties, a company working to build a data center to better track carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, and a maternal clothing shield business in need of marketing assistance.

This is the final EDGE Awards presentation of Governor Carney’s administration.  The Governor launched the initiative in 2019. Since that time, the EDGE Grant Competition has provided support to 110 small businesses that have received a total of $7.25 million including this round.

“When we started EDGE Grants in 2019, we wanted to give small businesses a boost to help them level the playing field against larger companies that have more resources,” Carney said. “Over the last six years, I’ve been continually impressed at the ingenuity and creativity of the awardees and how the funds have helped them become significant contributors to the state’s economy.”

The EDGE Grant competition is conducted twice a year.  Businesses that are less than seven years old and employ no more than 10 full-time employees (or FTE equivalents), are eligible to apply. The grants are awarded through a competitive selection process. After thorough internal review, up to 16 finalists are selected to pitch their proposals to an outside expert panel of judges. Ten companies are selected each round for awards. Five STEM-based companies each receive up to $100,000 for eligible expenses, while five Entrepreneur Class (non-STEM) businesses each receive up to $50,000. Since the start of the initiative, 60 of the awards have been in the Entrepreneur Class, and 50 in the STEM class.

“The ability of Delawareans to realize the potential of their business ideas shouldn’t be limited by their financial resources,” said Secretary of State Jeff Bullock. “Small businesses create economic diversity in our state by helping create new industries and markets, and the great thing about the EDGE grant program is its flexibility. These grants can support just about any business-related expense.”

Since 2019, more than half (56%) of the 110 awardees have been either women-, minority-, or veteran-owned small businesses. Another 16% fall into more than one of those categories.

The Fall 2024 EDGE competition was the 10th round of funding for the program. Eighty-six businesses applied for funding in August, 61 in the entrepreneur category and 25 in the STEM category. Seven of the 10 awardees in this round have businesses in New Castle County, and three are located in Kent County. Over the length of the program, 72 of the businesses were located in New Castle County, 24 were located in Kent, and 14 were located in Sussex.

“The EDGE Grant Competition is our flagship program and goes to the very core of how we carry out our mission to help small businesses start and grow,” said Division of Small Business Director Regina Mitchell. “We’re grateful for Governor Carney’s vision in creating this program, and we’ve been proud to be able to support so many deserving entrepreneurs in our state through it.”

The application period for the next round of the EDGE program will open in February 2025. The Division will host an informational webinar in late January to prepare for the next round.

EDGE is a matching grant program. The Division of Small Business matches a winning business’s investment on a 3-to-1 basis. The business can spend EDGE grant funds on expenses that help improve the company’s long-term chances of success, such as a marketing campaign to help acquire more customers or purchasing a needed piece of equipment that can increase production capacity.

STEM Category

LisenID (Wilmington) – $100,000
Lisen Imprinting Diagnostics, Inc. (LisenID) is a US-owned biotechnology startup founded in December 2017, specializing in molecular pathology diagnosis. It is pioneering the development of breakthrough epigenetic imprinting alteration biomarkers for detecting cancers at their earliest and curable stage.  Specifically, they are working towards implementing laboratory-developed testing in the U.S. for early-stage melanoma detection. Through this project, they aim to provide molecular testing for accurate preoperative diagnosis in Caucasian and Hispanic patients and contribute to advancing cancer diagnostic innovation. This grant will establish its diagnostic platform, covering initial validation with Mayo Clinic specimens, equipment, testing kits, research facilities, and laboratory workforce.

Natural Sweeteners (Newark) – $100,000
Natural Sweeteners is a newly formed food ingredients company focused on bringing innovative natural sweeteners to food and beverage brands and enabling those brands to make healthier sweetness accessible to more consumers. Natural Sweeteners’ product focus is on its new-to-market sweetener Super Sugar. Still, they also have carried out innovation on Stevia to prepare some novel versions and sell other natural sweeteners such as monk fruit, coconut sugar, fructan syrups, and stevia leaves. Everything they sell is completely natural, is a healthy sweetening alternative, and has a USDA Organic version available. EDGE funding will help it enhance its marketing and help offset regulatory-related costs.

Nitro Biosciences (Newark/Wilmington) – $90,665.79
Nitro Biosciences is an early-stage biotechnology company developing a vaccine platform to protect against infectious diseases with unmet public health needs. Their approach uses a next-generation antigen engineering platform developed at the University of Delaware. Their approach can enable the creation of vaccines that overcome a key impediment to vaccine efficacy known as immune imprinting, which has limited the long-term efficacy of influenza vaccines and blocked the development of an effective Staph aureus vaccine. EDGE funding will support the purchase of vital equipment and other supplies helping them to accelerate their foothold in this competitive arena.

Otter Biotech (Newark) – $100,000
Otter Biotech is a biotechnology startup based in Delaware dedicated to developing antibodies for disease, in vitro diagnostics (IVD), and immunotherapy. They started operation at the Delaware Technology Park on the STAR campus at the University of Delaware in June of 2023 and have developed therapeutic anti-bacteria, specifically for topical treatment of urinary tract infections and catheter-associated urinary tract infections, which account for over eight million patient visits to physicians per year in the United States. Otter Biotech will use EDGE grant support for lab space, supplies, and marketing.

Rebisken (Dover) – $100,000
In the US, the federal government is limited in regulating carbon footprint (CFP) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the bulk of the GHG/CFP profiling and inventorying work is left to the state and city authorities.  Effective December 2025, the Security Exchange Commission (SEC) requires registrants to disclose climate-related information, including emissions and decarbonization efforts, representing a significant shift toward institutionalizing climate data audits as a standard business practice.  REBISKEN is launching three initiatives to meet these challenges. First, they will design, develop, and build a climate database for advanced data curation. They will further develop a GHG/CFP profiler, a suite of tools and modules for GHG/CFP accounting, reporting management, and standardization. Finally, they will develop a knowledge graph model of climate change, the first of its kind. EDGE funding will help them scale their mini-lab and upgrade it to a commercial (Enterprise) grade data center to kick-start the development of their business products.

Entrepreneur Category

For Looks Studios (Smyrna) – $50,000

For Looks Studios LLC, founded by Hailey Sullenberger in 2019, is a woman-owned beauty business specializing in a range of esthetic services, including lash extensions, facials, and body waxing. Starting at just 17 years old, Hailey quickly established a reputation for exceptional service, offering personalized skincare regimens and quality retail facial products. Recently, For Looks Studios expanded into a new storefront in the heart of Smyrna, located at 101 North Main Street. EDGE grant funding will be used to purchase advanced skincare technology and equipment and complete the outfitting of the additional treatment rooms in the new location, as well as hiring staff.

Good Company Handyman (Dover) – $50,000
Good Company Handyman is a reliable, professional handyman service based in Dover, committed to being a one-stop solution for home maintenance and repair needs since April of this year (2024). They are veteran and woman-owned, providing a wide range of services from minor fixes to larger home improvement projects, ensuring their customers’ convenience and peace of mind. They will be using EDGE funding to purchase two new work vehicles that will allow them to expand their service area beyond Kent County.

Oath 84 (Wilmington) – $50,000
Oath 84 is a premier casual dining restaurant in Wilmington, specializing in a fusion of Indo-Trini and American cuisine. Inspired by the rich heritage of its chef and owner, Justin Womack, Oath 84 offers a unique culinary experience that blends cultural flavors in an upscale environment. As a black-owned and operated business, they pride themselves on delivering exceptional service and a dining experience that rivals any award-winning restaurant in larger markets. Funding from the EDGE program will help Oath 84 move from King Street to Market Street, doubling their seating capacity and introducing 84 Next Door, a grab-n-go establishment focusing on breakfast and lunch offerings.

Oceeto (Newark) – $50,000

Oceeto was founded by Andrea and Austin Hess when they set out to solve some of the challenges they encountered as new parents and developed the Care’digan™.  This patented cardigan has a unique dual-overlapping closure, helping to quickly wear a protective and fashionable “shield” to help hide the stains that often come with childcare. With EDGE funding, Oceeto will enhance its creative content strategy, website design, and digital marketing plan.

The Trash Porters (Wilmington) – $50,000

The Trash Porters, LLC, based in Wilmington, Delaware, is a full-service waste management company dedicated to meeting the needs of both residential and commercial clients. Specializing in trash valet services, The Trash Porters offers convenient daily doorstep garbage and recycling collection for multi-family properties while also providing an array of additional services, including junk removal, event waste management, weekly residential and commercial garbage collection, litter control, cleanouts, and furniture removal. EDGE funds will be used to purchase a rear-load garbage truck to enhance their service capabilities from 30 residential properties up to 800.

 

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