When you consider the most innovative, entrepreneurial places in America, what places come to mind?
From Austin to Boston and Silicon Valley to the Research Triangle, our nation has an abundance of entrepreneurial success stories.
But maybe none better than this. Over two centuries ago, on the banks of the Brandywine River, a French-born chemist believed American gunpowder was expensive and low quality. E.I. du Pont created one of the great American corporations, inventing chemistry that moved the national economy into the Industrial Revolution. The DuPont Corporation ultimately became America’s largest corporation.
With the right incentives and supports and legal structure, with the right grit and attitude, we can do that again.
Take our thriving biopharmaceutical and biotechnology sector. It is one of the most robust in the nation, providing over 12,000 direct jobs, thousands more indirectly, and generating more than $2 billion in annual economic output. For a state our size, that’s extraordinary. With our history of growth and innovation and strong workforce, Delaware offers unique opportunities for established corporations to partner with emerging innovators, creating a pipeline of breakthrough technologies while strengthening our shared economic foundation.
As someone who grew up here, I know this didn’t happen accidentally. Delaware’s innovation economy has prospered thanks to deliberate choices: investing in higher education that produces cutting-edge research and establishing a legal and business environment that makes it easier to turn that research into life-saving products and local jobs.
But good times are never guaranteed. Our state’s successes are not an annuity that automatically pays dividends forever—we have to continue to fight for our leadership position every single day.
And here’s the good news: In Delaware, we are already putting solutions in place to strengthen our innovation economy.
Our approach is different from that of other states. We are creating a sustainable innovation ecosystem that fosters and grows Delaware companies rather than just recruiting them from outside the state.
We relaunched the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) to invest $14 million of federal funding into Delaware’s small businesses this year alone. That funding has already gone to companies advancing cancer treatments and other life-changing technologies. We’ve also expanded our EDGE Grant program, which has invested nearly $8 million into 120 small businesses across the state, and this year we launched EDGE 2.0, a bigger and more flexible version that gives entrepreneurs access not just to funding, but also to investors, customers, and wraparound support.
And since innovation is ultimately about people, I signed an Executive Order creating the Office of Workforce Development. This office will bring together business leaders, labor, educators, and state officials to align workforce training with the jobs of the future. Because if we want Delawareans not just to consume technology but to produce it, we must give our people the tools to succeed in an innovation-driven economy.
That’s why we recently strengthened the Delaware Prosperity Partnership (DPP), the state’s public–private economic development organization. Since its creation, DPP has helped recruit and retain businesses, connect entrepreneurs with resources, and launch initiatives like Startup302. Now, with new board members and an expanded mandate, we are doubling down on innovation and entrepreneurship as the central focus of Delaware’s economic strategy.
This isn’t just about government action—it’s about mobilizing our entire innovation ecosystem. We’re bringing together our universities, research institutions, technology centers, corporate and non-profit partners, and entrepreneurs to create a comprehensive support network for homegrown companies.
By leveraging the expertise of our academic researchers, Fortune 500 headquarters, biotech and chemical industries, and our emerging fintech sector, we are building a pipeline that turns great ideas into successful businesses, attracts investment, and ensures the next generation of companies chooses to start and grow here in Delaware. That’s how we keep our state ahead of the curve for decades to come.
We are on the verge of a new golden era in medical science, with breakthroughs that will extend life, transforming how we fight cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and more. Delawarecan and should lead the way. But leadership requires a more equitable and expansive vision for the future; a future focused on making smart investments in our entrepreneurs, our researchers and our workforce.
Delaware has always been a state that leads from the front—in corporate law, in financial policy, and now in building the innovation economy of tomorrow. We’re not just defending what we have but building what comes next. That’s how a small state continues to punch above its weight. That’s how little Delaware can pick up the mantle from E.I. du Pont and generations of entrepreneurs before us, leading the region forward into the next generation.
Matt Meyer is the 76th Governor of Delaware. He is a former public school math teacher and small business owner who served as New Castle County Executive from 2017 through January 2025.