Start a New Business in Delaware

The Delaware Division of Small Business, part of the Delaware Department of State, is a service-focused agency committed to supporting businesses starting and growing in Delaware. Small businesses can reach out to the Division for assistance in connecting to state resources and advice to succeed. The Division is a champion for Delaware small businesses and is available to help take companies to the next level.

Dover Office:
99 Kings Highway
Dover, Delaware 19901
Phone: 302-739-4271

Wilmington Office:
820 North French Street
Wilmington, Delaware 19801
Phone: 302-577-8477

State of Delaware Division of Small Business website

The Delaware Office of Supplier Diversity enhances economic opportunities for minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses as well as small businesses of a specific size and assist them in competing for contracts with State departments, agencies, authorities, school districts, and higher education institutions.

The Business Resource Portal provides a full range of assistance including help with business planning, accessing capital, becoming a state of Delaware vendor and applying for Minority Women Veteran Business Enterprise (MWVBE) certification.

Dover Office:
99 Kings Highway
Dover, Delaware 19901
Phone: 302-739-4271

Wilmington Office:
820 North French Street
Wilmington, Delaware 19801
Phone: 302-577-8477

State of Delaware Office of Supplier Diversity website

The Small Business Administration’s Delaware district office provides services including funding programs, counseling, federal contracting, certifications, and disaster recovery. They can also connect you to partner organizations, lenders, and other community groups that help small businesses succeed.

The Delaware District Office in Wilmington serves the entire state of Delaware.

1105 Market Street
Lobby Level, Suite 2
Wilmington, Delaware 19801
Phone: 302-300-1935

Delaware Small Business Administration SBA website

The Women’s Business Center at True Access Capital (WBC) provides in-depth, outcome-oriented business services to women entrepreneurs. WBC training includes courses on business planning, business financing, social media and marketing. All WBC clients have the opportunity to network with and learn from successful women business owners, including participation in “work-life balance” seminars several times each year.

And through its partnership with True Access Capital, the WBC provides access to business capital for women business owners. As an official SBA Resource Partner, the WBC also partners with SCORE, the Small Business Development Center, and other State agencies to help ensure the success of women and entrepreneurs.

100 W. 10th Street
Suite 300
Wilmington, Delaware 19801
Phone: 302-652-6774

Women’s Business Center at True Access Capital website

The Stand By Me Minority Small Business Program helps minority entrepreneurs improve the way they do business so they can be a positive force in the community.

Entrepreneurs accepted into the Stand By Me Minority Small Business Program receive no-cost coaching and support services to help them achieve their business goals.

Entrepreneurs work with an experienced business coach who mentors them for the duration of the program. Coaches offer financial guidance, new perspectives, creative insights, and proven processes to help them achieve their goals.

Coaches help participants qualify for minority business certifications, which opens doors to special training, access to grants and government contracts, and potential business partnerships.

Minority Small Business entrepreneurs work in dozens of industries and represent communities throughout New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties.

Special monetary incentives are available to entrepreneurs who meet or exceed program goals. In the past, Barclays and United Way of Delaware have given high achieving participants grants aimed to help grow business revenue.

Administrative offices:
United Way of Delaware
The Linden Building
Third Floor
625 North Orange Street
Wilmington, Delaware 19801
Phone: 1-800-560-3372

Stand by Me Minority Small Business Program website

The Delaware Small Business Development Center (DSBDC) delivers training programs and free professional consulting services to help innovators, startups, and existing businesses with 0-500 employees formulate and execute strategies to grow and succeed.

The focus of the Center, a unit of the University of Delaware’s Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships (OEIP), is to develop and support entrepreneurship throughout the State of Delaware by working one-on-one with clients to understand your needs and assist you in a path forward. Services include business planning, financial services, marketing services, cybersecurity and technology innovation.

The SBDC is the only statewide, nationally accredited program that provides high quality one-on-one consulting, training, and information resources.

New Castle County:
University of Delaware STAR Campus
591 Collaboration Way
2nd Floor
Newark, Delaware 19713
Phone: 302-831-1555

Kent County:
Delaware State University
Bank of America Building
Room 108
1200 North DuPont Highway
Dover, Delaware 19901
Phone: 302-831-1555

Sussex County:
103 West Pine Street
Georgetown, Delaware 19947
Phone: 302-831-1555

Delaware Small Business Development Center SBDC website

The Delaware APEX Accelerator Center, formerly the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), was first established by Congress in 1985 to advise and counsel for-profit businesses on marketing and selling their products and services to the Department of Defense and other Federal and State government agencies.

APEX of Delaware offers no-cost advisement services to businesses physically located within the State of Delaware that have been established 2 or more years and are procurement ready to sell their products and services to government agencies and government prime contractors.

The APEX Accelerator is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense.

New Castle County:
591 Collaboration Way
Newark, Delaware 19713
Phone: 302-831-0771

Sussex County:
103 West Pine Street
Georgetown, Delaware 19947
Phone: 302-831-0781

Delaware APEX Accelerator website

Delaware Manufacturing Extension Partnership (DEMEP) provides solutions for manufacturing companies, healthcare and service providers, and government.

The organization is a federally and state funded non-profit committed to helping Delaware’s manufacturers improve their global competitiveness.

For over 20 years, they have provided services that enable Delaware firms to acquire and apply technologies, utilize new resources, reduce waste, streamline processes and drive sales growth.

Programs include supply chain optimization, building a lean manufacturing enterprise, quality management systems, analytical tools for statistical approach & process improvement, top line growth or business growth, and energy savings analysis and audit.

Located in Delaware Technical Community College
400 Stanton Christiana Road
d201
Newark, DE 19713
Phone: 302-283-3131

Delaware Manufacturing Extension Partnership website

Loans, investment capital, disaster assistance, surety bonds, and grants to start and grow a business as well as to recover from a disaster.

U.S. Small Business Administration website

The University of Delaware (UD) Blue Hen Proof of Concept Program (BH-POC) is designed to provide financial support and entrepreneurship training during initial technology commercialization activities of researchers and inventors across campus.

The program supports building prototypes and proving technology concepts, validating that the technology will meet customers’ needs and wants, and developing a viable business case to secure additional funding opportunities.

Grant-based funding is available at a maximum of $50,000 for projects leveraging University of Delaware-owned IP or a maximum of $10,000 for all other projects. These funds are used to build and test the validated minimum viable product or prototype for which customers would pay. These funds are used to drive towards the next funding opportunity, especially through SBIR/STTR grants, VentureWell E-Teams grants, or other gap funds/training programs.

132 East Delaware Avenue
Newark, Delaware 19711
Phone: 302-831-4393

University of Delaware Blue Hen Proof of Concept Program website

True Access Capital is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that empowers business owners and entrepreneurs in Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania, especially women, minorities and those who are underserved by traditional lenders, with technical expertise and access to capital.

True Access Capital was founded in 1991 as First State Community Loan Fund, formed with the goal of providing loans and business advice to community-based organizations and entrepreneurs in low-income communities throughout Delaware. Since inception, True Access Capital has provided nearly $50 million to support more than 1,425 small businesses and organizations.

100 West 10th Street
Suite 300
Wilmington, Delaware 19801
Phone: 302-652-6774

True Access Capital website

Lerner College is home to three of the University of Delaware’s 10 most popular majors - finance, marketing and accounting. Rigorous and innovative academic programs provide students with hands-on opportunities to prepare for a career in the global marketplace, while unique centers support career development, analytical skill-building and entrepreneurial endeavors. Lerner’s online MBA program offers personalized attention and career coaching as hallmarks of the program.

Academic departments include accounting and management information systems, business administration, economics, finance, hospitality, and sport business management.

The College also includes the Center for Economic Education & Entrepreneurship, Geltzeiler Trading Center, Horn Entrepreneurship, Hospitality Associates for Research and Training (HART), Institute for Financial Services Analytics, John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance, JPMorgan Chase Innovation Center, Marriott Center for Tourism and Hospitality, Vita Nova Restaurant, and Women's Leadership Initiative.

Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics
303 Alfred Lerner Hall
Newark, Delaware 19716
Phone: 302-831-2792

University of Delaware Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics website

The College of Business is committed to excellence in teaching, relevancy of the curriculum, and individual attention to undergraduate and graduate business students.

Undergraduate programs include Accounting, Accounting and Finance, Applied Business, Business Analytics, Business Management, Finance, Human Resource Management, Marketing, and Organizational Leadership.

Undergraduate certificate programs include Accounting, Construction Management, Cybersecurity and FinTech, Data Visualization, Digital Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, Essentials of People Management, FinTech, Hospitality Management, Human Resource Management, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Marketing, Marketing Analytics, Nonprofit Management, Project Management, Sales Administration, Sport Analytics, Sport Media, Training and Staff Development.

Graduate programs include MBA, M.S. in Accounting, and M.S. in Management. Doctoral programs include Doctor of Business Administration.

Graduate certificate programs include Business Communication, Finance, Healthcare Administration, Human Resource Management, Marketing Management, Nonprofit Management, Organizational Leadership, and Sustainability.

320 N. DuPont Highway
New Castle, Delaware 19720
Phone: 877-967-5464

Wilmington University College of Business website

The College of Business (COB) is home to three academic departments, offering six bachelor’s degrees, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Master of Science in Sport Administration (MSA). Students are prepared for career opportunities in Accounting, Aviation, Finance, Hospitality and Tourism, Management and Sports Management.

The COB Centers provide assistance outside of the classroom for students to thrive in various business settings. Aside from the Advisement Center, the centers are open to members of the public who are building a business career. They include Delaware Center for Enterprise Development, Center for the Study of Innovation Management, University Center for Economic Development and International Trade, Delaware Center for Transportation, Center for Financial Services Innovation and Technology, and Center for Information Technology Services.

1200 North DuPont Highway
Dover, Delaware 19901
Phone: 302-857-6060

Delaware State University College of Business website

Delaware Business Magazine is the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce's award-winning, bimonthly publication, distributed to ​more ​than ​3,300 business and community leaders. Areas of focus include member news and notes, agriculture, tourism, hospitality, higher learning, insurance and financial services.

1201 N. Orange Street
Suite 200
Wilmington, Delaware 19801
Phone: 302-655-7221

Delaware Business Magazine website

In print, online and onsite, the Delaware Business Times provides in-depth reporting on county-focused business news, real estate, people on the move, and news by industry including agribusiness, bioscience and pharmaceuticals, chemicals, economic development, education, energy, government, healthcare, hospitatlity, manufacturing and distribution, media and marketing, nonprofits and philanthropy, professional services, public companies, and technology and IT.

Its publications include Delaware Business Times in print, Innovation Delaware showcasing Delaware's innovators, and Careers and Stuff focused on in-demand careers, top-notch training programs, and inspiring success stories.

1000 N. West Street
Suite 601
Wilmington, Delaware 19801
Phone: 302-656-1809

Delaware Business Times website