By Mike Finney

SMYRNA — Small businesses have taken the brunt of the economic hit the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt out over the past year-and-a-half.

That’s why Gov. John Carney and the Delaware Division of Small Business were excited to provide 15 small businesses with Encouraging Development, Growth & Expansion Grants in the program’s third round at Painted Stave Distilling in Smyrna on Wednesday.

The grant recipients represent a variety of businesses, including Smyrna’s Taco Jardin, Seaford’s Dona Maria’s Pupuseria ice-cream shop, Middletown’s Elite Feet running store and Milton’s Brimming Horn Meadery.

“After an incredibly challenging year, we remain committed to rebuilding our economy and supporting Delaware small businesses,” Gov. Carney said. “We need to make it easy for businesses to start and stay here in Delaware.

“That’s why we created the EDGE Grant program, to encourage even more small businesses to expand and innovate. The grant recipients in this round span a wide range of industries, but each owner has the drive and determination necessary to start then grow their business.”

Businesses that are less than 5 years old and employ no more than 10 employees are eligible to apply for EDGE Grants, which are awarded through a competitive selection process.

STEM-based companies can receive up to $100,000 for eligible expenses, while Entrepreneur Class (non-STEM) businesses can receive up to $25,000.

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 the purchase of a piece of equipment that can increase production capacity.

“Despite the challenges of the last year, Delaware’s entrepreneurs continue to find innovative ways to ensure the success of their businesses by developing new products, changing how they interact with their customers or thinking creatively about their future goals,” Division of Small Business Director Jordan Schulties said.

“The EDGE Grant offers us the opportunity to recognize this innovation by providing much-needed capital assistance at a time when our state’s small businesses need it most.”

Since EDGE launched in 2019, more than $2 million has been awarded to 35 promising Delaware small businesses in industries ranging from wearable technology to agribusiness to craft brewing, according to the division.

In the latest round of EDGE Grant funding, which opened in April, 282 businesses applied.
The 23 finalists gave public presentations before a panel of judges June 22, 23 and 24 at Delaware Technical Community College in Dover.

“EDGE Grants are helping to level the playing field for promising Delaware small companies, as they compete with more established, larger businesses and as they recover from the coronavirus pandemic,” Secretary of State Jeff Bullock said.

“Small businesses are the backbone of Delaware’s economy, and this program is just one of the many ways the Division of Small Business has made a strong, positive impact on the state’s economy by assisting hardworking business owners.”

Mike Rasmussen, owner of Painted Stave and a part-owner of Taco Jardin, said the grants have been a great extra tool to work with.

Taco Jardin, which normally serves its dishes to customers at the distillery, is looking to purchase a second food truck with the $25,000 Entrepreneur Class EDGE Grant it received, as well as to add staff and expand its reach throughout Kent County.

“As a small company with less than a year of revenue, (Taco Jardin’s) access to those traditional financing opportunities is really difficult,” Mr. Rasmussen said. “Something like the EDGE Grant is an amazing opportunity for a small business to get the capital needed to continue to grow.”

Charles Kelchner, chef and co-owner of Taco Jardin, said he is excited about getting the opportunity to grow — especially with a pandemic still raging.

“This funding from the EDGE Grant program is significant for a small business like ours and will create opportunities for our business that would not be possible without it,” he said. “My business partners and I are honored to be selected as a winner of the grant funding. I know it will go a long way in helping our business grow and thrive in the months and years to come.”

EDGE GRANT RECIPIENTS

STEM class

DesiKant Technologies (Wilmington)

Founded in late 2019 by Kwaku Temeng, desiKant Technologies created a process that incorporates electronics into protective gear to actively exchange warm, humid interior air with cooler, drier ambient air. The company’s current project is developing and testing a cooling vest that surgeons can wear to prevent heat exhaustion during long surgeries. DesiKant will use its grant to add new capabilities (intelligent, automatic operation) to its toolkit and pave the way for developing products for demanding, high value and profitable applications.

Curative Sciences (Newark)

Curative Sciences is an early-stage life science startup developing a comprehensive treatment platform for oral mucositis, tissue swelling in the mouth often caused by cancer treatment. The platform includes light-based therapy, as well as oral care products for the management of intermediate to long-term oral side effects of cancer therapy. The grant will allow Curative Sciences to develop the next generation of its light-based therapy device.

Resonate Forward (Newark)

This company was established to commercialize technology to help mitigate the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The grant will make it possible for Resonate Forward to develop a manufacturable prototype and design for their RMband device, which mitigates tremors in patients with Parkinson’s. In addition, grant funds will also be used to help the company secure office space at the University of Delaware’s Science, Technology and Advanced Research Campus.

Neggster (Wilmington)

Always looking to solve problems, Newark’s Kasai Guthrie will be utilizing his EDGE funding to enable young adults to learn how to responsibly manage money and eventually hopes to transform his clients into entrepreneurs. Neggster, Mr. Guthrie’s new banking app, will teach its users how to better oversee their funds and guide them to a more prosperous future.

Aqua Science (Newark)

Aqua Science is a biotechnology startup that supplies high-quality testing solutions for the water-quality testing market, including biosensor-based products, lab services or complementary products sourced from others. The company created a BioLight product line used for toxicity testing of water and soil by municipalities, industrial companies and utilities that demand high-quality results and adherence to regulation. They will use the grant funding to develop a luminometer to be used with the BioLight kits.

Entrepreneur class

Doña Maria’s Pupuseria (Seaford)

Making Seaford a better place, one storefront at a time, is exactly what Craig de Mariana Aleman and his family are all about. With its EDGE funding, Doña Maria will be expanding its eatery outside and offering hand-dipped ice cream. While dining outside, customers will also be able to enjoy a new mural that Mr. Aleman will commission from a local artist.

Elite Feet (Middletown)

Elite Feet is a local, family-owned and -operated retail specialty running store that sells high-quality footwear and apparel for the entire family. The company will use grant funds to create a mobile retail store in a climate-controlled trailer. The trailer will allow customers to be fitted for and purchase athletic shoes while attending races or other events, increasing the company’s profits and return on investment.

Taco Jardin (Smyrna)

Charles “Cheeks” Kelchner and his business partners are passionate about great things — specifically, street tacos served from their food truck, Taco Jardin, located at Painted Stave Distilling in Smyrna. Chef Cheeks will be utilizing his newly obtained EDGE funding to purchase another food truck to take his fare throughout Kent County.

Brimming Horn Meadery (Milton)

When Jon Talkington and J.R. Walker opened Brimming Horn Meadery in 2017, they had no idea how quickly their niche corner of the market would grow. Fast-forward to 2021, and now, the meadery is again expanding its horizons into the food truck industry. With their newly acquired EDGE funding, the owners will be opening a Viking-themed food truck to complement their meads and serve their hungry clientele.

Gingham + grace clothing (Harbeson)

Jami Jackson has grown her once-small online boutique shop to a brick-and-mortar storefront in Harbeson, where her clients receive excellent customer service and one-of-a-kind pieces. With her EDGE funding, Ms. Jackson plans on investing in new inventory to grow sales, with hopes to bring on a new employee to better serve her patrons in Delaware and the 29 other states she ships to.

Paragon Life and Fitness (Wilmington)

Vickie George, co-founder of Paragon Life and Fitness, believes that engaging in exercise should not be just for the elite or the able-bodied and that inclusiveness should have a place in the fitness industry. Paragon Life and Fitness plans to use its EDGE funding to open a facility for adults and people with physical disabilities that will include wheelchair/dual-accessible equipment.

Grail Sports (Elsmere)

Founder Eugene Delle Donne launched Grail Sports during summer 2018 with aspirations to penetrate the sports media world. After evolving from blogging and podcasts, in January 2021, Grail Sports entered into a lease agreement to acquire a 24,000-square-foot gym to create an elite training facility for youth called the Grail Sports Complex. EDGE funding will be used to renovate the lower level of the complex to allow Grail Sports to offer training in multiple sports.

1440 Film Co. (Wilmington)

1440 Film Co. is a full-service video-production company that specializes in commercials, documentaries and branded content. The company will use its grant to purchase a van and various filmmaking equipment to continue delivering high-quality work that is creative and engaging and makes an impact on its clients.

Tempest Risk Management (Wilmington)

Tempest Risk Management provides world-class business continuity and disaster-recovery solutions to businesses and communities, enabling them to survive and thrive. EDGE funding will be used to build and launch the Tempest Risk Management Portal, giving Delaware’s small- and medium-business owners instant access to critical resources when they are needed during an emergency.

Delaware Tool Exchange (Newark)

This veteran-owned company acquires tools and equipment on a consignment basis and offers them for sale at fair-market prices. The company will use its grant to open a second location in or near Newark and equip their existing location with an integrated system to receive, inspect, clean and repair tools more efficiently.