First State Times

MILFORD, Del. – The Delaware Division of Small Business recognized 10 small businesses Thursday as winners of the fifth round of Encouraging Development, Growth and Expansion (EDGE) grants. Awardees in the latest round of the competition include a company that created a resorbable vascular stent, a Puerto Rican inspired bakery, an outdoor baseball facility and a cycling studio.

Gov. John Carney and Division of Small Business Acting Director Regina Mitchell announced the companies at an event at My Sister’s Fault in Milford, one of the small businesses awarded an EDGE grant in this round.

“Through the EDGE grant program, small businesses are provided much-needed capital assistance that they may not have access to otherwise,” said Governor Carney. “The small businesses awarded a grant in this latest round represent the best Delaware has to offer, and we are excited to see how the grant funds help their businesses grow.”

Businesses who are less than five years old and employ no more than 10 employees are eligible to apply for an EDGE grant. The grants 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 $50,000.

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 purchasing a needed piece of equipment that can increase production capacity.

“With more than 25,000 small businesses in Delaware that employ more than half of our state’s workers and account for at least $11 billion in wages, small businesses are vital to our state’s economy,” said Secretary of State Jeff Bullock. “The EDGE grant program provides these creative, driven entrepreneurs with the capital they need to start or grow their business and reach their full potential.”

Since EDGE launched in 2019, $3.75 million has been awarded to 60 promising Delaware small businesses in industries ranging from wearable medical devices to farming to restaurants.

This is the fifth round of funding for the program since it launched in 2019. In this latest round, which opened in March, more than 100 businesses applied for funding. Fourteen finalists gave public presentations before a panel of expert judges on June 1 and 2 in Dover.

“The EDGE grant competition is driven by the creativity and innovation of our entrepreneurs. The competition allows our division to support small business owners in Delaware who are making significant scientific advancements, creating unique products, and helping strengthen their local communities,” said Division of Small Business Acting Director Regina Mitchell. “The winners in this latest round include a diverse pool of small businesses, including women, minority, and veteran business owners. Our division is proud to support these worthy small businesses and help them succeed in their efforts.”

My Sister’s Fault received $50,000 in EDGE grant funds in this round. The business will use the grant funding to purchase additional refrigeration and freezer equipment. With the expanded refrigerator space, My Sister’s Fault will be able to complete more custom cake orders, hire more staff, and extend their operating hours for special events.

“We are honored and excited to be selected as a winner of EDGE grant funding in this round,” said My Sister’s Fault co-owner Angie Robles. “Since we opened in 2017, our business has grown significantly, and our current equipment cannot keep up with the demand of our customers. The EDGE funding will allow us to purchase new larger equipment so we can continue to grow our business.”

EDGE Grant Recipients

STEM class

Carbon Reform (Newark)

Carbon Reform has developed a proprietary modular carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technology called the Carbon Capsule. The device retrofits into a commercial building’s ventilation system and is able to improve indoor air quality for occupants, create energy savings for building owners, and directly capture and repurpose tons of CO2 annually into a valuable limestone byproduct. Carbon Reform will use their EDGE Grant funding to secure the purchase of capital equipment to get them to the next stage of development, including manufacturing their first 10 Carbon Capsule commercial units.

Cosmos Pharmaceuticals (Middletown)

Cosmos Pharmaceuticals developed a solution to combat prescription medication abuse and improve individualized patient care by introducing a simple personalized medication lock called FortisKap. FortisKap, a universal pill bottle cap, secures a patient’s prescription with their unique biometric signature and tracks robust medication usage throughout the course of treatment. The company will use its EDGE grant for equipment needed to commercialize their product and for office space at the STAR campus at University of Delaware.

HARTLON (Wilmington)

HARTLON developed a bioresorbable vascular stent that is designed to eliminate pain, non-healing sores, and risk of limb amputation caused by poor blood flow below-the-knee. After a medical doctor unblocks an artery, the patented HARTLON stent is designed to be inserted into the opening to provide temporary support until the artery heals and then the stent dissolves leaving the artery in a longer lasting natural open condition. The company will use its EDGE grant for laboratory space, manufacturing services, and demonstration of performance with a preclinical study.

G-Flash LLC (Newark)

G-Flash LLC is working to bring Green Flash Chromatography (GFC®) to commercialization for the pharmaceutical industry. Flash chromatography is a method of chemical separation used to purify chemical mixtures into individual constituents. The company will use its EDGE grant funding to quickly commercialize their latest technology, as well as integrate new unit hardware and software.

Moonprint Solutions (Dover)

Moonprint Solutions is an engineering company with services that include product development, consulting, and prototype manufacturing. The EDGE grant will be used for a Computer Numeric Controlled material plotter/cutter to support prototyping and production of soft goods products. 

Entrepreneur class

Creekview Psychological Assessment (Newark)

Creekview Assessment Center is a small private group practice of clinical, school, and neuropsychologists. The business provides specialized psychological testing including, autism, psychoeducational, and disability evaluations. The business will use its EDGE grant funding to further invest in cutting edge technology for psychological test administration, marketing, and training other providers across the state of Delaware.

Enhanced Edge (Dover)

Enhanced Edge LLC is a mental health counseling derivative specializing in full spectrum mental illness treatment through Alpha-Stim, QEEG brain mapping, biofeedback, and neurofeedback. The EDGE grant will be used to make various equipment, infrastructure, and marketing advancements. The most significant advancement is a “Dry” QEEG brain scanning cap which will allow the company to triple the number of clients they can treat in a day.

My Sister’s Fault (Milford)

My Sister’s Fault is a Puerto Rican inspired bakery owned and operated by sisters Angie and Rous Robles. The bakery opened its doors in 2017 and currently has 10 employees. During the pandemic, the owners switched their operations to online orders and take-out only. Since then, the bakery’s sales have increased significantly. My Sister’s Fault will use their EDGE Grant funding to purchase new refrigeration and freezer equipment which will allow them the opportunity to complete more custom cake orders, hire more staff, and extend their operating hours for special events.

Salt Fitness (Rehoboth)

Salt Fitness is a boutique fitness cycling studio that provides a personalized experience focused on lifting one another up, developing community and relationships, tearing life walls down, full body health, high energy music, sweat drenched workouts, and having fun in a loving and supportive environment. The EDGE grant will be used to open a second studio in Milford, for advertising and instructor retention, and to finish improvements at the West Rehoboth Beach location.  

STATS Tournaments (Bear)

STATS Sports Complex LLC is an outdoor baseball facility that uses sports to encourage youth success beyond the field. What started as a tournament management endeavor has grown into a full-service facility that serves over 300 teams, hosts about 600 games, and 12 baseball tournaments annually. The business will use EDGE funding to build two grass convertible fields which will allow STATS to accommodate an additional 240 little league, high school, college, and travel baseball teams, as well as six more tournaments annually.

Original source can be found here.