Delaware weekly roundup: $26M STEM Hub opens; Tech Hub snubbed for funding; Meyer reveals biz dev priorities

Welcome to the roundup of the latest from Delaware's tech and entrepreneurship scene. Want this in your inbox? Subscribe for free.

This week in Delaware, the new Chemours STEM Hub opened in Wilmington, the EDA announced the second round of funding for its Tech Hubs program and more.

Read on for Technical.ly’s weekly roundup of top news in the region.

📰 News Incubator: What else to know today

• Here’s how residents of Greater Philadelphia can help people affected by the Los Angeles wildfires. [WHYY]

• Governor-elect Matt Meyer wants less money going toward financial incentives for companies and more for workforce development, a departure from former Governor John Carney’s strategy. [Delaware Business Now]

• Meyer addressed the incoming Trump administration’s mass deportation plans at the recent Legislative Summit. The governor-elect, who will be sworn in on Jan. 21, did not commit to declaring Delaware a sanctuary state. [Spotlight Delaware]

• New Castle County’s economic development director CJ Bell has been nominated to serve as the next director of the Delaware Division of Small Business. If confirmed, the millennial leader will oversee funding including the EDGE grant, the Strategic Fund and the Lab Space Development Fund. [Delaware Business Times]

• Rep. Sarah McBride’s first bill in the US House would prohibit Credit Repair Organizations from charging fees until six months after improving the customer’s credit score. McBride is the first freshman Democrat to introduce a bill in the 119th US Congress. [WDEL]

• UD’s new $180 million lab, temporarily called “Building X,” has risen from the ashes of the McKinly Lab, which burned down in 2017. The interdisciplinary lab serves students and faculty in biology, psychology, neuroscience, physics and quantum science. [Newark Post]

• Delaware is the eighth fastest growing state, with 1.49% growth from July 2023 to July 2024, according to the US Census. The state remains No. 45 by population, with just over 1 million residents. [Delaware Online]

• American TikTok ban protesters have descended on Chinese social media app RedNote as the US ban nears, driving it to the No. 1 spot in app stores. Still, if the ban goes into effect as written, RedNote and other Chinese apps like Temu and Shein could also be impacted. [The Verge]

🗓️ On the Calendar

• Wednesday, Jan. 15 — Grand Opening of the Wilmington Creative Studio for content creators, podcasters and filmmakers [Details]

• Wednesday, Jan. 15 — Precision Agriculture Session at Delaware Ag Week, Delaware State Fairgrounds [Details]

• Thursday, Jan. 16 — Wilmington Kitchen Collective’s New Year’s Potluck [Details]

• Monday, Jan. 20 — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Clean Up, Peace March and Small Business Marketplace [Details]

• Tuesday, Jan. 21 — Delaware Business First Free Network Mixer at The Post [Details]