Delaware weekly roundup: Horizon Worlds content creators; Dogfish Head founder shares advice; Drone sightings reported

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

How VR creators make money in Horizon Worlds

A lot of new adult VR users will be stepping into Horizon Worlds over the holidays with the new Meta Quest 3S. Many will give up on it when they find that the first destinations they visit are full of kids testing out their own new headsets. 

There’s more to the platform than that, though. Some creators even make a living building and running immersive worlds. I talked to five of them — in-world, of course — to revisit the little-known community of Worlds entrepreneurs

➡️ Read the full story here

Dogfish Head founder shares business advice

This month’s power moves include several incoming government appointments.

The always unconventional Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione shared his story at Theatre N at the Mill’s quarterly GRIT Talks recently and gave the audience a look at how he balances business, self-care and more.

Calagione spoke out about rebelling against the big beer conglomerates, despite his brewery’s 2019 acquisition by Boston Brewing Company.

➡️ Watch the full talk here

News Incubator: What else to know today

• Cerron Cade, recently selected as chief of staff for incoming Wilmington Mayor John Carney, is on administrative leave from his position at Delaware’s Office of Management and Budget after a multiple misdemeanor shoplifting arrest. Outgoing Mayor Mike Purzycki’s chief of staff Tanya Washington will continue in the role under Carney until the case is resolved. [Technical.ly/Delaware Online]

• DuPont spinoff Chemours will enter into an agreement with German chemical manufacturer PCC GulfChem allowing it to build a $540 million plant next door to Chemour’s titanium dioxide site in DeLisle, Mississippi. [Delaware Business Times]

• Just like Jersey, Delaweans are reporting drone sightings. Time will tell if it’s frequency illusion, or something else. [WBOC]

• On Jan. 1, Delaware minimum wage workers will get a $1.75 per hour raise, as the state’s journey to a $15 minimum wage reaches its end after three years. [Delaware Business Times]

• Newark now has free parking on Sundays through Tuesdays over the University of Delaware’s winter break. [Delaware Business Now]

• One vote from the Sussex County Council will decide the fate of the offshore wind project. [Spotlight Delaware]

• Marijuana shops in Delaware, slated to open in early 2025, may be located in malls and shopping centers in New Castle County, as long as there are no residencies mixed in. [WDEL]

Understanding the local tech economy

Will Delaware lead, or will it follow?

Local champions say they take innovation seriously. After years of talk, entrepreneurship really boomed in the pandemic. Remote work growth and industry consolidation both benefit Delaware. But not a lot of actual transformation has taken place.

What does that mean for the future of the local innovation scene? It’s all wrapped up in our State of the Delaware Tech Economy report.

➡️  Get the full picture and download the report

🗓️ On the Calendar

• Thursday, Dec. 19 — A Jazzy Christmas with Tony “Big Cat” Smith at Theatre N [Details]

• Friday, Dec. 20 — DelArt Night: A Jazz Before Christmas at Delaware Art Museum [Details]

• Dec. 21 to 23 — Brandywine Festival of the Arts at the Chase Center on the Riverfront [Details]

• Tuesday, Dec. 24 — Big Data and Hadoop Developer Certification Training at the Regus Business Center in Dover [Details]

• Tuesday, Dec. 31 — New Year’s Eve events throughout the region [Details]

• Friday, Dec. 13 — The Mill Holiday Celebration and Market at Market West [Details]

• Tuesday, Dec. 17 — Delaware Business First Free Networking Mixer, Holiday Edition at the Post in Trolley Square [Details]