Build community to encourage early-stage founders to stay: 1313 Innovation

Despite the business-friendly laws in Delaware, there’s still a sense that young talent and early-stage companies are leaving. In launching our new incubator space, 1313 Innovation, we’ve had conversation after conversation with startup founders as to why they leave.
Here’s the cold hard answer: they insist that Delaware has nothing to offer them.
They believe the state lacks valuable networking, showcasing venues and creative workspaces for its organic talent to build a framework for success. At the early stage, tax benefits aren’t yet what drives where they choose to be.
These companies are looking to cities like Austin, Texas or nearby Philadelphia, which have huge initiatives and community to attract startups and talent. They incentivize, connect and celebrate experimental businesses with a variety of partnerships, events, incubators/coworking spaces and more. This is all in an effort to help startups succeed.
What our entrepreneurs here don’t realize is that increasingly we have what they need in Delaware — it’s the pipeline this community is developing.
We have the talent. We have the creative spaces. They just don’t know it. We need to fix that, and we need to start celebrating and connecting them to the community.
1313 Innovation is looking to accomplish this by funneling talent into the community and helping startups access this talent. We’re working with local universities to provide internships and classes in technology for students and professionals. Members of 1313 will also have the chance to review what career opportunities are available in Delaware via technology and innovation.
In addition to connecting talent to the startup community, we’re providing access to mentors and networking within the 1313 community and other local organizations.
Networking and advocating for our startups is something the team at 1313 takes seriously.
We use every opportunity we have to showcase local entrepreneurs, because we understand how important just one introduction can be for a startup. All it takes is just one conversation, one idea, one meeting to spark a business, ignite a community and reinvigorate a state.
In 1957, Silicon Valley was not the center of technology that it is today. It grew with big successes and a network of support. If Delaware wants to be anywhere near as successful in retaining homegrown startups as it is in luring big company incorporations, it will need to do the same. With Wilmington as a dense beginning, imagine all the possibilities Delaware has to become the next great technology epicenter. Our location is perfect, our students are talented and our laws are extremely business friendly.
All we need now is to change the preconceived notion that we have “nothing” for startups. We have so much to offer our small companies and our young people.
We need to celebrate and advocate for our startups. Success from just one startup can completely revitalize a community. To do that, we need more to stay. So who will do that work here?