Delaware nabs distinctions for e-commerce and startup opportunities

DBT Staff Report

Wilmington, Del. — Two Delaware cities were ranked at the top of separate lists this week that recognized the first state’s e-commerce and tech startup communities.

Google named the City of Newark as one its 2015 eCities of America, while Wilmington earned a 5th place ranking from intelligence platform DataFox as one as one of the best cities to found a startup outside of New York City or the Silicon Valley.

As part of its economic report, Google cited Delaware Technology Park (DTP) as a model research park for its regional economic development initiatives across the U.S. and Mexico. Google’s eCity Awards recognize the strongest online business community in each state. These cities’ businesses are using the web to find new customers, connect with existing customers and fuel their local economies.

According to DataFox, Wilmington’s high early stage start-up density and its community of entrepreneurs pushed it to the top of its list.

“Wilmington already had the building blocks for a successful business ecosystem: a very favorable tax climate combined with access to decision-makers is fertile ground for new companies,” according to the study.  “In recent years, the city has worked to attract startups in particular, building incubators and selling entrepreneurs on the low cost of living, easy transit to the other Northeast Corridor states, and the availability of mentors and policymakers alike.”

The study found that the city has an effective network of mentors, incubators and co-working spaces, and cited the University of Delaware’s Horn program as an example. It identified Wilmington’s key initiative as building a startup community.

“With early-stage startup funding less available, a strong network and culture of growth matter more than ever,” according to the study. “The right city can help foster a successful climate that provides new companies the capital to develop their products, and the resources to help them scale.”

DataFox reviewed 12,000 U.S.-based, pre-Series A companies in its database and looked at availability of capital, affordability, success of early-state companies, and community of entrepreneurs as part of its data.

Cambridge, Mass., Santa Monica, Calif., Fayetteville Ark., and Boulder, Colo. rounded out the top four.