Startup302

Name

Startup302

Legal name

Delaware Prosperity Partnership

Website

https://startup302.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Pitch Competition and Grant Program

NAICS

Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM), Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC), Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

Keywords

• Startup pitch competition
• Non-dilutive grant funding
• Underrepresented founders
• Early-stage startup awards
• Delaware startup ecosystem

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilmington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grant Distribution: Startup302 operates as a non-profit funding competition that distributes grants to winning startups. The organization does not generate traditional revenue but rather allocates prize funding provided by sponsors and the Delaware Prosperity Partnership to competition winners. Prizes range from $3,000 to $25,000 per award.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Startup302 is a pitch competition program for early-stage technology and technology-enabled startups led by underrepresented founders. It provides non-dilutive grant funding ranging from $3,000 to $25,000, mentorship access, and industry connections through a three-round evaluation process (introductory video, invitation-only application, and final pitch at regional conferences in Delaware). Applicants compete in one of three industry tracks: FinTech, Environmental Impact, and Life Sciences.

Product overview

Startup302 is a pitch competition program for early-stage startups, not a software product or technology platform. It is a single unified offering—a funding competition—that connects underrepresented founders with non-dilutive capital (grants ranging from $3,000 to $25,000), mentorship, and regional industry connections. The program operates across three competitive tracks (FinTech, Environmental Impact, and Life Sciences) and runs three evaluation rounds culminating in final pitches at Delaware-based regional conferences. No standalone product modules, software platforms, or technology offerings are offered—the organization functions as a grant-based accelerator and ecosystem-building initiative rather than a product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Startup302 Pitch Competition A three-round pitch competition for early-stage U.S. technology and technology-enabled startups with at least one founding member from an underrepresented group (women, African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, LGBTQ+). Winners receive non-dilutive grant funding of $3,000 to $25,000, mentorship access, and regional industry connections. Applicants enter one of three industry tracks: FinTech, Environmental Impact, or Life Sciences.

Named customers12 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Delaware Prosperity Partnership (DPP)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017DPP is the organizing body behind Startup302. It is a nonprofit public/private organization created in 2017 by Delaware Governor John Carney and the state legislature to lead Delaware's statewide economic development efforts. DPP's role includes attracting, growing, and retaining businesses, building the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem, and supporting private employers in talent development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• NewME Accelerator: NewME is an accelerator historically focused on underrepresented founders, including women and people of color. It is directly comparable to Startup302 in mission (diversifying tech entrepreneurship) and in delivering startup education, mentorship, and capital access.
• Reboot Representation (Coalition/Reboot Inclusion Fellowship): Reboot Representation funds and supports women of color in computing and tech entrepreneurship. It shares Startup302's mission of diversifying tech founders through grant capital and ecosystem support, making it a direct conceptual peer despite different focus areas.
• Village Capital: Village Capital runs peer-selected investment-readiness programs and pitch competitions for impact-driven startups, including those led by underrepresented founders. Its competition-driven funnel and emphasis on non-traditional funding pathways closely parallels Startup302's model.
• Techstars Startup Weekend: Techstars Startup Weekend events are short-format pitch competitions and ecosystem-building programs for early-stage founders. Startup302 competes for the same founder mindshare and uses the same event-driven, multi-round pitch format.
• Black Founders Fund: Black Founders Fund backs Black-led tech startups, often through pitch competitions and grant-funded vehicles. Mission alignment and program format closely overlap with Startup302's focus on underrepresented founders in tech.

Broad incumbents

• MassChallenge (now gener8tor): MassChallenge is a larger, well-established global accelerator running cohort programs with non-dilutive funding and pitch components. It offers a broader portfolio of programs but competes with Startup302 for the same pool of early-stage, mission-driven startup founders.
• Techstars: Techstars is a leading global accelerator network running equity-backed cohort programs. While Startup302 is non-dilutive and region-specific, both compete for attention from early-stage tech founders and both rely on sponsor and ecosystem partnerships.
• 500 Global (formerly 500 Startups): 500 Global runs global accelerator programs and pitch competitions targeting early-stage tech startups. It is a broad incumbent in the accelerator/competition space against which Startup302's smaller, region-anchored program is positioned.

Regional players

• Communitech (Founders Program / Fierce Founders): Communitech operates regional ecosystem and founder-acceleration programs in Canada, including those focused on women and underrepresented founders. Comparable to Startup302 as a regional economic development-backed founder program, though geographically distinct.

Others

• Tinnova / Delaware small business ecosystem programs: Delaware state-level economic development and small business support services (under the umbrella of Choose Delaware and DPP). These adjacent programs serve the same founder base and overlap in support services with Startup302, though they primarily provide advisory and relocation services rather than pitch competitions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments15 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Startup302