Dover delaware may not be the first place you think of when it comes to startups but dont let its small size fool you the city has a rich history of entrepreneurship dating back to the early 1700s when it served as a shipping and trading hub for the delaware river today dovers population is just over 38000 and the city is known for its beautiful parks and historic landmarks while it may not be a tech hub dover has seen its fair share of technological innovations in recent years startups in the area have focused on industries such as healthcare financial technology and biotechnology some notable companies founded in the area include dover motorsports which operates nascar tracks throughout the country and chesapeake utilities a natural gas distribution company there are also several healthcarefocused startups in the area such as gravyty a company that uses artificial intelligence to help nonprofit organizations raise funds dover is home to delaware state university which has a growing entrepreneurship program as well as wesley college which has a focus on business and entrepreneurship the living wage in dover is around 12 per hour and the unemployment rate is currently at 61 the citys gdp is approximately 22 billion with a mix of government healthcare and hospitality industries driving the economy while dover may not be the next silicon valley its startup scene is slowly but surely growing the citys low cost of living and supportive community make it an attractive option for entrepreneurs looking to build their businesses outside of more competitive tech hubs with the right support and resources theres no reason why dovers startup scene cant continue to thrive