Grassroots First

We subscribe to a vision of economic development that centers workers, grassroots organizing efforts, nonprofits, and other mission-centered organizations. As we participate in the expansion and support of a region's economic infrastructure, let's work together to ensure that locals have an opportunity to rise along with their property values.

Practice areas

Ecosystem Development

Building innovation ecosystems that foster collaboration, entrepreneurship, and economic growth by connecting key stakeholders and resources.

Governance

Developing effective governance frameworks to ensure transparency, accountability, and strategic alignment for sustainable organizational and community growth.

Infrastructure

Designing and implementing physical and community infrastructure to support innovation and drive economic development.

Workforce Development

We design with you exceptional technical training initiatives and learn-to-earn programs that are both equitable and effective. Let’s put people into good, future-proof careers.

Strategic Development

We’ll join you in exploring a new or expanded strategic direction for your organization, and build a narrative around which to coalesce support for it.

Supporting Nonprofit Leaders

Holistic conversational support, blending strategic advising and executive coaching as needed. You got this; we make good sounding boards.

Proudly based in Maine

While our clients are from all over the US, we get especially excited for opportunities to contribute to the economic wellness and growth of our home state. Sarah was born and raised in Down East Maine. We spent a couple decades in Boston, supporting the growth of the tech startup ecosystem there, and building pathways into that ecosystem for Boston’s low income communities. We’ve since moved back to Maine, and are doubling down on the opportunities we see in our communities, in our local businesses, and in our neighbors.

Family-Owned

Sarah Upton Delmar

Sarah Delmar

Principal

Sarah Upton Delmar was most recently the Vice President of Global Expansion and Corporate Development at Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC). CIC manages more than 1.5 million square feet of shared workspace and laboratories across North America, Europe, and Asia. In her role, Sarah led CIC’s expansion to new cities, focusing on building both programmatic and physical innovation infrastructure.

Since the inception of CIC’s expansion efforts as a two-person task force in 2012, Sarah has built and led the team responsible for designing the strategy, development, and financing of expansion into new markets. Recently, she has championed the expansion of CIC’s platform to include premier shared lab spaces, fostering tech and life sciences startup communities globally.

Sarah is dedicated to building entrepreneurial communities and facilitating economic development through innovation. She leverages public-private partnerships to complete complex projects and consults with regions worldwide to assess strategic investments aimed at creating jobs and high-growth companies, thus driving economic growth.

Originally from a rural town in Downeast Maine, Sarah has recently relocated back to Maine with her family. She is a member of Focus Maine’s Bioscience Advisory Team.

David Delmar Senties

David Delmar Sentíes

Principal

David founded Resilient Coders in 2014. It's a first-of-its kind free and stipended coding bootcamp that trains people of color from low-income communities for high growth careers as software engineers, and connects them with full time jobs. Their work has earned them some attention. Resilient has been recognized by the White House in 2016, featured in TechCrunch, Fast Company News, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, BostInno, Bay State Banner, NPR, Xconomy, and other news outlets. David is especially proud of having been recognized by El Planeta as an influential member of Boston's Hispanic community.

He's also the author of What We Build With Power: The fight for economic justice in tech. Part history book, and part manifesto, it's an urgent call for organizing shared strategies in order to move toward a more economically inclusive and equitable workforce. It was celebrated by other justice-minded activists, including Former Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick.

David's a Latino bilingüe with an awkward habit of trying to tie everything back to Latin America's long history of expropriation, unironically over coffee.

©  Delmar Group, LLC