# William D. Provine

> William D. Provine, known as Bill, is the founder, president and CEO of The Innovation Space in Wilmington, Delaware. A chemical engineer educated at UC Berkeley and the University of Delaware, he began at DuPont in 1992 and developed experience across research, manufacturing, business development and global innovation. Since 2017, he has led the nonprofit partnership supporting science-based startups through laboratories, equipment, commercial guidance and early investment.

- **Role:** Founder, President and CEO at The Innovation Space
- **Organizations:** The Innovation Space, DuPont, American Chemical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, The Resolution Project, National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- **Education:** BS in Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, PhD in Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware
- **Known for:** Helped establish The Innovation Space in 2017 through a partnership of DuPont, the University of Delaware and Delaware state government., Led the incubator during a $6 million laboratory renovation opened in September 2019., Named a 2022 Delaware Business Leaders Hall of Fame laureate by Junior Achievement of Delaware.

## Career timeline

- **1987** — Earned a BS in chemical engineering from UC Berkeley.
- **1992** — Earned a chemical engineering PhD at the University of Delaware and joined DuPont Central Research and Development.
- **2015-2016** — Director, Science & Technology - Open Innovation & Globalization at DuPont.
- **2016-2017** — Global Operations Director, DuPont Science & Engineering.
- **2017-present** — Founder, president, CEO and board member of The Innovation Space; also listed as senior director, DuPont Science & Innovation in his August 2026 ACS record.
- **2022-2024** — Served on the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
- **2026** — Candidate for ACS director-at-large for the 2027-2029 term.

## Achievements

- Helped establish The Innovation Space in 2017 through a partnership of DuPont, the University of Delaware and Delaware state government.
- Led the incubator during a $6 million laboratory renovation opened in September 2019.
- Named a 2022 Delaware Business Leaders Hall of Fame laureate by Junior Achievement of Delaware.
- The Innovation Space reports supporting 156+ startups that collectively raised more than $1.24 billion since 2017; these are organizational portfolio figures, not personal fundraising.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Published Trust Powers The Innovation Flywheel on September 8, examining the relationship between scientific trust, investment, application and renewed support.
- **2026-08** — His ACS director-at-large candidate statement was published August 24; the candidacy is for the 2027-2029 term.

## Links

- Website: https://innovationspace.org/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamdprovine

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/william-provine
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22