Stories & Updates

From housing to fightwear to agricultural robotics, UD Summer Founders alumni share how 12 weeks of mentoring and customer discovery changed everything.

Before she ever joined Horn full-time, Sophia Cressman already felt right at home in the Venture Development Center as a Siegfried Fellow, a Delaware Innovation Fellow, and one of those friendly faces you just expect to see around the VDC. Now, as Program Coordinator for the Siegfried Fellows and the UD Coalition on Character Development, Sophia helps students grow as leaders through mentorship, meaningful conversations, and days that are anything but routine. If you’ve walked into the VDC lately, there’s a good chance you’ve been welcomed by Sophia from her front-corner office. Keep reading to learn what fuels her work, what she’s up to when she’s off the clock (spoiler: live music + beach days), and a fun fact you definitely won’t see coming.

On March 5, high school students from across the Delaware Valley gathered at Clayton Hall at University of Delaware for the 2026 EntreX Delaware Venture Showcase. Representing schools from throughout the region, these aspiring entrepreneurs pitched their startup ideas to a panel of experienced judges for a chance to win $500 and earn a spot in Diamond Challenge finals at the prestigious 2026 Limitless World Summit.

Powered by a social entrepreneur’s mindset and a global perspective shaped in northern Ghana, Yakubu Adam brings purpose-driven energy to Horn. At the heart of his work is real care for people, whether he’s welcoming others with a good meal, engaging with researchers as they explore entrepreneurship, or building ventures that create meaningful jobs for young people. In this Q&A, Yakubu shares his path to Horn, what he’s working on now, and what keeps him inspired.

High school students from across the mid-Atlantic stepped into the spotlight on February 25 for the 2026 EntreX Regional Venture Showcase. These aspiring entrepreneurs pitched their startup ideas to a panel of expert judges, competing for $500 and a spot in the Diamond Challenge finals at the 2026 Limitless World Summit.

Long before teaching entrepreneurship, Dr. Charis Asante-Agyei was living it. He founded an undergraduate student council at his university, organized a science camp for kids in Burkina Faso, and launched a tour venture in Korea. Today, he brings that same curious, build-and-test energy to Horn as the instructor of ENTR 356: Creativity and Design Thinking.

On Wednesday, February 18, entrepreneurship majors, Delaware Innovation Fellows, faculty, and staff swam over to the Venture Development Center (VDC) for the biannual semester kick-off event. Sponsored by REEF@UD, this year’s “Under the Sea” theme transformed the VDC into a cozy coral reef, complete with an inviting spread of sea-themed goodies like shark-cuterie and sea breeze spirals. Hosted by the Student Experience team, the gathering launched a swell of lively networking, anchoring new connections and a tide of camaraderie.

Alec Boyd is a fall 2025 entrepreneurship grad with a minor in professional selling and sales management and a familiar face in the Venture Development Center. When he tried to transfer a few community college courses back to the University of Delaware to save time and tuition, he hit a wall of PDFs, emails, and outdated processes. Alec leveraged his coursework plus VentureOn, Pitch Party, and Hen Hatch to turn a personal frustration into a tool that can save students real time and real money: Equivly.

Got a venture in motion? Leading a project? Building something that makes life better? Horn Entrepreneurship is now accepting applications for its annual awards and scholarships, offering more than $10,000 in cash to support the next wave of UD student innovators.