Seven teams comprised of students and alumni from University of Delaware Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, College of Arts and Sciences and College of Engineering are advancing to the final round of Hen Hatch, UD’s premier startup funding competition. Teams will pitch before a panel of accomplished judges and an audience of regional business leaders, experienced entrepreneurs and UD community for a share of a $100,000 prize pool.
The final round of Hen Hatch will be April 24, 5 to 9 p.m., at the Queen in Wilmington, Delaware. Admission to Hen Hatch Final and Innovation Showcase is $20 for students and $50 for community members. Early bird tickets are $10 for students and $25 for community members, and available through April 6. Student admission has the option for bus transportation. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be provided.
Student team profiles
D150 Fueling: D150 Fueling sends a custom-built fleet fueling truck with a trained fleet fueling professional to the customers’ vehicle lot, at the time and frequency of their choosing. The company can then fuel their vehicles directly to their tank, eliminating employee downtime associated with refueling, and provide customers with complete and accurate records of their fuel usage. This team includes Bailey O'Brien, College of Engineering, Class of 2018, Samuel Bacharach, Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, Class of 2019, and Amedeo DeLuca, College of Engineering, Class of 2018.
IntraText: IntraText is an application that combines interaction and text to revolutionize the book industry. Content is transformed to engage, incentivize and interact with users to keep them interested in today's digital age. This team includes Jamie Levy, College of Arts and Sciences, Class of 2018, Kerry Shwartz, Lerner College, Class of 2019, Kristen Brokaw, Lerner College, Class of 2018, and Gina Gesualdi, Lerner College, Class of 2018.
Lyapunov Technologies: Lyapunov Technologies merges the field of control systems engineering with the world of finance to provide technology driven financial services that innovate risk management. This team includes Anthony Rossi, Lerner College and College of Engineering, Class of 2018, and Duanyi Wei, College of Engineering, Class of 2018.
Wilminvest: Wilminvest provides supported housing environments for third party community-based organizations, by renovating vacant properties in the city of Wilmington, Delaware, and leasing them as permanent supportive housing. This team includes Joel Amin and Bryce Fender, both from the Lerner College, Class of 2019, and Demetrius Thorn, unaffiliated.
Alumni, Faculty, Staff team profiles
OPS, LLC: OPS, LLC supports drinking water infrastructure systems, recording reliable, secure, field-data for analysis and helping to reduce violations enabling water operators to invest in their infrastructure instead of paying violation restitution costs. This team includes Lee Beauchamp, College of Engineering, Class of 2005, Matthew Beard, unaffiliated, Tai Nguyen, unaffiliated, and Timothy Gantzhorn, unaffiliated.
Smartbooks: Smartbooks is an evolutionary company utilizing smart technology in order to provide adults the opportunity to personalize children’s books through an avatar creation app. This team includes Courtney Hewitt, Lerner College, Class of 2011, Rossiny Beaucejour, College of Engineering, Class of 2014, Garry Johnson, Lerner College, Class of 2018, Taji Hardwick, Lerner College, Class of 2018.
Veramorph LLC: Veramorph is a drug delivery company developing multi-functional materials for more convenient and effective oral delivery of poorly absorbed drugs in order to form partnerships with pharmaceutical companies. Paul Godfrin, College of Engineering, Class of 2015, developed this concept.
About Horn Entrepreneurship
Horn Entrepreneurship serves as the University of Delaware’s creative engine for entrepreneurship education and advancement. Built and actively supported by successful entrepreneurs and thought leaders, Horn Entrepreneurship empowers aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs as they pursue new ideas for a better world.
