Stories & Updates

Not even five months after Jason Aviles officially opened Green Box Kitchen in Wilmington, restaurants across the nation were abruptly forced to close their doors in response to the arrival of a new and deadly virus. In the following months, Aviles strategically navigated his business through a gauntlet of otherwise earth-shattering obstacles, adapting to the demands of the pandemic.

The 2020 Siegfried Entrepreneurial Leadership Award Event took place virtually on Oct. 13, as the online event honored two prominent award recipients and also featured workshop opportunities.

When Covid-19 began to expose the gaping holes in the structures and systems of the world, entrepreneurship major Nico Repollé was presented with a unique opportunity to begin the work to build a more just and equitable society.

After multiple preliminary rounds and weeks of preparation leading up to the University of Delaware’s premiere startup funding competition, Hen Hatch’s final round took place virtually on Thursday, Dec. 3. The evening featured six competing finalist teams that have built their startups up while enrolled in undergraduate work in order to pitch before judges and attendees at Hen Hatch.

Covid-19 hasn't stopped senior instructor DiFelice, pictured above, from continuing to serve in important mentorship roles for Horn Entrepreneurship students from his own home.

As 2020 Hen Hatch finalists prepare for the busy days ahead leading up to the Hen Hatch competition’s final round where everyone is invited to attend on Dec. 3. The Horn Entrepreneurship team had a chance to reflect on Hen Hatch with Horn community members who have been directly involved in the startup competition.

Editor's note: as this article is published most of the Summer Founder teams highlighted here have qualified for Hen Hatch 2020 as a semifinalist or finalist. Please refer to those articles on this blog.

With Summer Founders having wrapped up with the culmination of a virtual Demo Day, many of this summer’s teams are reflecting back to discover that the intensive 12-week pre-accelerator was just the beginning of their entrepreneurial journeys.

After a record number of team submissions, the finalists for Hen Hatch 2020, Horn Entrepreneurship’s much-anticipated premier startup competition, have been announced. The following teams of finalists will include three teams from each of the Pre- and Post-Revenue tracks that will compete in the final round of the 2020 Hen Hatch competition that is set to take place virtually on Dec. 3 2020 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Hen Hatch, Horn Entrepreneurship’s premier startup funding competition, will hold its semifinal round on Nov. 5, 2020 to determine which six most promising business concepts will advance to the finals to be held on Dec. 3, 2020. The 20 semifinalist teams have already progressed through one round of judging.

On a hot summer day on the New York City subway, Mike Fiorito was struck with an impulse to change his life. He had moved to Brooklyn for work and was making the daily commute to and from his job with his brother, Nick Fiorito. But after a long year of going through the motions, the two brothers could no longer ignore the dissatisfaction they were feeling in life.

Horn Entrepreneurship’s WE Hatch, Empowering Women in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, is preparing to launch its inaugural event: A virtual keynote that will feature the program’s associate director, Gail Ball, founder Charlie Horn, guest speaker Amber Glassman, and keynote speaker Erica Nemser.

The event will take place on Sept. 24, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., and audience members will have a chance to participate in a Q&A session.