The Diamond Challenge is seeking judges for its 2018 competition. Created in 2012 by the University of Delaware’s Horn Entrepreneurship, and sponsored by Capital One, the Diamond Challenge is an entrepreneurship competition for high school students that allows teens to learn about entrepreneurship while putting their ideas into action.
“It’s really important for professionals to dedicate their time to initiatives such as the Diamond Challenge,” said Director of Operations of 1313 Innovation, Lauren Spinelli. “The business community needs to connect with young entrepreneurs and vice versa. After all, mentors, capital and support are always needed.”
The competition is broken up into a business concept track, which focuses on the development and validation of new business models for generating revenue and profit, and a social innovation track, which focuses on the development of new, social impact models.
Spinelli, who graduated from UD in 2006 with a degree is Mass Communication, and now works for 1313 Innovation, an entrepreneurial hub in Wilmington, Del. that offers coworking space, networking and educational opportunities, served as a judge for last year’s Diamond Challenge.
“I love the international aspect of the Diamond Challenge,” said Spinelli. “Student’s travel to Delaware from all over the world to pitch their amazing ideas.”
Having reached over 4,000 students worldwide from over 39 countries and 27 states, the Diamond Challenge was ranked one of the top 29 best international business plan competitions by Alpha Gamma, a business portal for millennials.
Judges for the Diamond Challenge are responsible for providing meaningful feedback to all participants so that they can further develop their ideas, and change the world through entrepreneurship.
According to Spinelli, her experience as a judge was meaningful in that it showed “an eagerness to innovate and make change happen now,” amongst participants.
Aside from with willingness to provide detailed feedback to Diamond Challenge participants, judges should be fluent in the English language, have a business or entrepreneurship education background and have two or more years of professional work experience.
To learn more about the Diamond Challenge or to apply to be a judge, visit http://diamondchallenge.org.
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.
