Mettā Creative co founder Davis Pfund grew up inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit, participating in the school fundraisers and finding odd jobs whenever possible from the young age of 11. Feeling confined by the structures of schools he attended, he struggled with authority and found himself in constant trouble. Finding himself spending time with a bad crowd, Pfund was suspended by the end of freshman year and took a leave of absence to work before returning to UD. In this time Pfund realized that he needed to surround himself with positive, like-minded peers, and he turned to find a family in Horn Entrepreneurship.
Inspired by the focused individuals that populate the Venture Development Center and motivated by Horn Entrepreneurship founder Charlie Horn’s rocky academic journey to success, Pfund returned to take classes at the University of Delaware and co-founded Mettā Creative with his partner Dylan Nunn. Finding his passion in helping others through social ventures, Pfund has since been one of the many frequent visitors of the VDC.
“I define entrepreneurship as impacting the lives of people in a positive way by solving problems that matter, creating value in any situation,” Pfund said when asked what entrepreneurship meant to him. “I'm not driven strictly by financial profit. I think that profit can be measured in a multitude of ways, including social, economical, and environmental impact.”
Mettā Creative is an organization working to build a conscious network of mindful individuals through genuine, interactive events that inspire sustainable living and help connect people on a deeper level. As the organization describes their mission, Mettā Creative “redefines what it means to party and have fun together by creating fulfilling experiences that allow us to grow and add value to our lives.” Pfund, Nunn, and the Mettā Makers (official Mettā Creative members) have cultivated a community that provides a channel for creative expression for everyone and builds meaningful connections through fun times.
“People have met their spouses, they have developed close friendships and business relationships,” Pfund said of the impact Mettā Creative has had. “A lot of the DJs we host end up throwing events together. It’s creating more and more of a visible butterfly effect. It's not just some ethereal thing, I'm tangibly seeing the direct results of our labor, which is beautiful.”
Gatherings planned by Mettā Creative highlight the beauty of nature while offering a variety of creative programming to enjoy like live music, fire shows, collaborative art, games, and portrait artists. Prior to COVID-19, they attracted over 10,000 people to attend events like Beauty in the Backyard, an experience featuring a community potluck, live music, collaborative arts, yoga, games, workshops and other activities.
Unfortunately the 3rd annual Beauty in the Backyard had to be postponed this year due to group-gathering restrictions, but they plan to bring the event back and better than ever in 2021. Until restrictions are loosened, Mettā Creative will continue to engage it’s community through virtual engagement like their 1-hour Maker Camp at the virtual Catharsis on the Mall, a 12-hour event dedicated to providing digitally accessible spaces for healing. More than anything, the company continues to find ways to provide a welcoming community for like-minded individuals who want to share valuable experiences.
Recently, Pfund and Nunn have been working with The REED Center for Ecosystem Reintegration, a Maryland-based nonprofit working to connect humanity to nature by teaching sustainable agricultural practices in permaculture design courses. Finding their mission to align with Mettā Creative’s goals of sustainable living, they have spent extensive time studying symbiotic plant growth at their 160-acre Morning View Food Forest in Middletown, Maryland.
“Being here right now at The REED Center is truly the embodiment and manifestation of what I've been visualizing about how to inspire people to live sustainably,” Pfund said of his experience at the Morning View Food Forest. “Our whole mission with Mettā Creative is to inspire sustainable living and help connect people on a deeper level, now I'm literally living on a permaculture farm learning more about plants than I ever have before.”
Acting as assistance to operations, the Mettā Creative co-founders have helped a lot with organization and moving the nonprofit into the digital sphere, but also getting out in the dirt and working with plants. As Pfund finishes up his degree in entrepreneurship this fall at UD, he and Dylan are set to spend all other free time interacting with the Mettā Creative community, helping out in the garden, meditating, and doing yoga.
When asked about his plans for the future, Pfund said, “Right now I'm just taking an opportunity to learn as much as I can, get myself out of my comfort zone, and apply myself as much as I can.”
About Horn Entrepreneurship
Horn Entrepreneurship serves as the creative engine for entrepreneurship education and advancement at the University of Delaware. Currently ranked among the best entrepreneurship programs in the US, Horn Entrepreneurship was built and is actively supported by successful entrepreneurs, empowering aspiring innovators as they pursue new ideas for a better world.
