Launching a startup is hard. It requires grit, resourcefulness, and comfort with uncertainty. It also requires a community. The student entrepreneurs participating in the 2026 Summer Founders program have quickly learned they aren't alone on their journeys.
Thanks to almost a decade of Senior Instructor Vince DiFelice’s extraordinary leadership of Summer Founders, Horn Entrepreneurship is now able to provide a comprehensive, full-spectrum support system for participants, including experts, mentors, and peers. Vince, who led his last Summer Founders cohort in 2024, chose to pivot his efforts championing nascent student startups exclusively to the academic year. He continues to recruit for the Summer Founders opportunity, engaging with and developing meritorious student teams during the fall and spring semesters.
From education and technical assistance to vital industry connections and crucial socio-emotional support, this year’s Summer Founder’s team ensures no student founder is left to navigate the treacherous waters of early-stage entrepreneurship without a life raft.
Building the Foundation
Leading this year’s team are Horn Entrepreneurship’s Founding Director, Dan Freeman, and Strategic Initiatives Manager, Jaime Lee, who collectively map out the master timeline, manage the budget, guide program execution, and keep participating students on track. Joining them are:
- Education & Mentorship: Dan designs high-impact weekly educational sessions. Meanwhile, Troy Wilford, Horn’s Commercialization Director serves as mentorship lead, inviting guests to join him for weekly sessions with groups of participating teams.
- Facilities & Admin: Kay Patel, Program Coordinator, keeps the Venture Development Center (VDC) operating as a high-octane workspace – managing access and catering while keeping an ear to the ground to nip operational challenges in the bud. Ensuring everything runs smoothly financially is Carrie Fang, Business Administrator. Carrie oversees student onboarding, stipend payments, and budget compliance.
New for 2026: Near Peer Summer Founders Associates
One new and unique element of the 2026 program is the inclusion of "near peers" – Emilie Delaye, Erha Andini, and Nicholai Williamson. These Summer Founders Associates are actively building their own ventures. By walking the exact same path in real-time, these near peers provide an invaluable layer of regular, informal check-ins. They understand the unique psychological weight of founder life. Whether a student needs technical troubleshooting or simply someone to talk to after a brutal pivot, these associates offer authentic socio-emotional support from inside the building.
A Call to Action: Your Invitation to Shape the Future
While the internal team provides the daily framework, the true acceleration of these startups happens when the broader business community steps through the door. This is where you come in.
Led by External Engagement Manager, Caitlin Aunet, and supported by Outreach and Partnerships Lead, Laurie Prysock, Summer Founders welcomes experienced entrepreneurs, business leaders, and philanthropic investors who want to move the needle for the next generation of innovators.
Two ways to GET INVOLVED this summer:
1. Roll Up Your Sleeves as an Advisor or Venture Coach
We are looking for seasoned professionals to act as sounding boards during our dedicated advisory sessions. Whether in-person or via Zoom, these sessions allow you to work directly with students to provide tactical direction, industry insight, and critical connections. We are also looking for professionals to act as venture coaches during pitch sessions. These sessions involve listening to brief pitches, offering sharp feedback, and constructively challenging the student founders' assumptions to help them build viable business models.
2. Stand in the Front Row at Demo Day
The culmination of the summer is Demo Day, orchestrated by Marketing and Events Lead, Meg Marcozzi and her talented storytelling and event production team. Demo Day serves as the program’s ultimate showcase wherein students present their hard work and lessons learned to both the university-based and the wider entrepreneurship community. Please mark your calendar for Thursday, August 13. We invite you to attend the event, witness the founders’ innovations firsthand, and offer your vital support to the teams planning to pursue their ventures long after the summer ends.
Join the Village
Entrepreneurship cannot thrive in a vacuum. It takes a dedicated network to turn a student spark into a market-ready flame. If you are ready to share your expertise, make meaningful connections, provide a philanthropic investment to support the program, and/or directly impact a young founder’s trajectory, the Summer Founders team wants to hear from you.
Contact Caitlin Aunet, caunet@udel.edu.
Reach out today to secure your spot as an advisor, investor, or mentor – and help us build the future, together.
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 U.S., Horn Entrepreneurship was built and is actively supported by successful entrepreneurs, empowering aspiring innovators as they pursue new ideas for a better world.
