The pathway to positive world-change isn’t a journey one should take alone, but rather hand-in-hand with like-minded visionaries — that’s what young entrepreneurs from 13 countries and 20 U.S. states learned firsthand at the 2026 Limitless World Summit, a conference hosted by the University of Delaware’s Horn Entrepreneurship for high school students to learn and grow together as leaders in business and innovation.
During her keynote speech, Dana White, managing partner of the Juno Collective and the first Black woman to serve as a Pentagon spokesperson, shared the story of her grandfather Randolph Lewis White, who was promoted from a janitor to a manager at the University of Virginia hospital after a doctor recognized his potential and helped uplift him to the leadership role.
“That one decision didn’t just change my grandfather’s life — it opened doors for an entire community, and once someone is seen, they get to see others. Once someone is elevated, they begin to elevate others. That's how change happens, not in isolation but through connection,” said White to the crowd of high schoolers who spent two days being similarly elevated by business professionals and other young changemakers.
Driven to solve real-world problems and bring positive change to their communities, participants attended the summit by either competing in the Diamond Challenge, a top-rated entrepreneurship competition addressing pressing issues; vying for the title of Emerging Innovator of the Year, an award that recognizes one visionary among the next generation of leaders; or participating as an ambassador, leaders interested in connection over competition. Students arrived at the Chase Center on the Riverfront eager to share their world-changing ideas, attend workshops and keynotes about leadership and business, embrace new challenges and connect with peers who shared their passion for entrepreneurship.
“I think for me, it’s the possibility,” said Elliana Lai, a junior from Canyon Crest Academy in California, when asked what entrepreneurship means to her. “The possibility of literally being able to create anything you want, and also being able to share it with others who are making a real impact.”
Seventy finalist teams in the Diamond Challenge demonstrated the impact of their business and social ventures before a panel of expert judges over the course of four pitching rounds at the Limitless World Summit, competing for top honors and cash prizes to help launch or grow their meaningful projects. To reach the summit, each team advanced through an initial submission and pitching stage, showcasing their business acumen and determination to make a difference.
“What gives me the most optimism about the next generation of changemakers is how deeply they care,” said Sophia Cressman, program coordinator for Siegfried Fellows and part of the event team. “Their passion, energy and curiosity when it comes to solving problems and helping others is unmistakable. I was incredibly impressed by how thoughtful and well-practiced their pitches were, which reflects how much they truly care about their work.”
That sense of care stems from experience, since many of the contestants were motivated to solve world problems that had impacted their communities or themselves personally. SilicaForge, featuring 16-year-olds Shiyu Sano, Riku Ito, Ryu Matsumoto and Kanta Furukawa from Tokyo, Japan, developed a machine that converts desert sand to concrete after one of their members witnessed the devastating effects of deteriorating infrastructure.
“I lived in Hong Kong, where there is a problem with aging infrastructure. I saw a building collapse before my eyes, which is why I was interested in concrete in the first place,” said Sano, who shared the story with his teammates and, together, created a solution. After winning first place at the Japan regional pitch site to qualify for the summit, the team was already celebrating how far they’d come before securing third place overall in the business track.
Emma Shi and Alexandra Ebert, members of team SpotShield from Minnesota, invented an adhesive shield designed to protect athletic wear from unexpected menstrual leakage — a common worry that often interferes with an athlete’s headspace. Shi experienced this firsthand during a crucial moment in competition, allowing her fear of spotting to impact her performance.
“I want to empower women everywhere and ensure that no one has the same experience I had. Chase your dreams without fear,” said Shi, as she proudly held the $8,000 check awarded to SpotShield for second place.
The six finalists for the Emerging Innovator Awards, who were chosen among the top 100 high school students from around the world, were similarly called to action due to their personal connections to certain causes. Noticing how lonely she and her peers felt growing up during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lauren Tyree, a local senior at Saint Mark’s High School in Wilmington, founded the volunteer program Students Engaged in Relief Volunteering (SERV) for high schoolers to build community while serving others in need through mission trips to the Dominican Republic.
Soneesh Kothagundla, a lung cancer screening awareness advocate from Georgia, is determined to raise the uptake rate of screenings through flight announcements, national advertising projects, legislation and the development of his app Resonair — which assesses a patient’s lung cancer risk through cough analysis and medical history. After losing a friend to lung cancer, Kothagundla stays motivated to continue his work in her memory.
“It’s her legacy that I carry everywhere when I’m talking about lung cancer,” said Kothagundla, who earned the title of Emerging Innovator of the Year and a $5,000 prize.
While the on-site challenges, such as the Eco-Innovation Challenge and Recycled Materials Innovation Sprint, exercised the students’ critical thinking, creativity and social skills, the greatest opportunity for growth came from their fellow competitors.
“A lot of emerging innovators are here and I’ve been able to connect with them, learn from them and, hopefully, build lifelong relationships with them. They’ll help me make more of an impact, and at the end of the day, it’s not really competitive — it’s more collaborative,” said Kothagundla.
While her team may not have qualified to pitch this year, Anika Rusiya, a 15-year-old from West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North in New Jersey, took a similar approach to her role as an ambassador, viewing competitors as mentors.
“I’m able to observe and learn from those who are pitching, and it gives me an opportunity to take what I learned from this year's competitors and use it when I compete next year,” said Rusiya, who had the chance to implement those lessons directly by competing in and winning the eco-innovation challenge with her makeshift team Pollination Creation.
“I hope the experience showed the participants there is community in everything, that there are mentors and peers who are willing and able to support them. Long term, I hope they continue to leverage those networks to drive positive change in their communities and share what they’ve learned, creating a ripple effect of impact and empowerment,” said Cressman.
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.