Like many young students coming into their college experience, Daphne Vantine had little conviction of what she truly wanted to do. By embracing new opportunities, Daphne was able to carve a path that is uniquely hers.
“I came into UD as an exercise science major,” said Daphne. “I had a great relationship in high school with my coaches and trainers and it inspired me to try to get into the community professionally.”
Daphne had chosen her college path based on her high school interests, but quickly changed course after her initial experiences.
Daphne then decided to apply to the Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation (ENTI) major in the Lerner College of Business and Economics. “It was a leap of faith, I was a little uncertain if it was for me, but I thought ‘why not experiment?’”
Though Daphne was hesitant to take the first step into entrepreneurship, she was able to find inspiration and support from her parents and past experiences. As a Cape Cod native, the budding entrepreneur spent many of her summers with her family on the coast collecting driftwood (“No cable and WiFi got me out of the house!”). The collected driftwood became unique, authentic art pieces that she hand painted. By combining her interest, skill and passion for her creations with a newfound entrepreneurial skill set, she started DaphneRaeCapeCod in 2015. The pieces are sold through her personal Etsy, an e-commerce platform for artists.
“Once I got involved with Horn Entrepreneurship I was encouraged to turn it into a business and start selling to people,” said Daphne. “I’ve always been drawn to being artistic, and working with the driftwood lets me create cool things while taking advantage of my entrepreneurial skill set.”
Daphne Rae Cape Cod serves as Daphne’s passion project, and led to increased opportunities for involvement. The ENTI student displayed strong motivation to pave her own path to success and find new areas to engage with the program.
“The public speaking opportunities I had after becoming more involved with Horn really helped me step outside of my box and grow personally and professionally,” said Daphne. “Horn does an excellent job of making people feel welcome and giving them the stage to do what they want, to grow and still be comfortable.”
One such opportunity came when Daphne was asked to speak at the Horn Entrepreneurship advisory board meeting. Daphne was able to impress Tanya Bakalov, founder of SevOne and UD alumnus, and the speech resulted in a job offer. Daphne accepted a position as a Business Development Representative at HelloTeam, Bakalov’s latest startup, which serves as a talent management platform.
The recent graduate’s ability to perform comfortably and confidently in demanding settings matches perfectly with HelloTeam’s why statement: “We launched HelloTeam because we believe employees who are seen, heard, and valued make good companies great.”
Upon graduation Daphne moved to Boston to pursue the HelloTeam position full time. The Massachusetts native plans to remain in Boston for the immediate future.
As the world continues to evolve, the value of an entrepreneurial skill set only rises. The Success Stories series showcases the alumni from Horn Entrepreneurship creating opportunity and impact as they blaze their own trails following their time with the University of Delaware.