Stories & Updates

Editor’s note: this is a guest post by Qingqing Zhang, April Singleton, Collin Mattia, Derui Huang, Emilie Delaye, and Dr. Stephanie Raible.

Students in Community Empowerment through Social Entrepreneurship (HDFS490), taught by Assistant Professor Dr. Stephanie Raible, are competing with 34 other colleges and universities from across the country in the Up to Us Campus Competition organized by Net Impact.

The University of Delaware is proud to foster a community that supports the development of eco-friendly and sustainable businesses that work towards protecting the environment we live in. Numerous environmental startups and businesses have stemmed from the work of UD students, alumni, staff and faculty.

[Photo by Andrew Hutchins]

At 26 years old, Joe Vela had just quit his Philadelphia tech job to commit to drumming full time and to go on tour with his band, Tweed. It had only been a few years after he and his bandmates had graduated from the University of Delaware, and the opportunity to pursue music was one which they all agreed came only once in a lifetime.

Elizabeth (Lizzy) Adams is a marketing manager for Google, focused on higher education. At UD, she earned a bachelor of arts in mass communication, with minors in journalism and political science in 2013, followed by a master’s degree in entrepreneurship and design, plus a certificate in social media and marketing. While studying at UD, she also worked as a communication specialist for the College of Education and Human Development and as a communication coordinator for the Institute of Global Studies and the Office for International Students and Scholars.

Horn Entrepreneurship held its 2021 Spring Pitch Party virtually this past Wednesday, an event where students were able to pitch ideas for business ventures with the possibility of winning awards and prizes.

Each spring, Horn Entrepreneurship recognizes entrepreneurial students through awards and scholarships totaling almost $10,000 in cash and Venture Development Center credit. Undergraduate students from all majors are invited to apply now through Monday, April 19, 2021 at 11:59 p.m.

Horn Entrepreneurship and eClub welcome alumni Lily Wolfe, Brianna Bannach, and Farhad Baqi as judges for this year's Spring Pitch Party on March 31 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. over Zoom! Join the audience and spectate as UD student teams pitch innovative ventures for a total of $1,500 in funding and resources.

University of Delaware Horn Entrepreneurship is offering 10 Delaware high schools launch grants for its newest youth offering, EntreX Lab.  EntreX Lab (short for “Entrepreneurial Experience Laboratory”) is an opportunity for high school students to take credit-bearing entrepreneurship coursework through the University of Delaware.

University of Delaware student teams were awarded more than $5000 to use in design, prototyping and fabrication of their projects.

The inaugural Spring 2021 Make It Happen Challenge showcased students from across the University with one thing in common: a desire to bring their ideas to life. The Challenge, presented by UD MakerGym and Horn Entrepreneurship, is a University-wide, semester-long student design competition that provides grants for making and innovation, targeting ideation, proof of concept, prototyping or small batch production. In addition to financial support, students receive training, tools, materials and mentoring.

In the spaces of creative disruption where entrepreneurs operate, the skills of effective leadership have always been of key importance, and are inextricably tied to the spirit of innovation. However, before anyone can even begin to become a leader of others, they must first learn to lead themselves.