Stories & Updates

The MakerGym sits at the intersection of creativity, design, fabrication and impact. This fall’s batch of Make It Happen Challenge award winners show the breadth of projects that can come to life with some thinking and tinkering. 

From electricity generating tires and eco-friendly construction material to wellness apps and bacteria reducing inventions, more than 20,000 teens are addressing the world’s toughest problems through the Diamond Challenge, an entrepreneurship competition for high school students. Registration for the 2022 competition is open to high school students through January 7, 2022.

After a record number of team submissions, the finalists for Hen Hatch 2021, University of Delaware’s much-anticipated premier startup competition, have been announced. The submissions this year have been from a wide range of industries, colleges, and interests. 

Photos by Evan Krape

It all starts with a desire to make. With no experience required, students from the Red Clay Consolidated School District were given the opportunity to be involved in a one-week program to delve into their entrepreneurial nature.

Hen Hatch, Horn Entrepreneurship’s premier startup funding competition, will hold its semifinal round on Nov. 4, 2021 to determine which six most promising concepts will advance to the finals to be held on Dec. 2, 2021. The 21 semifinalist teams have already progressed through one round of judging.

Although the first winter frost hasn’t blanketed the ground, it is time to plan for summer 2022. For many student entrepreneurs, the summer presents an opportunity to work on your startup unencumbered by class work. But the summer presents a problem: work on your startup, get a job that pays or try to manage both. And what if you need the summer to earn course credits or an internship?

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

This fall, Horn Entrepreneurship is trying something new - Class Champions.  Class Champions are liaisons between Horn and Entrepreneurship majors. Their objective is to inspire their peers to get involved in opportunities, programs and events relevant to them.

Horn Entrepreneurship’s Venture Development Center (VDC) serves as a resource for inventors, technologists and creatives working on entrepreneurial projects. It is known for bringing entrepreneurs’ startup dreams to reality, as a gathering spot for problem solvers & out-of-the-box thinkers and a place where a lot of fun stuff just happens. 

While the summer heat leads many to long lazy days, two University of Delaware students and one alumna spent the summer of 2021 working diligently to advance social justice and equality of opportunity through their startups. The three changemakers participated in the inaugural Advancing Equity Thru Entrepreneurship Summer Internship Program (ETE), a program designed to support mission-driven social innovators and entrepreneurs as they develop projects and ventures supporting underrepresented and under-resourced groups.