Stories & Updates

Editor's note: this is the third article in a series that  explores how the Horn Team practices entrepreneurship.

At times like these, we find ourselves traversing new territory. When we realized that the writing was proverbially on the wall regarding our ability to host the 2020 Diamond Challenge Summit on the University of Delaware campus, our team never once questioned whether or not the show would go on. We felt compelled to deliver the best possible outcome, on time, to our students. Why? At a time when our worlds have been turned upside down and many of our regular routines and activities have been put on pause, we need to maintain connectivity and perpetuate the hope and inspiration that naturally aligns with entrepreneurship.

The Horn Ambassadors are a select group of UD undergraduates from different majors and minors who share a profound interest in entrepreneurship and innovation. Their purpose is to be experts in Horn Entrepreneurship offerings, liaise with new and prospective students and support Horn events. An upcoming weekly series will highlight each ambassador and their reflections on entrepreneurship.

Editor's note: this is the second article in a series that  explores how the Horn Team practices entrepreneurship.

Taking stock of experiences over the last two weeks …

… No family spring break vacation in sunny, warm weather.

… Cancelled trip to Las Vegas with close friends I’ve known for more than 35 years.

… Paused daily routine of putting my daughter on the school bus and heading to the office.

… Zero spontaneous, face-to-face interaction with the people with whom I enjoy working.

… makes it clear that COVID-19 has caused stock outs in the kitchen cupboards of my life. The sugar – what I was most looking forward to – is gone. And so is the ketchup – the enjoyable, mundane staples of daily life. You’re no doubt missing similar things, and perhaps even more.

I asked Dan Freeman, Horn's founding director, to write this article a couple weeks ago; but Dan, like all of us, has been in the midst of turmoil, chaos and upheaval. I kept saying “Dan, write about entrepreneurial mindset, adapting to rapid change, resilience…just write something.” So, after urging, nudging, prodding, I decided to write it. Here it goes:

University of Delaware alum Mike Baerga teamed up with his grandmother to create a state-funded student transportation service which helps transport displaced students to and from school.

Jaeah Yoo, Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2021, was inspired to help Puerto Rico recover from natural disaster and traveled to the United States territory in conjunction with Blue Hen Leadership Program (BHLP) and Community Collaborations to help repair and restore the local community around San Juan. Jaeah’s registered student organization (RSO), People for Puerto Rico and BHLP brought a team of more than 25 students and built authentic relationships while delivering community impact. 

For University of Delaware entrepreneurs in the research fields of science, technology, engineering, and math, the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (NSF I-Corps) provides innovators with the opportunity to take their projects from the laboratory to the marketplace.

Career shifts for Mike Rinkunas have meant doing everything from hanging out of a helicopter with a video camera, to interviewing Lance Armstrong at the Boston Marathon. Even when not working, Rinkunas continues to explore new things to try, most recently becoming a licensed train conductor and locomotive engineer in his spare time.

Horn Entrepreneurship invites all current University of Delaware students to attend the spring pitch party! The spring pitch party is a biannual event hosted by Horn Entrepreneurship in which students are given 90 seconds to pitch their most interesting business ideas to a small group of judges and attendees with an opportunity to win a prize. This event is a perfect way for UD students of any background to get experience with pitching business ideas and getting their creative propositions out there.