From sustainable fashion and food waste reduction to coastal restoration and eco-friendly products, University of Delaware students showcased bold ideas for a healthier planet at the fifth annual REEF@UD Demo Day on Monday, May 4, at the Venture Development Center.
The culminating event of the four-month Ratcliffe Eco-Entrepreneurship Fellows Program, known as REEF@UD, brought together students, judges, mentors and community members to celebrate the next generation of eco-entrepreneurs. Led by Dr. Tomé Salgueiro, assistant professor of entrepreneurship and faculty director of REEF@UD, the program supports students as they develop ventures designed to address environmental and sustainability challenges through entrepreneurship.
This year’s Demo Day featured 13 student teams presenting ideas that spanned sustainable fashion, food waste management, seagrass and coral restoration, solar energy access, coastal erosion surveying, secondhand goods platforms and more.
For many Fellows, Demo Day was not only a chance to present a venture, but also an opportunity to practice communicating purpose with clarity, confidence and authenticity.
Emma Stiner, a florist turned entrepreneur, highlighted that passion is the primary driver of effective communication.
“Bringing people joy and caring about making an impact makes for an exciting and healthy planet," Stiner said. "Without passion, you won’t be able to be knowledgeable and quickly articulate your thoughts. If you don’t care about your topic, you won’t know how to defend it on the spot.”
Hemerson Santos-Pineda, whose venture focuses on community composting, rooted his inspiration from the simple desire to help others.
“The most compelling way to present your pitch is to be authentic and honest,” Santos-Pineda said. “Having transparency while presenting is the best way to show truth in your idea.”
A panel of three expert judges evaluated each pitch and awarded $5,000 in prize funding to the top three most promising ideas.
1st Place — $2,500: Austin Morgan, Sustainable Product/Game Using Recycled Materials
2nd Place — $1,500: Katharine Wetmore, Mikayla Humphreys and Olivia Schwab, Seagrass Restoration
3rd Place — $1,000: Cecily Duggan, Coral Restoration
Thank you to this year’s judges for sharing their time, expertise and thoughtful questions with the participants. Their feedback gave students valuable experience presenting their ventures, responding in real time and refining their ideas for future growth. This year’s panel of judges included:
- Jake Chalfin (Sales Manager at Laurel Valley Soils)
- Carlene Cassidy (CEO of the Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation)
- Alexandra Widman Vasquez (REEF@UD Fellow, Master of Environmental Science and Management, Coastal Marine Resource Economics, University of California Santa Barbara)
All 13 teams shared thoughtful, impact-driven concepts, each addressing a unique environmental challenge through entrepreneurship:
- Austin Morgan — Sustainable Product/Game Using Recycled Materials
- Cecily Duggan — Coral Restoration
- Emma Stiner — Sustainable Floral Foam Alternative
- Hemerson Santos-Pineda and Sila Ozyurek — Campus Food Waste and Composting
- Idowu Kunlere — Micro-financing for Solar Energy Access
- Jacob Stasiewicz — Robotics for Coastal Erosion Surveying
- Jake Sacco — Sustainable Investing App
- Katharine Wetmore, Mikayla Humphreys and Olivia Schwab — Seagrass Restoration
- Lars Lefkowitz — Biodegradable Fishing Lures
- Max Tessler and William Lyons — Food Waste Reduction App
- Noah Lee — Secondhand Clothing
- Oluwatito “Tito” Olubakinde — Campus Secondhand Furniture
- Ava Morrow — Secondhand Clothing Trading Platform
The REEF@UD program, supported by the Ratcliffe Foundation and a partnership between Horn Entrepreneurship and the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE), brings together entrepreneurship students with environmental specialists and experts to help transform impact-driven ideas into scalable ventures that address environmental challenges and promote sustainability.
ABOUT HORN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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.
