Stories & Updates

The Summer Founders program takes approximately 12 weeks, from June 3 to August 15. During this pre-accelerator program, students receive a stipend while developing their ventures. They are supported by weekly mentoring, educational sessions, and progress meetings with advisors. The flexible structure and individualized mentorship allow each team to work on achieving specific goals unique to their projects. The program concludes with "Demo Day," a presentation to mentors, advisors, and stakeholders on Thursday, August 15, which all students must attend. There is one team under the theme of “Environment” involved in the Summer Founders program this summer, and that is Big Rig’s Lionfish Spearfishing Expedition and Charter.

The 4th Annual Ratcliffe Eco Entrepreneurship Fellows Pitch Day, hosted by Horn Entrepreneurship at the Venture Development Center recently took place Monday May 6. Nine participants with a strong passion for the environment and sustainability came together to pitch their ideas to the judges and compete for a grab at the cash prize. Ideas ranged in all areas from, sustainable home buying, to energy conversion, to aquatic ecosystem preservation.

University of Delaware has welcomed a few new faculty members over the past couple years from a wide range of departments and fields. Gladly UD’s Ratcliffe Eco Entrepreneurship Fellows Program (REEF) has added Megan Pillsbury as their director in 2022. A talented individual like Megan Pillsbury has a lot to share and a lot for us to learn about. She was able to speak with Horn Entrepreneurship and share some more about herself, her role, and experiences.

On October 6th and 7th, University of Delaware Horn Entrepreneurship hosted the REEF@UD Eco Entrepreneurship Design Sprint, a special event that brought together innovative minds to address the pressing issue of climate change and its impact on coastal regions. The event, titled "Shoring Up Against Climate Change: Design for Coastal Resilience," showcased the power of entrepreneurial thinking in finding sustainable solutions to protect vulnerable coastal communities.

In the face of an ever-escalating climate crisis, the need for innovative solutions has never been more critical. Now, more than ever, we require a dynamic, multidisciplinary approach to tackle the pressing challenges posed by climate change. The University of Delaware's REEF@UD Eco Entrepreneurship program invites scientists, engineers, policy makers, entrepreneurs, artists, and anyone eager to make a difference to join us in a two-day Eco Sprint dedicated to developing creative solutions for coastal resilience in Delaware and beyond.The sprint, titled Shoring Up Against Climate Change: Design for Coastal Resilience, will be hosted Friday, Oct. 6, from 4pm to 8pm & Saturday, Oct. 7, from 10am to 2pm at the Venture Development Center.

University of Delaware students showed their passion for the environment on Monday, May 8, at the 3rd Annual Ratcliffe Eco Entrepreneurship Fellows Pitch Day, hosted by Horn Entrepreneurship at the Venture Development Center. This year’s six teams of eco-entrepreneurs pitched their innovative and creative business ideas persuasively, addressing unique environmental issues to a panel of expert judges for a prize pool of $6,000. 

UD Entrepreneurship students posing for a photo on the beach at Waikiki

A select group of UD entrepreneurship students attended  Horn Entrepreneurship's study abroad program in January ‘22 to Hawaii. The students described the program as “an experience of a lifetime.” The students completed course work that focused on entrepreneurship & workplace culture, while being immersed in Hawaiian culture and history. The group took time to visit historic landmarks, networked with entrepreneurs across the islands, attended lectures from accomplished industry professionals, and worked on their own research-based projects, while exploring specific workplace culture issues. 

This article is part of a series describing how UD Horn Entrepreneurship assists teams in moving their inventions and innovations into the marketplace, a process known as commercialization. Each team receives a customized blend of resources, including training, mentorship, and funding, through the Blue Hen Proof of Concept Program.  Mentorship and support is also provided by Horn Entrepreneurship partners, including the Office of Economic, Innovations and Partnerships and Delaware’s Small Business Development Center.

Lan Wang was a UD graduate student and postdoc, now Versogen’s Director of New Chemistry and Cofounder, who led the effort to scale the world’s leading polymer membrane technologies for converting water into green hydrogen.

Article by Adam Thomas Photos by Evan Krape and iStock December 02, 2021

Eight high schools joined together to participate in the inaugural EntreX Lab Delaware Connect design sprint, a timed competition in which students address a problem and pitch a solution to a panel of judges.