Stories & Updates

Horn Entrepreneurship and the Lerner College of Business and Economics are thrilled to announce the prestigious recipients of the 2023 Blue Hen 17&43 Awards. Recognizing that economic growth depends on the creation of new businesses, this year’s Blue Hen 17&43 Awards focused strictly on the most promising new businesses. This annual accolade, which was established in 2017, celebrates the University of Delaware’s rich history of leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship by recognizing exceptional early-stage startups led by Blue Hen entrepreneurs. The 17 ventures honored in this year's awards exemplify the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurial excellence within our community.

After careful consideration, Horn Entrepreneurship has selected the finalists for Hen Hatch, the University of Delaware’s premier startup competition held annually.  The entries this year show a wide array of students passionate about entrepreneurship, coming from a variety of colleges, majors, and interests. As difficult as the teams made it for our judges to come to a decision, we have successfully narrowed it down to a few especially promising innovators that we are excited to highlight in the final round. Students, alumni, and other community members interested in watching the Hen Hatch final round can register for the event to reserve a seat or watch from home via a live stream.

The Fall Pitch Party, hosted by the Entrepreneurship Club and Horn Entrepreneurship at the University of Delaware, brought a night filled with creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit on October 25th at the Venture Development Center. The annual competition, which was Halloween-themed this year, serves as a platform for budding entrepreneurs to share their game-changing ideas and receive feedback from a panel of experienced entrepreneurs. 

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.

Kenny Eck started his first company when he was just 7, and his sixth startup hits a huge milestone this year: a consistent revenue stream, along with plans for a physical office and new services.

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.

This article was originally published on The Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics' "Seeing Opportunity" page.

The Deshpande Symposium on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education honored Horn Entrepreneurship’s Social Entrepreneurship Initiative with its 2023 Excellence in Curriculum Innovation in Entrepreneurship Award.

With the approach of Summer Founders Demo Day, take the opportunity to delve deeper into the profiles of our exceptional cohort members and their innovative ventures. Samantha McGhee and Heather Stroili have worked diligently throughout the summer to find a niche that they can service in their respective industries, human resources and fashion. Read on to discover their narratives, the significance their startups offer, and their focal points set for the past and future.

Horn Entrepreneurship is proud to announce the selection of a dynamic new cohort of fellows for its highly anticipated Accelerating Innovation in Education program. The fellowship, led by Dan Freeman, Founding Director, and Felicia Harrington, Assistant Director of Youth Programs, is designed to foster a culture of innovation and experimentation within K-12 education. The announcement comes following the fellows' successful completion of an intensive two-day summer session focused on establishing the foundational building blocks of an innovative school culture. The fellows will continue to meet as a community of practice throughout the upcoming school year.

Delaware’s research scientists, graduate students and innovators now have an exceptional opportunity to learn about, and gain first-hand experience with the process of translating their ideas, discoveries and inventions from the laboratory to the marketplace – the Innovation Delaware (InDE) Fellowship program.