Stories & Updates

The energy and excitement of almost 400 teens and parents from around the world was palpable at the Diamond Challenge Summit on April 23-25, 2023. The Summit, a three day conference celebrating entrepreneurial high school students, featured workshops, panel discussions, innovation sprints, and networking opportunities to connect, inspire, and build a community of aspiring young entrepreneurs.

University of Delaware Horn Entrepreneurship recently welcomed 27 newly inducted women into the WE Hatch Honor Circle, which celebrates women who are supporting and helping each other overcome the unique challenges faced by women innovators. Nominated by their peers, employees, spouses and friends, Honors Circle members have made a lasting impact on their network and community.

University of Delaware Class of ‘94 alumna Joelle Flynn will appear on Shark Tank Feb. 17 to pitch a product designed by her company FunkkOFF! with Co-Founder and Co-CEO Sonia Hounsell. FunkkOFF!, a winner of UD’s Blue Hen 17 & 43 Award in 2021 and 2022, has disrupted the $34B oral care industry with their innovative dental beauty accessory FunkkOFF! TeethRefreshers, the only multi-use, all-in-one, oral care solution that fits in the palm of your hand. 

This article is part of a series celebrating the 10^th anniversary of Horn Entrepreneurship by highlighting alumni, their stories and accomplishments.

The origin story of Alchemize Fightwear involves a rebellion against hot pink and purple, a statement against male thinking and a push to empower women. The company, founded by Maya Nazareth when she was a 19-year-old University of Delaware student, has been profitable since Day 1.

This article is part of a series celebrating the 10^th anniversary of Horn Entrepreneurship by highlighting alumni, their stories and accomplishments.

The first big innovation that Blue Hen Dental co-founder Farhad Baqi orchestrated for the Smyrna, Delaware, dental practice was a device called the Curing Cube, which sped up the time to harden the resins and dental composites used in making impressions from as much 15 minutes to as little as 10 seconds.

Hen Hatch, Horn Entrepreneurship’s premier startup funding competition, has finally come to a close after the third and final round was held on Thursday, Dec. 1 at The Tower Audion at UD’s STAR Campus. The final round marks the culmination of a months-long competition, with many of our teams having worked for years on their startups. The six teams that moved on from the semifinal round showcased their most persuasive pitches for the event, each vying for 1st place spot in their respective tracks and the prizes that come with it. 

This article is part of a series celebrating the 10^th anniversary of Horn Entrepreneurship by highlighting alumni, their stories and accomplishments.

When James Massaquoi was attending Caesar Rodney High School and working at Taco Bell, he didn’t have a clear path for college. In fact, he would later be turned down in his first two choices in majors, finance and accounting.

12 student teams spent Saturday, October 22, presenting possible solutions to ecological challenges in the Fall 2022 Eco Design Sprint, sponsored by the Ratcliffe Eco-Entrepreneurship Fellows program (REEF@UD), Horn Entrepreneurship, and the Gerard J. Mangone Climate Change Science and Policy Hub at the University of Delaware. Winning proposals ranged from enhanced artificial turf to non-heat absorbing sidewalks to delayed-release nitrogen fertilizers.

Horn Entrepreneurship and the Lerner College of Business and Economics are pleased to announce the 2022 Blue Hen 17&43 award winners, an impressive group of Blue Hen-led enterprises. Utilizing a holistic approach to select the recipients, factoring in revenue, growth, innovation and social impact, the businesses span industries from SaS platforms, Consumer Packaged Goods, Financial Services, Bio-Medical Technology as well as others. 

Calling all Blue Hen student entrepreneurs: apply to University of Delaware’s premier startup funding competition, Hen Hatch. This program is a once-a-year opportunity for UD students to put their best ideas forward and compete for a portion of a $50,000 prize pool. The submission deadline is September 16.