Stories & Updates

In the US, there are currently thousands of incarcerated students attempting to gain an education, yet their environments lack the needed resources to effectively facilitate learning. Working feverishly to solve that issue is Sia Precision Education, a software development company that uses artificial intelligence to improve education for students in low-resource settings. Acting as their Chief Business Officer is Carlos Benito, a senior at the University of Delaware and an avid member of the Horn Entrepreneurship community.

Meet Bryce Fender, a University of Delaware alumnus, real estate agent, marketing consultant, and most importantly an entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Fender has two main goals: to end homelessness and to provide quality, sustainable jobs through art. To reach those goals, he has helped co-found two startups, WilmInvest and Better Puzzles, each helping make his visions a reality.

Three alumni dish on their experience in a NYC startup

A few years ago, the startup company Stadium was delivering dishes from different restaurants together as a single delivery to businesses all across New York City. The company was growing quickly and had endless possibilities ahead of them. Out of nowhere, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world and New York shut down in an instant. Suddenly, people were working from home with no need for in office lunch delivery. The team put their heads together and created SnackMagic, which saved their business and was the best pivot response to the pandemic.

Article by Christine E. Serio-Shively | Photos by Lindsey Mix | Photo illustration by Heidi McDonough

Once a molecular biology major, Lynn Roberts’ academic journey and interests took a drastic turn from science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) when she delved deeper into the University of Delaware’s Horn Entrepreneurship.  

Horn Entrepreneurship’s Summer Founders Pre-accelerator came to an end with Demo Day on August 19, 2021. However, the founders continued progress towards more successful startups never ends. The unique experience of Summer Founders increases the possibility of students launching viable startups and social ventures, all while gaining valuable advice that will provide dividends in the coming years. Summer Founders includes all aspects of an accelerator except a financial investment, with cohort members receiving guidance from experienced entrepreneurs, advisors and mentors. The founders are also paid stipends to allow them to fully focus on their startup pursuits as long as they continue to demonstrate progress, much like how they might need to sell an investor on progress to get a next round of funding.

As an aspiring entrepreneur from Wilmington, Delaware, Mike Shumate is no stranger to stepping outside of his comfort zone. Over the course of his time in the Associates in Arts Program, Shumate has quickly made a name for himself through his engagement across a number of Horn Entrepreneurship’s programs and competitions.

Editor’s note: This is an article in a series that explores how the Horn Team practices entrepreneurship. Alvaro Buenano is the president of the Entrepreneurship Club, a Registered Student Organization (RSO) for aspiring student entrepreneurs, open to both majors and non-majors.