Stories & Updates

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

From electricity generating tires and eco-friendly construction material to wellness apps and bacteria reducing inventions, more than 20,000 teens are addressing the world’s toughest problems through the Diamond Challenge, an entrepreneurship competition for high school students. Registration for the 2022 competition is open to high school students through January 7, 2022.

While the summer heat leads many to long lazy days, two University of Delaware students and one alumna spent the summer of 2021 working diligently to advance social justice and equality of opportunity through their startups. The three changemakers participated in the inaugural Advancing Equity Thru Entrepreneurship Summer Internship Program (ETE), a program designed to support mission-driven social innovators and entrepreneurs as they develop projects and ventures supporting underrepresented and under-resourced groups.

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.

University of Delaware startups GetPotluck and TheraV won a total of $40,000 at the 2021 Startup302 competition, a Delaware-based funding competition for technology-enabled startups led by underrepresented founders.

Like many teens and young adults in the U.S., Darian Elmendorf had spent many years throughout high school and college silently battling anxiety and depression. And while his struggles were real and acutely felt in his daily life, they were not, at first, readily identifiable.

Editor’s note: this is a guest post by Qingqing Zhang, April Singleton, Collin Mattia, Derui Huang, Emilie Delaye, and Dr. Stephanie Raible.

Students in Community Empowerment through Social Entrepreneurship (HDFS490), taught by Assistant Professor Dr. Stephanie Raible, are competing with 34 other colleges and universities from across the country in the Up to Us Campus Competition organized by Net Impact.

The WE Hatch Practical Insights & Networking Conversations series connects participants with two successful women (a recent graduate and an experienced alumnae leader), who share insights into their careers they wish they had known, practiced or explored earlier. In the virtual sessions participants have the opportunity to listen, discuss, and network in breakout rooms.

At the unique intersection of social entrepreneurship, academia, and public service, you’re likely to find few who have struck a balance as well as Rysheema Dixon, a Philadelphia-born social entrepreneur who has found her calling in serving her community.