Stories & Updates

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.

University of Delaware’s Devin Landers, Entrepreneurship ‘23 transitioned from a small town in Maryland, and never seeing a palm tree until the age of 19, to traveling across the world to places like the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait during his military service as a Marine Sergeant.

This article first appeared on the UD Lerner College's News and Events, Seeing Opportunties Page.

Grace Fritz, Class of 2023 operations management and marketing double major with a minor in entrepreneurship, spent her summer interning as a marketing intern at the World Trade Center Institute.

Like a connoisseur of fine art, Christina Pellicane both understands and enjoys the details, technique and principles of commercialization. She’s spent most of her career on just that - making an impact through innovation. Her work is reminiscent of a Jackson Pollock painting - drips and splashes dotting the canvas - it is purposeful and groundbreaking.

David Breyla and Noah Lux have been in the vinyl car wrapping industry for years. Working for University of Delaware alumni Greg Star and Mac Macleod at Carvertise since late high school, the pair gained unparalleled experience overseeing vinyl installations at the nation’s largest rideshare advertising company. They also spent time at several other vinyl wrapping businesses over the years, combining for over 12 years of hands-work. With a mass of experience behind them, Breyla and Lux saw a gap in the market where they could fill a need no one else could.

After graduation, university startups can go in many directions. Some founders continue to work solely on their startup, while others come up with new ideas or combine their drive with other startups. One thing that is consistent among university entrepreneurs is their passion to continue to grow and succeed. 

Anna Solomon is sales manager at NextFab, a Philadelphia makerspace. At UD, she earned a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2015.

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.

Elizabeth (Lizzy) Adams is a marketing manager for Google, focused on higher education. At UD, she earned a bachelor of arts in mass communication, with minors in journalism and political science in 2013, followed by a master’s degree in entrepreneurship and design, plus a certificate in social media and marketing. While studying at UD, she also worked as a communication specialist for the College of Education and Human Development and as a communication coordinator for the Institute of Global Studies and the Office for International Students and Scholars.