Stories & Updates

Summer Founders, now almost three-quarters of the way through its 11-week programming, has already provided participating student ventures with valuable lessons on their entrepreneurial journey. The Horn Entrepreneurship marketing team caught up with a few of the student founders last month, and checked back in for more updates from July.

ChaCha Hudson started The SEWcial Cafe, a community sewing space for women to create, collaborate, and develop handmade products in a relaxed and inspiring environment that encourages innovation with in October 2018. Now almost a year on from launching, and ChaCha wants to bring her unique value of sewing expertise with strong community building practices to other women across the world. 

Kelsey Kosinski’s original intention was to complete an engineering degree and solve complex problems. But in her freshman year, she quickly realized how much she missed the creative outlet she had through sewing and designing her own fashions. Kelsey abruptly switched her major to fashion design and trusted her interests would lead her in the right direction.    

Patient Sortal, a Hen Hatch 2019 winner in the alumni track, has grown from a nascent startup to a qualified healthcare data management company eager to make a difference in the lives of patients with chronic conditions. Founder Kenny Eck, Alfred Lerner College of Business Economics, Class of 2018, says that persistence and the unwavering support of his family, are what have made the two-year journey possible.

Horn Entrepreneurship is pleased to announce all of the success and honors our fantastic community of creators, scientists and doers have accomplished this quarter.

Jaeah Yoo, Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2021, will be traveling to Puerto Rico with his registered student organization (RSO), People for Puerto Rico (PPR), to carry out a dream two years in the making. The PPR President and member of Blue Hen Leadership Program (BHLP) stuck through the ups and downs of running an organization and through growth and self-reflection, made a service trip to Puerto Rico a reality.

John Smothers, Leadership and Entrepreneurship & Technology Innovation, Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, discovered his true passion through the entrepreneurial journey and pivoted away from his business management degree to dive into leadership and entrepreneurship. Now, John is a founding partner at Dimension Ventures, an investment firm eager to create real impact for a better future through investments in highly selective startup ventures. But John’s journey wouldn’t have been possible without his work ethic and the transformational relationships he was able to form.

Winners of the Hen Hatch competition were announced during its final round on Tuesday, April 30 at the Queen in Wilmington, Delaware.

Vince DiFelice, Senior Instructor of Practice and Faculty Director of Venture Support, has been an instrumental figure in helping nascent student startups find their footing and future success. Beyond delivering exceptional venture support guidance, Vince has helped students find new passions and recalibrate their career goals to better match what they are most interested in.

Six teams comprised of students and alumni from across several colleges, including Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics, College of Arts & Sciences and College of Engineering, are advancing to the final round of Hen Hatch, UD’s premier startup funding competition. Finalist teams will pitch before a panel of accomplished judges and an audience of regional business leaders, experienced entrepreneurs and the broader UD community for a share of a $100,000 prize pool.