Young entrepreneurs partner with large company

Sep 2, 2016 | Press, Students, Ventures

Diamond Challenge winners combine knowledge with experience to improve spelling bee studying tactics

Former University of Delaware Diamond Challenge finalists Shreyas Parab and Sriram Hathwar have a new partnership focused on developing their online study tool, Spell for Success.

Shreyas is a 16-year-old from Aston, Pennsylvania and a junior at Archmere Academy High School in Claymont, Delaware. He has appeared at the Scripps Spelling Bee twice, along with 3 appearances at the Metlife Spelling Bee, and 4 appearances at the North South Foundation Spelling Bee. After he retired his placard, he went on to give 4 TEDx talks about his experiences and also start a tie company. That tie company has more than $15,000 in sales.

Hathwar is a 16-year-old from Corning, New York and a junior at Corning Painted-Post High School in upstate New York. He has competed and won several spelling bees, including the Scripps National Spelling Bee, MetLife National Spelling Bee, and three national NSF competitions. His prowess earned him a meeting with President Obama.

Both students formed the idea for their start-up, Spell for Success, after finishing their last spelling bee together.

“I’m the kind of kid who’s good at reading a book in the corner.” Parab says, “We had this weird talent at being good at selling our potential product as well, I wasn’t just a nerdy kid I was a nerdy kid who could also be successful, and that’s how we got into Spell for Success.”

Knowing his idea was a great one, Parab followed in his older brother’s footsteps and entered himself and his friend Hathwar in the University of Delaware Diamond Challenge competition.

The University of Delaware Horn Program in Entrepreneurship created the Diamond Challenge to provide high school students and young entrepreneurs from around the world with an outstanding opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship while putting their ideas into action. Applications for the competition are now open and being accepted.

Participants in the Diamond Challenge gain valuable first-hand experience with conceiving an idea for a new business or social venture. First they test the idea by talking to potential customers and gathering evidence to validate the viability of their business or social impact model. Then they pitch their idea by submitting a written concept and presenting to a panel of judges.

Participants earn money through this competition. The prize pool this year is $100,000 dollars. Two years ago, Spell for Success earned $8,000 dollars for first place when the prize pool was just $50,000.

Spell for Success is an online product that provides a mass amount of words often used in spelling bees to study from. Parab and Hathwar offer their lifetime experiences as national spelling bee participants, and feel as though the online webpage is far more helpful and affordable than the lists being sold for over $500 apiece traditionally used to study with.

Parab explained the concept, “Studying tactics can get better and better, flash cards, nomadic devices, they save you time and effort, and get better results out of it, so why not a website with all that?”

They have partnered with a leading online platform that creates questions for various subjects ranging from AP exams to SAT practice to any practice questions students across the country might hope to find.

Together, Spell for Success and their partner hope to launch the new section of the website by January of 2017.

The Diamond Challenge is part of the Paul and Linda McConnell Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative.

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About Horn Entrepreneurship

Horn Entrepreneurship serves as the University of Delaware’s creative engine for entrepreneurship education and advancement. Built and actively supported by successful entrepreneurs and thought leaders, Horn Entrepreneurship empowers aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs as they pursue new ideas for a better world.

Follow Horn Entrepreneurship @udhorn and check out our entrepreneurship competition for high school students @diamondchalleng.

Registration for DC 2017 Open

Sep 1, 2016 | Press

Registration is open for the 2017 Diamond Challenge!

Registration now open

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”-Wayne Gretzky NHL Hall of Famer

He’s right. Now’s your chance to take your shot!

Dream big. Work hard. Have fun.

100% guarantee you will learn something. Many things.

Make friends along the way. Learn about yourself.

Beef up your college application.

The reasons to participate this year are numerous and we hope to welcome you to our community. The registration window for USA-based pitched sites and virtual tracks will be from September 1-November 27, 2016. For teams participating in international pitch locations, check your country’s web page for updates on events and deadlines.

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Youth Entrepreneurship Summit & Diamond Challenge Final Round

Youth Entrepreneurship Summit & Diamond Challenge Final Round

Apr 21, 2016 | Press

The 2016 Diamond Challenge final round came to fruition during the second annual Youth Entrepreneurship Summit (YES!) at the University of Delaware, also broadcast live thanks to Capital One (watch the recording here). The day, which included more than 290 attendees from five states and six countries, began with breakout sessions led by esteemed entrepreneurs and innovators and was peppered with networking opportunities, including with resource fair exhibitors such as ZeeMee,  Barrel of Makers, and Schoolyard Ventures. The final round concluded with an inspiring keynote from Katlyn Grasso, founder and CEO of GenHERation. Judges for this year’s final round included Kris Vaddi, entrepreneur, scientist and member of the Horn Program advisory board, Katlyn Grasso of GenHERation, Suzanne Clough, President and CEO of  Clough Health and Wellness, LLC, Wayne Kimmel, Managing Partner of SeventySix Capital, and Delaware Joint Finance Committee Senator Harris McDowell.

 

Screen Shot 2016-04-21 at 2.41.48 PMScreen Shot 2016-04-21 at 2.40.30 PM

The results for the two competitive tracks are as follows:

Business Concept Competition:

1st place winner of $10,000: Nathan Wagener and Gabriel Werner of Retracta-Ball Pump, Severna Park, Maryland

2nd place winner of $6,500: Philip Lee, Julian Davis, and Rostam Reifschneider of Polar Solis, La Jolla, California

3rd place winner of $3,500: Aditya Ganapathi and David Hou of Notifica, Palo Alto, California

Retracta-ball

Social Venture Competition (presented by Capital One):

1st place winner of $10,000: Ludmila Zgurean, Vladlen Grecu, Daniela Tihon, and Victoria Bradescu of Do it for Bunica, Orhei, Moldova

2nd place winner of $6,500: Nicole Birkner and Diego Uribe of Fresquiticos, San Jose, Costa Rica

3rd place winner of $3,500: Michael Chan and Emily Yu of MentourU, West Chester, Pennsylvania

Do it for Bunica

Details on the Breakout Session Speakers:

  • Educators Roundtable, Dan Freeman and Julie Frieswyk of the Horn Program
  • Building Your Personal & Professional Brand, Jill Pante of the University of Delaware
  • The Process is the Inspiration, Rich Roat of House Industries
  • Data Science, America’s Most Wanted Skillset, Ryan Swartz of Capital One
  • Startup Story, Shelby Newsome of Tote Magazine
  • The Art & Science of Social Recommendations, Sue Frech of Social Media Link
  • Learn to Code, Change the World, Trevor Geise of Salesbox.io
  • What you think a job is vs. what it really is, Zach Philips of The Kitchen
  • Finding your first customers, Ben Rapkin of Parsley
  • Developing an Entrepreneurship Club at School, Ben Mathew of
  • Be a Maker!, Jessi Taylor of Barrel of Makers
  • Yes, you can!…Come up with LOTS of ideas!, Tony Middlebrooks of the Horn Program

 

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ABOUT THE DIAMOND CHALLENGE FOR HIGH SCHOOL ENTREPRENEURS

  • The Diamond Challenge empowers high students around the globe by teaching them how to generate ideas to solve real problems for customers and beneficiaries and put their ideas into action.
  • Student entrepreneurs choose to compete in either the Business Concept or the Social Venture competition.
  • Participation in The Diamond Challenge is free for all high school students.
  • Students submit written concept and pitch their new venture ideas at live events around the world or via video.
  • Entrepreneurs and business leaders evaluate business concepts based on feasibility and growth potential; social ventures are also evaluated based on social impact.
  • Cash awards may be applied towards tuition at any higher education colleges or universities, or towards advancing students’ business ideas or social ventures.

The University of Delaware Horn Program in Entrepreneurship ignites imaginations and empowers world changers through entrepreneurial education. Offerings emphasize experiential learning, evidence-based entrepreneurship and active engagement with entrepreneurs, business leaders and members of the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem. Participation in Horn Program courses and co-curricular activities provides students with the knowledge, skills, connections and access to resources needed to successfully manifest innovation and thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Media Contact:

Julie Frieswyk

julief@udel.edu

132 E. Delaware Ave, Suite 100

Newark, DE 19711

Phone: 302-831-1527

Twitter @hornprogram @diamondchalleng

Business Concept Competition Semifinal Round Results & Globechangers Bootcamp

Business Concept Competition Semifinal Round Results & Globechangers Bootcamp

Apr 19, 2016 | Press

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APRIL 21, 2016 – NEWARK, DE – Last Thursday, on April 14th, 2016, fifteen teams of high school entrepreneurs representing five US states and six countries competed in the semifinal round of the business concept track of the Diamond Challenge. The semifinal round ended a day full of entrepreneurial activity, where all the business concept semifinalists as long as the finalists for the Diamond Challenge’s social venture track were able to receive pitch coaching, attend workshops, and network among members of the entrepreneurial community. While the business concept teams competed for the coveted finalist titles, social venture teams, which competed separately online and already had finalists, participated in a Social Entrepreneurship Globechangers Bootcamp presented by the Jefferson Awards Foundation founder Sam Beard (pictured below) and Elizabeth Kennedy, National Director of the Globechangers program.

 

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The business concept teams were split into two rooms and each had to pitch in front of a panel of judges. The first room had judges Margaret O’Dwyer, President of the Delaware Youth Leadership Network, Ryan Harrington, Education Coordinator of 1313 Innovation, Jean Genzano, Director of Brand and Publisher Revenue of StumbleUpon, and Ken Anderson, Entrepreneurial and Small Business Support of the State of Delaware. The second room judges were Lisa Ford, Director of Digital Marketing Strategy of Capital One, Linda O’Hara of the Horn Program, and Donald Baker of Fame, Inc. Two teams, Polar Solis and Notifica of Southern California, immediately moved on to the final round, and teams Retracta-ball Pump and Essential Beauty of Maryland had to compete in one final pitch-off for the last finalist spot. Retracta-ball Pump snagged that spot for the final round, and the three teams joined Social Venture teams MentourU from Pennsylvania, Do it for Bunica from Moldova, and Fresquiticos from Costa Rica as the finalists for the competition.

Screen Shot 2016-04-21 at 4.36.16 PM Semifinalist pitching on Thursday, April 14th

Screen Shot 2016-04-21 at 4.36.31 PM Participants visited the Venture Development Center, home of the Horn Program in Entrepreneurship on the University of Delaware Campus on Thursday evening for an awards celebration dinner.

 A full list of semifinalist teams for the Business Concept Competition include:

 

Retracta-ball Pump

 Heather Barnstead (Advisor), Nathan Wagener, Gabriel Werner, from  Severna Park, MD, USA

 The Retracta-ball Pump is a ball pump that allows the needle to retract back into the pump, preventing the needle from being lost or damaged.

 

Essential Beauty

 Heather Barnstead (Advisor), Hannah Nicholson, Erica Szymanski from Severna Park, MD, USA

 Essential Beauty is a travel size make-up organizer that can also be used as a counter for anyone challenged with a lack of space.

 

Flow – Our Modular Keyboard 

 Jim Borden (Advisor), Brandon Howell, Hunter Meyers-Emery from Wayne, PA, USA

 Our first product is Flow: a revolutionary, modular-based keyboard that allows the user to pick and choose how they use it.

 

Hemmed

 Lesley Wallace (Advisor), Francesca Mariano, Victoria Granda, Marikate Bryan from Wilmington, DE, USA

 Hemmed will accommodate the schedules of business professionals by offering convenient and customizable tailoring services in the office.

 

DraftRivals

 Laura Victorino (Advisor), Jonathan Victorino, Akshay Padmanabhan from Danville, CA, USA

 DraftRivals: a social daily fantasy sports game that is fast and fun. Challenge your friends any time in the season to a spontaneous matchup.

 

Anti-Drone System

 Eugene Chou (Advisor), Jack Calhoun, Jeffrey Cho, Brian Patterson from Dublin, CA, USA

 A system that will keep drones and aircrafts from colliding, that is both safe and efficient. It will do minimal to no damage to a drone.

 

Notifica

 Srinivasan Ganapathi (Advisor), Aditya Ganapathi, David Hou from Palo Alto, CA, USA

 A unique security company that offers two products, one to tackle women safety and another to revolutionize the in-home monitoring of asset.

 

Polar Solis

 Jerry Fleischhacker (Advisor), George Little, Philip Lee, Julian Davis, Rostam Reifschneider from La Jolla, CA, USA

 Polar Solis is a windshield that diffracts sun glare by adjusting color and brightness to counteract the fluctuation in levels of UV light.

 

SmartWash

 Colleen Hayes (Advisor), John Downey, Patrick McKelvey, Matthew Timo from Lincroft, NJ, USA

 SmartWash aims to revolutionize the shower experience by tracking shower duration, ultimately helping to save water and your wallet.

 

Pea Band

 Martin Thompson (Advisor), Hao Yuan, Jingyu Zheng, Yi Cao, Wanqin Wen from Beijing, China

 Pea Band, a smart band with user-friendly functions such as a special charging cable, NFC communication, and USB disk functionality.

 

Healthy Spray

 Cristina Bulancea, Diana Țăruș Alina Buga (Advisor) from Chisinau, Moldova

 Healthy Spray is a unique formula with active substances designed to absorb traces of chalk from blackboard with an inviting smell. The solution interacts with chalk from the blackboard  and reduces  chalk dust  from the air of classrooms, which can cause respiratory diseases.

 

Tushurai

 Natia Gogotidze (advisor), Nino Meltsaidze, Diana khecauridze from Georgia

 Tushurai is developing entrepreneurship in Tusheti, a high mountain region of Georgia to help Tushetian and foreign visitors have an enjoyable time through a café with nice atmosphere, delicious food and entertaining activities.

 

The Phoenix Reintegration Center for Former Convicts

 Mourad Gzara (advisor), Sara Gzara, Meriam Ben Said from Tunisa

 We are presenting a center that offers a 6-months reintegration program to ex-convicts to insure them a successful reentry after release.

 

Electronic Pill Box

 Hannah Kim (advisor), Katherine Ho, Ashley Phuong from San Jose, CA, USA

 PRISM assists anyone taking many pills regularly with an all in one solution of a pillbox and an app.

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No matter where our Diamond Challenge alumni go, we are constantly amazed by how they continue to make an impact on the world for the better.

Would you like to be featured in our next highlight? Click here.

About Horn Entrepreneurship

Horn Entrepreneurship serves as the University of Delaware’s creative engine for entrepreneurship education and advancement. Built and actively supported by successful entrepreneurs and thought leaders, Horn Entrepreneurship empowers aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs as they pursue new ideas for a better world.

Follow Horn Entrepreneurship @udhorn and check out our entrepreneurship competition for high school students @diamondchalleng.

 

 

1000+ High School Students from 22 Countries Compete in 2016 Diamond Challenge

1000+ High School Students from 22 Countries Compete in 2016 Diamond Challenge

Feb 8, 2016 | Press

Diamond Challenge for High School Entrepreneurs LogoMore than 1000 high school students from around the globe are working together in teams to conceive and pitch ideas for new business concepts and social ventures as participants in the 2016 Diamond Challenge for High School Entrepreneurs. The Challenge is a signature part of the Paul and Linda McConnell Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative led by the Horn Program in Entrepreneurship at the University of Delaware.

 

“We are thrilled to reach such a broad and diverse community of high school students through the Diamond Challenge platform,” said Julie Frieswyk, manager of youth programs for UD’s Horn Program. “We’re deeply committed to providing young people around the world access to empowering educational programs and experiences that will unleash their creativity, encourage innovative thinking and inspire students to put their talents and dreams into action to create value for themselves and others.”

 

“The Diamond Challenge dares students to think creatively, collaborate effectively and work persistently to create a product that will change the world,” said John Downey, a senior at CBA high school in Lincroft, New Jersey. “The access to great mentors is also an incredibly useful tool for students looking to fine-tune a proposal or ask for an educated opinion.”

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About Horn Entrepreneurship

Horn Entrepreneurship serves as the University of Delaware’s creative engine for entrepreneurship education and advancement. Built and actively supported by successful entrepreneurs and thought leaders, Horn Entrepreneurship empowers aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs as they pursue new ideas for a better world.

Follow Horn Entrepreneurship @udhorn and check out our entrepreneurship competition for high school students @diamondchalleng.

Submission Guidelines for 2016 Teams

Submission Guidelines for 2016 Teams

Dec 28, 2015 | Press

checklist

The best preliminary round business concept submissions will tell a compelling story that provides a number of key components that are highlighted through the Ideas to Action and Venturing for Good  curriculum videos. Below you will find a list of the components to include in your team’s submission, by competition.

Business Concept Competition

(1) a profile of the typical customer;

(2) a description of the customer’s problem or point of pain;

(3) the solution you will deliver to solve the customer’s problem;

(4) an answer to the question, “Why will customers choose your solution over the competitors? (i.e. what is your unique value proposition?);

(5) your plan for making money (describe the revenue model and what fixed and variable costs you expect, i.e. product selling price, unit cost etc.);

(6) an overview of your team’s relevant experiences, skills, and resources

(7) any evidence you’ve collected to validate your claims about the problem, customer, solution, unique value proposition, and revenue model.

Social Venture Competition

(1) a profile of the typical customer and/or beneficiary;

(2) a description of the customer’s and/ beneficiary’s problem or point of pain;

(3) the solution you will deliver to solve the customer’s problem;

(4) an answer to the question, “Why will customers/beneficiaries choose your solution over other solutions currently offered?” (i.e. what is your unique value proposition?);

(5) your plan for the sustainability of your proposed solution (describe the revenue model and what fixed and variable costs you expect, as well as how the solution will continue to be delivered and/or long-term impact);

(6) an overview of your team’s relevant experiences, skills, and resources;

(7) any evidence you’ve collected to validate your claims about the problem, customer, beneficiary, solution, unique value proposition, and sustainability model, and;

(8) plans for how the solution will continue to be delivered and the projected long-term impact.

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About Horn Entrepreneurship

Horn Entrepreneurship serves as the University of Delaware’s creative engine for entrepreneurship education and advancement. Built and actively supported by successful entrepreneurs and thought leaders, Horn Entrepreneurship empowers aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs as they pursue new ideas for a better world.

Follow Horn Entrepreneurship @udhorn and check out our entrepreneurship competition for high school students @diamondchalleng.