Twelve VentureOn participants recently partook in a “Pitch Your Progress” event at the University of Delaware’s Venture Development Center (VDC) to highlight their achievements during the past semester and compete for cash prizes.

VentureOn is a program designed specifically for UD students who are actively pursuing the launch and growth of a business. Participants receive resources such as 24-hour access to the VDC, business advising and other services.

This year, VentureOn welcomed 10 new teams to the program, with a total of 30 teams. Each team was at a different stage in the development of their ventures, with some just starting up and others having already laid their foundations.

For the Pitch Your Progress event, those teams that felt they were ready for funding pitched the milestones they made while participating in VentureOn and explained what they would use the funding for.

Among the ventures that participated in the event were Vote Lock, Curing Cube, Scooper Bowl MVP, Daphne Rae Cape Cod, Murket, Revive, WilmInvest, AndAgain and SolaBrid. The winners of the event were Reviresco, Reel Tech and M & B Booking, which placed first, second and third respectively.

Founded and led by senior international relations and Chinese major Micah Petersen, Reviresco is a UD student-run nonprofit organization that aims to bridge the civilian-military divide by engaging, educating and empowering society to go beyond saying thank you for your service.

The team, which includes Petersen and executive vice president Alex Chiodo, a senior international business major, plans to use the prize money to fund its annual run from New York to Miami that raises awareness and funds for veterans.

The Reel Tech team includes junior exercise science major Matthew Phifer, junior university studies major Peter Fomin and electrical and computer engineering graduate student Gufei Zhu. Reel Tech conceptualizes and creates personal exercise devices to aid in physical therapy.

“We are excited to use the funds to finish our second functioning prototype,” said Fomin. “We are going to 3-D print components, buy electrical sensors and assemble a completed device to share with potential customers.”

The final winning team, M & B Booking, includes senior economics and public policy double major Matthew Hubner and junior music management major Benjamin Rossman. The tag team splits booking responsibilities, with Rossman covering classical bookings for churches, dinners and other formal occasions and Hubner handling bookings for bars, restaurants and private parties.

With the prize winnings, the team hopes to increase its bookings by purchasing a professional sound system and renting it to customers.

Throughout the semester, all 30 VentureOn participants dedicated a large amount of time to growing their ventures and forming relationships with other teams and mentors.

“The most rewarding thing about participating in VentureOn was the relationships built with the people in the Horn Program,” said Fomin. “From faculty, staff, mentors and students there exudes a feeling that is best described as family.”

About the Horn Program in Entrepreneurship

The Horn Program in Entrepreneurship ignites imaginations and empowers world changers through educational offerings that emphasize experiential learning, evidence-based entrepreneurship and active engagement with entrepreneurs and other members of the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Through participation in Horn Program offerings, students gain the knowledge, skills, personal capacities, experiences, connections and access to resources needed to successfully manifest innovation and thrive in a rapidly changing world.