The final round of Hen Hatch featured four teams with widely divergent concepts: straws that change color to discreetly reveal spiked drinks, an app for women to manage chronic health conditions, a clothing line that supports animal shelters and autonomous robots that look for leaks in water lines.

When University of Delaware alumna Maya Nazareth secured a $300,000 investment on Shark Tank this year for her company Alchemize Fightwear, she became the latest example of a Blue Hen turning an idea into national impact. Her rapid growth in the combat-sports apparel market reflects the entrepreneurial mindset fostered at UD and arrives as Horn Entrepreneurship earns new national recognition.

After six years of service in the United States Air Force, Evan McArdle, class of 2025, found a new mission: protecting the planet.