Spin In
Spin In® is an experiential learning program to stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship in the student community. The program utilizes University assets and partnerships to provide interdisciplinary teams of students with unique opportunities to solve real-world business problems within a real-world entrepreneurial start-up environment. This results in the development of new products, businesses with scalable opportunities, jobs, and a highly skilled workforce to support regional industries and initiatives.
What We Do
The Spin In Program:
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Stimulates innovation and entrepreneurship in the student community through practical, real-world experiences.
Workforce Development
Supports workforce development through experiential learning to maximize job success and career pathways.
Economic Development
Contributes to economic development through the potential creation of new products, businesses and/or jobs.
How We Do It
Spin In partners interdisciplinary teams of students with research faculty, experienced entrepreneurs or innovative companies to solve or recommend solutions to technical and business challenges. Teams consist of qualified students with required skill sets based on the entrepreneur’s proposal and preliminary research indicating market potential. Each Spin In team experience is unique to its goal, its plan and team size. Together, with Spin In leadership and mentors, entrepreneurs remain an integral part of the program and guide student teams as they develop an entrepreneurial approach to solutions and develop workforce readiness skills.
With appropriate mentoring, students not only develop solutions to challenges, but generate economic development that can result in potential to create new products, new businesses, new opportunities.
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Spin In | OEIP | University of Delaware 40+
Projects
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Spin In | OEIP | University of Delaware 200+
Students
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Spin In | OEIP | University of Delaware 17
New Products
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Spin In | OEIP | University of Delaware 5
New Businesses
Who Should Participate
STUDENTS
Undergraduate and graduate students seeking experiential learning opportunities with backgrounds in business, engineering, development, policy, entrepreneurship, and many other fields.
Eager to engage with entrepreneurs and companies to develop innovative solutions to technical challenges
BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING
Mentored opportunity to apply classroom knowledge to world challenges creating real-world impact
On campus employment opportunity in your field of study.
Work as an interdisciplinary product development team while gaining experience in areas of project management, leadership, engineering design, data management, market planning, and methods to advance commercialization.
ENTREPRENEURS
With an early innovation concept ready for development that isn’t crucial to the overall business
Willing to engage with an interdisciplinary student team in a mentoring role
BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING
- Engage with students and coach them through an entrepreneurial process to build real-world working skills
- View one’s own innovation through a different lens
- Access to the resources UD can provide.
- A chance to see talent and ideas that you might incorporate into your company
MENTORS
With prior startup or entrepreneurship company experience?
Willing to engage with an interdisciplinary student team in a mentoring role throughout the process.
BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING
Inspire creativity in yourself and others
Engage with faculty and entrepreneurs in the commercialization of new technologies
Contribute to OEIP’s growing Spin In program with potential to create new products, businesses, and opportunities at UD, a first-class research institution
What others are saying
STUDENT TEAM SPOTLIGHT
Amy Lalime, Product & Marketing Mgr., mTrigger, LLC
"In 2015 the University provided capstone classes, but experiential learning was rare other than off-campus internships. Spin In was a perfect fit. It is on campus, conforms to your schedule and connects classroom theory with real-world practice. The collaborative nature allowed team members to have a real impact while mastering skills both in and outside of one’s individual field of study. Skills I developed in Spin In - such as collaborative work, goal-setting, identifying project parameters and scope, and creating informative deliverables – have brought value to my career post-graduation."
ENTREPRENEUR SPOTLIGHT
Brian Pryor, co-founder and CEO at LiteCure
"[I have found that] the Spin In program offers many benefits to both students and mentors. It establishes a unique connection between education and entrepreneurship. As an entrepreneur, you can gain access to new perspectives and talent, which could create short- and long-term opportunities for your company. Through mentorship, you also get the chance to reflect on your own roles and experiences while helping students gain real-world skills."
MENTOR SPOTLIGHT
Sara Parkison, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on environmental justice engagements fellow
“As a Ph.D. candidate and fulfilling a mentor role of a Spin In team I was able to publish a paper that grew from the work we [Spin In team] had done together. The detail of the diverse engineering thinking and that of policy and data management brought expertise into the interdisciplinary team I would not have considered myself. At times I taught the principles of entrepreneurial processes but shortly into the first semester weekly meetings became about sharing results that week and reorganizing for the next week. All the expertise in one group self-created the avenue to discovery. Working with the students was an opportunity that I am so grateful for.”
Spin in® Stories and News
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Spin In-Life Lessons and Attaining Personal Goals
October 31, 2023 | Written by Vanessa Spence -
Origins Of A Company Includes the OEIP Spin In® Team
October 31, 2023 | Written by Vanessa Spence -
The Power of "Spin In"
August 28, 2023 | Written by Beth Miller and Vanessa Manges-spence -
Mentoring 101: Looking for That Aha Moment!
May 17, 2023 | Written by Vanessa Spence
International Students
If you are an F-1 or J-1 international student considering work, volunteering, self-employment, or start-up ventures (even if they are part of a class project or as part of your program of study), please contact an immigration advisor at the Center for Global Programs & Services (CGPS) to discuss your options and requirements for maintaining status in the U.S. Additional information can be found on the ISSS Employment page.
Program Sponsors
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Spin In | OEIP | University of Delaware 
EDA University Center
In 2021, the University of Delaware Spin In Program was awarded and designated as an EDA University Center.
For more information, please visit the EDA website or learn about the University of Delaware’s designation as an EDA University Center.