For 10 years, UD’s Horn Entrepreneurship program has nurtured innovators and their ideas for everything from food trucks to fuel cells, sustainability to social justice. But the nationally ranked program is itself a grand vision, spearheaded by Charlie Horn, AS75, and supported by leaders from across campus to empower the change makers of tomorrow. Here, founding director Dan Freeman reflects on some of Horn’s milestone moments, that reality show you love to binge, and why there’s no such thing as a million-dollar idea… 

The projects and innovations to come out of Horn have run the gamut—from new technology for reducing pesticide use in agricultural fields to women-focused clothing for mixed martial arts. Do you have a favorite, or is this like asking for a favorite child? I have an affinity for projects that are ultimately about helping people. When the U.S. was still involved in Iraq and Afghanistan, returning Blue Hen veterans sat in classrooms with 18- or 19-year-old knuckleheads and had a hard time feeling like they fit, so they put together a veteran-specific orientation to the University, a model they eventually disseminated beyond this campus.

What separates a good idea from a dud? That’s one of the great mythologies in entrepreneurship: the notion of the million dollar idea. What’s really more important is to find a problem that you’re in love with, something you’re super passionate about solving.

What’s your bucket-list problem? I want other people to feel like I do: If the University disappeared tomorrow, I would be disappointed to lose my tenured job, but I’d be fine, because I have the mindset and skillset to be able to do something new. So my dream is helping students understand they have this power to control their own circumstances. They don’t have to be stuck by the convention—they can challenge the status quo and create something new that makes the world a better place for us all.

Can anyone do this, or does being an entrepreneur require something innate? Some people are more predisposed, but everyone can develop an entrepreneurial mindset and skillset. 

How? The first step is recognizing that things don’t have to be the way they are. As an example, the University system: Is there any magic to why we take five classes a semester for 14 weeks? I don’t believe this structure is designed to optimize learning, so why not question it? Steve Jobs has a great quote that captures the Horn ethos: “Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you… and you can change it.”

Steve Jobs is one of several famous entrepreneurs who didn’t finish college. For the entrepreneurially minded, is there really any value to a higher education? I agree that the value in a very traditional program would be dubious. But we offer experiential learning to the nth degree, in a sandbox where it’s okay to fail. You can incubate an idea in a safe, supportive place that equalizes the playing field if you don’t have a lot of capital or resources, and you can leverage all the University has to offer in terms of interdisciplinary expertise, facilities, and equipment. Also, what’s baked into every aspect of our program are limitless opportunities to make connections. As a result, students discover their interests and develop their means to succeed in innovation and entrepreneurship in powerful ways that would be very difficult to replicate outside of a higher education environment like the one Horn Entrepreneurship offers. 

Still, all the resources in the world couldn’t entice some people into the entrepreneurial life. What separates this group? It isn’t that they have ideas, necessarily, or that they’re creative, necessarily. It’s that they actually do something about it. They take action. You can’t be afraid to fail.

Not being afraid to fail requires… what, exactly? Bravery? Naivety? Arrogance?  It can be hubris, but more often there’s a profound sense of purpose involved in solving a consequential problem. 

But when the threat of failure is real, how do you walk that line: instilling a sense of reality without instilling fear or killing a passion? We’ll tell students if it seems like they’re proposing to sell dollar bills for 90 cents, or if they’re putting the cart way before the horse. We also advise them on testing and validating new ideas before wasting too much time and money. But, at the end of the day, we let them know: It doesn’t matter what we think. It’s the market that ultimately decides. Solutions that solve real, consequential problems and offer unique value generally win. 

When you spend your life surrounded by innovators who are challenging the status quo, is it difficult to ever just… feel content? You start to see suboptimal situations everywhere, and you can’t help but question why things are done a particular way. Prior to the pandemic, I would describe having an entrepreneurial mindset like getting infected with a virus—once you have it, you can’t get rid of it. But this chronic dissatisfaction with the status quo doesn't mean you can’t savor the moment you’re in. Part of our curriculum is a mindfulness class for creators, innovators and entrepreneurs, to help them live in the moment. It also helps them to be more empathetic, important if you're trying to meet the needs of a customer or bring people together around a shared vision. It’s part of the more holistic approach that we preach.

You don’t exactly see mindfulness and empathy popping up in the cutthroat world of, say, Shark Tank. What do you think of the show? I think it perpetuates the mythology of the great idea and romanticizes venture capital in a way that’s not particularly healthy. Venture capital is very expensive capital. If I were going to watch an hour of TV along those lines, I’d opt for The Profit instead.

You have a background in consumer psychology. Tell me something about consumer behavior that would blow minds. Most would be shocked by how much digital exhaust they’re leaving behind, and the extent to which marketers track that exhaust. Your clicks and purchases are used to create pretty robust profiles on you. If I’m at Walgreens to buy candy, I won’t use my loyalty card for the transaction, because I don’t want it part of my permanent record—it’s only a matter of time before insurance rates are based on how healthy your purchases are. 

After 10 years with Horn, what’s on the highlight reel? Definitely that we’ve been among the fastest—if not the fastest—to gain recognition as a top school for entrepreneurship, even without doing anything specific to try; we just built the program we thought made sense. Then there’s our award-winning youth program that brings high school student innovators together from around the world for an annual pitch competition. But a huge highlight for me has been all of the amazing, accomplished people who’ve been inspired to commit their time, talent and, in many cases, treasure to help advance the vision of empowering students through entrepreneurship education. On a personal level, it’s been humbling. 

Where do you see Horn in another 10 years? Right now, we engage with about 1,500 UD students in a given year. By 2032, I think we can easily double that. We can add graduate programs, launch a venture fund to support UD spin outs and become our own independent school of innovation within the University. With leadership support, Horn can help to position UD and the state of Delaware at the forefront of entrepreneurship and innovation. I really believe we can transform our campus culture and the broader community.