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.
In the newly released 2026 Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine rankings, UD’s undergraduate entrepreneurship program rose two spots into the Top 25 nationally and remains third in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Why Horn Entrepreneurship ranked among the nation’s best
According to Princeton Review and Entrepreneur, UD’s Horn Entrepreneurship stood out because of its relevant and accessible programming for all UD students, offering multiple pathways into innovation. In addition to the entrepreneurship major, these include seven undergraduate certificates spanning entrepreneurial leadership, social innovation, design and creative making, eco-entrepreneurship, technology commercialization, health innovation and food systems innovation.
“Horn Entrepreneurship’s number one goal is to provide relevant and empowering educational opportunities to every UD student, regardless of major, so that they can develop the mindsets, skillsets, and means needed to creatively solve problems and create value in any organizational context,” said Dan Freeman, Horn Entrepreneurship founding director and associate professor of marketing.
“The Princeton Review ranking reflects our progress toward goal accomplishment and is a credit to the hard work and extraordinary contributions of the entire Horn community.”
Together with the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, Horn Entrepreneurship’s emphasis on community building and a unified entrepreneurial culture was also central to the ranking. The program operates more than 50 programs and events that strengthen students’ skills, networks and access to resources, including selective enrichment opportunities like the Delaware Innovation Fellows and Siegfried Fellows.
“Horn Entrepreneurship’s rise into the Top 25 underscores the national impact of a UD Lerner education,” said Oliver Yao, dean of the Lerner College of Business and Economics.
“Our strategic priority is to deliver a distinctive, experience-rich learning environment that empowers students to innovate with purpose. This recognition reflects how Lerner and Horn prepare graduates to lead, create and make meaningful contributions in a rapidly changing world.”
A signature example is Summer Founders, UD’s pre-accelerator that provides stipends, mentorship and investor feedback to help students work full-time on their ventures. The program recently marked a decade of student-led innovation across campus.
As Nazareth’s success demonstrates, the impact of this ecosystem continues well beyond graduation. Her national recognition highlights the type of entrepreneurial outcomes that contributed to Horn’s rising position among the country’s top programs.