Dingman Center Angels: Entrepreneurs
Eligibility & Application Process
To be eligible to apply, the company must be located in the Mid-Atlantic
region (Maryland, D.C., Virginia, or Delaware); at this time, we do not consider
applicants located outside of this region. The applicant should be seeking
between $150,000 and $1,000,000 of equity financing. A complete application must
be submitted, which includes Executive Summary, Financials and Business Plan.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and you should apply when:
- Your product is developed or near completion
- You have existing or potential customers who will confirm they will buy from
you
- You can demonstrate that the business is likely to grow rapidly, is scalable
and has sufficient untapped market potential
- Well defined sales/marketing strategy with defendable market differentiation
- Compelling business model to reach at least $15 million in revenue in the next
3-7 years
|
Meeting Date |
Application Deadline |
| Wednesday, September 12, 2012 |
Wednesday, August 01, 2012 |
| Wednesday, October 10, 2012 |
Saturday, September 01, 2012 |
| Wednesday, November 14, 2012 |
Monday, October 01, 2012 |
| Wednesday, December 12, 2012 |
Thursday, November 01, 2012 |
| Wednesday, January 16, 2013 |
Saturday, December 01, 2012 |
| Wednesday, February 13, 2013 |
Tuesday, January 01, 2013 |
| Wednesday, March 13, 2013 |
Friday, February 01, 2013 |
| Wednesday, April 10, 2013 |
Friday, March 01, 2013 |
| Wednesday, May 08, 2013 |
Monday, April 01, 2013 |
| Wednesday, June 12, 2013 |
Wednesday, May 01, 2013 |
| Step 1: Submit Application |
| Dingman Center Angels accepts applications through Gust. There is a
$75 application fee payable by credit card at the time of application. To apply, please follow this link:
Dingman Center Angels Application. |
| Step 2: Pre-Screening |
| Following an initial screening of your application by our team, we will send you
an email to inform you of whether your application has been advanced to a phone
screening. |
| Step 3: Preview and Coaching |
| Selected companies present their investor pitch via conference call.
The Dingman Center Angels team conducts due diligence of the product,
financial plan and business team and then provides documented feedback.
Through this rigorous coaching process, our goal is to prepare you to
successfully meet investors throughout the region. |
| Step 4: Review Committee |
| Final candidates are invited to present to our Dingman Center Angels
Review Committee, including Dingman Center Entrepreneurs-in-Residence
and select angel investors. These coaches are professionals who have
experience in raising capital across many industries and will provide
real-time feedback on content and delivery. |
| Step 5: Investor Presentation |
| Invited entrepreneurs deliver their presentation at a formal Dingman
Center Angels Investor Breakfast event, held the second Wednesday of
each month from September to June. |
| Step 6: Investor Follow-Up |
| Our Investors make their own decisions about which companies, and
how much, to invest. They lead their own due diligence and negotiations
with the company. Investors with a mutual interest in a particular
company may collaborate to provide feedback and/or pursue an investment
in a company. Investors may choose to directly contact an entrepreneur
or request facilitation of a meeting through the Dingman Center. |
| Step 7: Dingman Center Connectivity |
| After presenting to Dingman Center Angels, we ask presenting
companies to keep connected with the Dingman Center so we can update our
investors on your company’s progress and milestones. |
If Your Application is Not Approved
If your application is not selected, we will provide you with
recommendations/resources to pursue for additional mentoring. We encourage you
to keep us posted on any salient developments as you continue to build your
company. You may reapply to Dingman Center Angels at a future date.
Concerned About Disclosure?
Dingman Center Angels does not sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs). This is a
common apprehension for most entrepreneurs. However, most professionals and
venture capitalists will NOT sign an NDA until some time late in the due
diligence process. A company presenting to Dingman Center Angels, or to any
private or institutional investors outside of Dingman Center Angels, should
prepare its business plan and presentation in such a way that its secrets are
not fully revealed. Most ideas which entrepreneurs are afraid to disclose have
to do with scientific or technical details. Entrepreneurs need to realize that
investors are not concerned about such details in the first or second meeting.
What they are concerned about is: the market need; the cure for the need; the
demonstration of a large and growing market; validation of product or service
viability; and the management team and its capability to execute the business
plan.
What are entrepreneurs saying?
"Pitching to the Dingman Center Angels was
a great experience. I received very specific feedback on YouEye's pitch, advice
on monetization strategy, and of some strong investments from "smart money"
investors. I would highly recommend the Dingman Center Angels network to area
entrepreneurs looking for funding."
- Kyle Henderson, YouEye
