Fall News
Venture Capitalists,
mark your calendars for the 8th Annual DC Tech
Council's Early
Stage Capital Forum. Save the dates for our next
Capital
Access Network Breakfast, November 15 and
Technology
Visionary Series Panel, December 13 at the University of Maryland,
College Park.
Entrepreneurs,
the Dingman Center is proud to announce the launch
of its revised Mentor Program.
Dingman Center staff and experienced mentors are
available every Tuesday from 8 - 11 a.m. to provide
support and resources to help your company make a
leap forward in its business. Appointment required.
If you missed last month's
Dingman Day
Lunch featuring Hands On Toys be sure read the
event summary
below. The next lunch is scheduled for
December 1 featuring
2001 UMD Alum, Haroon Mokhtarzada, CEO of Freewebs, don't miss it!
Students,
be sure to mark your
calendars for Friday, December 1 for our
Dingman Day Lunch
featuring 2001 UMD Alumni, Haroon Mokhtarzada, CEO
of Freewebs, a 10 million member Internet company
that recently received $11 million in financing!
If you didn't catch the last Dingman Day Lunch read what
you missed in our
event summary.
The Dingman Center went on it's first
Dingman Day Field Trip
of the semester. Read more
about what students learned and sign up for the next
outing! You also won't want to miss the Office of Career
Management's
"Careers In..."
Entrepreneurship Panel discussion featuring the
successful entrepreneurs of the Dingman Center!
Also, be sure to get your
pitches ready for our weekly
Pitch Dingman
Review sessions every Friday from 11:00 a.m. to
12:00 p.m. in 3570 VMH and our next $500 monthly
competition December 8. Read about our October's
$500 Pitch Dingman Competition winners.
Other interesting
links:
Upcoming Events
Dingman Day Lunch
Featuring 2001 UMD
Alumni Haroon
Mokhtarzada, CEO of Freewebs
Friday, December 1, 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m., 1511 Van Munching Hall
The Internet fairytale: Once upon a time three
brothers, two thousand dollars and one server turned a
company called Freewebs into a 12 million member and
11 million dollar entrepreneurial success!
 It
all started in 2001, like any Internet fairy tale:
three
brothers, two thousand dollars and one server in the
closet. The brothers Mokhtarzada figured everyone's
getting an email address…one day everyone will have
a website, too. So they set out to create a site
building service easy enough for their mother to
use.
And
they succeeded. Over 12 million members around the
world have created their websites at Freewebs. And
they remain focused on the original mission. In
fact, Freewebs guarantees that anyone with an
Internet connection and something to say can easily
create and share a complete, high-quality
website…for free!
After 5 years of steady growth, Freewebs gained a
vibrant community with millions of members, and a
lot more servers. Freewebs received its Series A
funding from Novak Biddle Venture Partners and
Columbia Capital in August 2006. Phil Bronner (from
Novak Biddle) and Arun Gupta (from Columbia Capital)
joined the Board of Directors. They serve alongside
co-founder and CEO Haroon Mokhtarzada, President
Shervin Pishevar and Bobby Yazdani, CEO of Saba
Software.
For more
information contact
Andrea
Galati or
Click here to register!!
Celebrate International Education Week
A look at several vital
UM disciplines and faculty involvement with China in
education, the sciences, business, language, and
communication. Speakers from across campus will
discuss their initiatives in China. A light buffet
lunch will be served. For more information contact
Rebecca McGinnis at 301-405-0213 or
rmcginni@umd.edu.
Wednesday, November 15, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m., St.
Mary's Hall/Language House, Room 0105
"Careers In..." Entrepreneur Panel in
partnership with the Office of Career Management
“Careers in…” Panel
Discussions: Is a series of monthly panel
discussions being planned this Fall semester. Each
discussion will highlight career paths in various
business sectors that students can pursue. The goal
of each panel discussion is to provide students with
new information and, hopefully, spark an interest in
career paths that may be unfamiliar to them. Topics
for this year include: health care, government,
sales and marketing, sports, international business,
and non-profits.
For
more information contact
Andrea
Galati or
David
Wilmes from the Office of Career Management.
Thursday,
November 16, 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., 1520 Van
Munching Hall
Pitch Dingman
Review at Rockville Starbucks for PTMBA Shady Grove
Students, faculty and
staff of the University of Maryland community are
invited to pitch their business ideas to the Dingman
Center for assessment and feedback. Business ideas
found viable will find further support from the
Dingman Center.
Wednesday, November
29, 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m., Wintergreen Plaza,
865 Rockville Pike,
Rockville Md., 20852
Pitch Dingman $500 Competition
— 5 minutes is all it takes to win $500!
Come to the monthly competition, present your
business idea in five minutes to a panel of judges from
the Dingman Center, and you could win
$500!
For
information about the weekly Pitch Dingman sessions
on Fridays or the monthly Pitch Dingman
competitions, e-mail
Melissa
Carrier. Pre-registration is required for the
Pitch Dingman Competition. To pre-register, contact
Melissa
Carrier.
Friday, December 8, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.,
3570 Van Munching Hall
Capital Access
Network Review Day
Students and faculty are invited to hear start-up
companies present to our
Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and Dingman staff as they
prepare for Capital Access Network angel investor
presentations. Listen to feedback by our experts,
give some advice of your own, and learn about some
of the new businesses being started today. It's a
great experience for everyone!
To Register, click here!!
—
Presentations begin
at 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 1:00 p.m.
Please arrive promptly for the time slots you wish
to attend.
Friday,
December 15, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., 1518 Van
Munching Hall
Ongoing
Events
Mentor Day
The Mentor Program at
the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship is an
innovative consulting service for entrepreneurs and
small-medium businesses that assists companies in
identifying solutions to business problems with the
support of experienced, senior management
professionals. Office hours begin on September 19
and continue every Tuesday from 8:00 a.m. - 11:00
a.m. Contact
Melissa
Carrier for an appointment or for more details.
Additionally, consultative services will be
available for select companies looking for
longer-term support from mentors at $250/hour
payable to the Dingman Center.
Every Tuesday, 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., 3570 Van Munching Hall
Pitch
Dingman Review
The 2006-2007 Pitch
Dingman program is held every Friday.
Students, faculty and staff of the University of
Maryland community are invited to pitch their
business ideas to the Dingman Center for assessment
and feedback. Business ideas found viable will find
further support from the Dingman Center.
Every Friday, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., 3570 Van Munching
Hall
CAN Breakfast
(invitation only)
The CAN Breakfasts are by invitation
only to angel investors who are
qualified investors in the CAN
network. Investors will have an
opportunity to hear a 10 minute
presentation from approximately four start-up entrepreneurs who are
seeking funding for their business.
For more information on the CAN
Program and to participate, contact
Melissa Carrier. Upcoming CAN Breakfasts will be held
November
15 and January 10.
Technology Visionary Series — The
Digital Divide (invitation only)
The Tech Visionary panel brings
together researchers and thought
leaders from the University of
Maryland to provide insight to the
venture capital community as to how
to understand technological
developments and what market
opportunities are ripe for
investment over the coming years.
For more information about this
event and to receive an invitation,
contact
Andrea Galati. The next panel
discussion will be held December 13.
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Event Summaries
Dingman Day Field Trip to
the Taxi Industry — October 18
On
October 18th, a select group of Smith
School students joined Managing Director Asher
Epstein on an educational field trip to the leading
taxi cab company in the Washington, D.C. area,
District Cab Company. There
students met with President of the company, Jerry
Schaeffer, and
got to see an entrepreneur at work.
President and Owner,
Jerry
Schaeffer,
informed students that his father drove taxis for a
living all his life. He and his brothers took their
knowledge and experience and built an entire
industry around the taxi cab business. Today,
Mr. Schaeffer owns
several hundred taxi cabs that he rents or sells to
drivers, a body shop where drivers take their cars
for repairs and an insurance company that insures
all the taxis in the area. The business has
continued to grow for over 35 years.
Students learned a great deal about the taxi service
market and are now working on evaluating
opportunities for chauffeured car services in and
around campus.
For
more information about the next Dingman Day Field
Trip or to suggest possible excursions contact
Andrea Galati.
Dingman Day
Lunch featuring Hands On Toys - October 27
At the Dingman Day Lunch
on October 27, Andy Farrar, CEO and founder of
HandsOnToys, Inc. spoke about entrepreneurship and
his experiences in the toy market. He shared his
company's history, their struggle and what it took
to get his company to the next level. His passion and
spirit for playfulness captivated the crowd.
In
1993, Farrar teamed up with Arthur Gansor and Rustam
T. Booz and developed the idea of a toy company that
would bring innovative and imaginative products to
the toy market. Gansor, a kinetic sculptor, came up
with the idea for a toy he called Toobers & Zots — a
construction toy set which would include long foam
tubes with wires inside and foam shapes that connect
to the tubes so children could build their own
structures. With the help of Farrar and Booz, the
idea came to life. The team soon realized they had
designed a toy like no other on the market and quit
their jobs to focus on the product and budding
company.
Farrar and his partners got $50,000 from family and
friends which was mainly spent on marketing
materials for Toobers & Zots. They also took their
idea on the road. After attending a New York gift
show, Farrar and his partners realized the best way
to get people interested would be to send out
samples. In doing so, they acquired big-time
investor Randy Burton, former CEO of Parker Brothers
and, subsequently, $2 million in investments. Later,
the team took Toobers & Zots to the New York City
Toy Fair and gave away a piece of the toy to
everyone who approached their booth. That year, they
left the fair with an order for 50,000 units, spent
their raised capital to make a proper factory, and
won the Toy of the Year award. But things went
downhill quickly.
Customers began to realize that the wires inside the
foam tubes didn't stay put and production began to
slow. After only 18 months on the market, sales were
up $10 million, but in 1997 they plummeted to $2
million. Farrar and his partners were forced to cut
back any where they could. To help alleviate some of
their problems, the team invented a new pet toy —
Wiggly Giggly. It helped to make HandsOnToys, Inc.
profitable again, but in 2000, when one dog ate the
toy and died, Farrar and his team were forced to
pull it from the market.
Their next invention was Floam, a craft instead of a
toy, something the team believed could profit with
TV advertising. With the help of Nickelodeon they
sold 1.5 million in one month and realized that
partnering with larger companies was the key to
success. They have now been in the toy business for
12 years and, as of Sept. 30, 2006, are almost completely
debt free even though they are “always looking for
ways to finance.”
HandsOnToys, Inc. has only five employees and,
according to Farrar, is structured so that if sales
happen to drop again they can still remain profitable.
They have a passion for innovation, design,
marketing and a strong entrepreneurship spirit.
“We're about building brands. We try to introduce a
new brand each year,” Farrar said.
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Dingman Center Nationally Recognized
for
Outstanding Contributions to
Business Creation and Growth
The Dingman Center for
Entrepreneurship from the University
of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School
of Business recently gained top
honors as one of only two U.S.
schools to be recognized by the
National Consortium of
Entrepreneurship (NCEC) for its
outstanding contributions to
enterprise creation and growth.
Rudy Lamone, founder of the Dingman
Center, accepted the
NCEC's Award for Outstanding
Contribution to Enterprise Creation
on behalf of the center during the
NCEC 10th Annual Consortium held on
October 13-14.
“The NCEC offers a unique
opportunity for entrepreneurship
centers to interact and share
resources,” said Lamone, who is also
a co-founder of the NCEC and a
member of its Executive Council.
“The Dingman Center has long been
recognized as a significant regional
resource for emerging entrepreneurs
and I hope centers can benefit from
Dingman's best practices in
supporting new enterprise
development.”
The award acknowledges exceptional
university-based entrepreneurship
centers and is given annually. The
Dingman Center was recognized for
the sizable number of viable
businesses it has helped students and
area entrepreneurs establish; as
well as for its outstanding results
in linking its academic programs and
activities to specific enterprise
outcomes. Among the initiatives
sponsored by the Dingman Center that
promote new enterprise development
are: Pitch Dingman Competition, the
Mentor Program, Dingman Process
Workshops, and the annual Cupid's
Cup Business Competition.
The Dingman Center has been
recognized with a number of NCEC
awards at previous annual
consortiums, including a prestigious
NASDAQ National Center of Excellence
Award and an Award for Excellence in
Entrepreneurship Teaching and
Pedagogical Innovation. Lamone was
honored by NCEC and recognized for
his outstanding individual
contributions when we has presented
with a Distinguished Service Award
in 2005.
The NCEC was founded in 1996 through
the efforts of the University of
Maryland and the Kauffman
Foundation. The organization aims to
share best practices among
university-based entrepreneurship
centers.
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Dingman Portfolio Company,
Goozex,
lands
feature article in the Washington
Post
Anger From
1 Ripoff + 2 MBAs = a Game Plan
By
Mike Musgrove
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 6, 2006; D01
Here's how
Jon Dugan's business idea was
born: Last year, Dugan, a
student at the University of
Maryland, went to a
used-video-game store with his
brother and a pile of Xbox
games. For a stack of 17 used
titles, they got $34 in store
credit. Out of curiosity, the
two went back to the store the
next day. The games they traded
in had been put on the shelves
with prices ranging from $12.99
to $32.99.
"We got
ripped off," said Dugan, 23.
It wasn't the
first time he had felt like
that, but this time he came up
with a plan. This summer, he
launched a Web site to help game
fans get a better deal — and
eventually make some money for
himself. On Goozex, gamers can
save some bucks by connecting
with each other online and
trading games through the mail.
Dugan, a
senior criminal justice major,
runs the site with two partners,
friends who recently graduated
with MBAs.
This isn't
just a few college guys with a
hobby and a Web site; it's a
registered business seeking
venture capital investment.
Goozex Inc. is incorporated
in Maryland and has three
employees, each with a title:
Dugan is the chief operating
officer, Mark Nebesky is
director of marketing, and
Valerio Zanini is chief
executive. All are lifelong
video game fans who have sought
internships or jobs in the
industry, but it's a tough field
to crack. Dugan, for example,
has a friend at game-publishing
giant
Electronic Arts Inc. who did
copying and gofer work for three
years before landing a job as a
lowly bug tester.
Goozex
members pay a dollar per
transaction to use the site's
matchmaking service and store up
points that serve as a form of
currency toward future trades.
Send out an old Game Boy title
and you might earn 100 Goozex
points. Send out a new-ish Xbox
360 title and you might rack up
850 points. You spend the points
when somebody else has a game
that you want. The business
model is similar in spirit to
such trading services as Lala
for CDs and Peerflix for DVDs.
Goozex is a shortened
version of Dugan's original,
less-snappy name for the
service: "Goods Exchanged."
Friends encouraged him to go
with the shorter name — and it
didn't hurt that the Goozex.com
domain name was available.
Goozex has 1,500 users
trading a collective library of
almost 7,000 games, for systems
ranging from the defunct Sega
Dreamcast game console to the
Xbox 360. The service's most
avid user is a guy in Colorado
who somehow goes through 20 to
30 games in a month, Dugan said.
With the recent addition of a
customer in Alaska, the company
has a user in every state; the
next goal is to make Goozex
available in Canada.
Video games
can be an expensive hobby. Take
the new Xbox 360 console: The
premium unit costs $400, and
many games for the system cost
$60. Many users would also want
a spare controller ($50), a
year-long online subscription
($50) or a wireless network
adapter ($99). It adds up
quickly, especially since some
of the most avid players are
cash-strapped college students.
Like any good
MBA, Nebesky can recite some of
the numbers for his target
market off the top of his head:
The used-game market is
estimated to be an $800 million
business, according to research
firm NPD Group Inc. Some
industry researchers say the
business will double by 2008.
But
discount-game experts say
trading games is a tough
business model to make work. "If
I thought I could make money off
of this, I would do it myself,"
said David Abrams, known to
gamers as CheapyD online. Even
though Abrams is something of a
skeptic, his Web site has been
one of the biggest sources of
new Goozex users.
Goozex has a
few competitors that sprang up
quickly after the site's launch
in July. But at bargain-hunting
Web sites such as GamerDad,
readers and users have been
leaning toward Goozex. It has a
reputation for having a better
selection, an easy-to-use
interface and responsive
customer service.
"People ship
stuff in very good condition,
they ship when they say, and
wrap it well and it arrives in a
timely fashion," Michael
Anderson, a fan of handheld
games, said in an e-mail
interview. Anderson has unloaded
six old games from his
collection and received five in
the mail from his fellow
members. He had planned to buy
some of the games he got through
Goozex at a retail store but
saved about $120 by trading
instead.
Nebesky hopes
that such satisfied customers
will spread the word. Most of
his marketing work is done
online, at such sites as
GrrlGamer and Evil Avatar, but
when Nebesky went to a wedding
on the West Coast a few months
ago, he made side trips to
college campuses and handed out
Goozex fliers. He has also been
brainstorming about how to reach
gamers in the military, another
target demographic.
Dugan and
Nebesky said they have used
their own service. Nebesky is
playing a game he recently got
called Lego Star Wars II, and
Dugan is expecting Saints Row
for the Xbox 360 in the mail
soon. But the two said the
demands of their new venture
have taken a toll on their
favorite hobby.
Between
classes and business calls,
Dugan said, "I hardly have time
for games these days."
To read the
article online
click here.
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October's $500 Pitch Dingman
Competition Winners!
Book Bazaar Wins the October 2006
Round of the Pitch Dingman
Competition
Phil Crosby and Adi
Unnithan win $500 for five-minute
business pitch
The
Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship
at the University of Maryland's
Robert H. Smith School of Business
held its second “Pitch Dingman”
competition of Fall 2006 on Friday,
Oct. 27, 2006. Pitch Dingman is a
monthly contest open to all members
of the University of Maryland
community — including students,
faculty and staff — that is designed
to promote entrepreneurship and the
launch of new businesses. The format
allows for a five-minute
presentation of a business idea
followed by three minutes of
questions and feedback. The contest
judges include a combination of
Dingman MBA student scholars and
entrepreneurs-in-residence.
UMD
graduate Phil Crosby and Adi
Unnithan received the First Place
prize of $500 at October's Pitch
Dingman competition for their
business idea, Book Bazaar. In his
presentation, Crosby described Book
Bazaar as, “an online community for
interacting with books.” The website
is geared toward avid readers and
book enthusiasts who are interested
in discussing books, sharing reading
lists, and discovering new books and
authors. The team has completed the
‘alpha' stage of development on the
Book Bazaar site (www.book-bazaar.com)
and plans a ‘beta' release within
the next two months. Crosby and
Unnithan will use their $500 prize
to purchase needed computer hardware
and offset Internet-connectivity
costs.
The
Pitch Dingman Competition is held
monthly at the Dingman Center for
Entrepreneurship at the University
of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School
of Business. The last Pitch Dingman
Competition for 2006 will be held on
Dec. 8, 2006. Competition dates
for 2007 are: Feb. 9, 2007;
March 9, 2007; April 13, 2007; May
11, 2007. Working sessions
(non-competitive sessions) are held
at the Dingman Center each Friday
from 11a.m. to 12 p.m. to assist
entrepreneurs in preparing their
pitches and to offer feedback and
advice once competitors' businesses
are up and running. For more
information about the Pitch Dingman
Competition, the Pitch Dingman work
sessions, and to register as a
participant, email
PitchDingman@rhsmith.umd.edu.
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Upcoming Partnered Events
Defend America
Challenge sponsored by Chesapeake
Innovation Center
The
Chesapeake Innovation Center,
America's first business accelerator
for homeland and national security,
is having the first ever
Defend America Challenge™.
The objective of the competition is
to expedite the transfer of
innovation into the marketplace —
protecting our critical
infrastructure, national assets and
strong economy. The competition is
open to any company with a product
or service specializing in the
homeland or national security field.
The
Competition will utilize
TechBridgeSM, the
innovative CIC program that matches
emerging technology with market
needs. Selected participants,
regardless of outcome, will have the
unique opportunity to gain access
and exposure through TechBridgeSM.
The CIC will
be accepting executive summaries
until Nov. 15, 2006. The CIC
will select the top 25 executive
summaries and notify those companies
by Dec. 1, 2006. These
companies will submit full business
plans which must be submitted online
on or before Dec. 15, 2006. Of
the 25, six semi-finalists will be
chosen to present their business
plans live on Jan. 19, 2007.
There will be a grand prize winner
and a runner-up.
The grand prize is worth $50,000!
For more information and to compete, visit:
http://www.cic-tech.org/competition.html
ACTiVATE,
a UMBC program, is looking for women
for their Class of 2007!
ACTiVATE,
an NSF-funded program offered at
UMBC, is recruiting women for their
Class of 2007. ACTiVATE is looking
for experienced women with a strong
technical (IT, engineering, or
biotech) or business background in a
high-tech field. Students must be
interested in building a team to
start their own company. Classes
start in February 2007. Sign up to attend
one of the informational sessions:
UMBC at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday,
November 8 and Thursday, December 14
Rockville at the Rockville Economic
Development, Inc. offices on
Tuesday, November 28 at 7:00 pm.
For more information about this
program visit:
www.umbc.edu/activate or e-mail
techcenter@umbc.edu
The 8th Annual
DC Tech Council
Early Stage Capital Forum
Tuesday,
Jan. 23, 2007
Featuring Co-Chairmen:
Mark Ein
Founder and CEO, Venturehouse
Group
Raul
Fernandez
Chairman
and CEO, ObjectVideo
Area Companies Are Invited to
Submit Applications
Application Period Now Open
Submit Applications from
October 12 - November 24, 2006
Selection and participation in
the event provides emerging
companies exposure to hundreds
of investors, potential partners
and customers. The conference
showcases capital availability
for the region's promising
technology companies—early
through expansion stage—and
provides an exchange on current
industry and capital markets
issues among company managements
and capital sources. For more
information and to apply visit:
http://www.dctechcouncil.org/
AMA Workshop:
Growth Strategies for the Middle
Market
You already know that growth of your
midmarket company is essential. The
challenge is identifying the most
effective and efficient ways to
either stimulate or continue growth.
Register for Growth Strategies for
the Middle Market, a new AMA
workshop, and develop a plan to
drive your company's growth.
Hear our expert speakers address:
• Understanding the advantages,
disadvantages and current best
practices of a wide range of growth
strategies
• Discovering an insider's guide to
raising capital in turbulent markets
• Determining if your company is on
the right path for sustained and
durable growth
• Learning how to build an effective
team of outside advisors and a Board
of Directors
• Identifying, harvesting and
leveraging your company's
intellectual capital
Register today for Growth Strategies
for the Middle Market and take your
company's growth to the next level!
Special pricing for individual
attendees is only $495
To receive the discount, please call
1.800.262.9699 and use special code
LAJ5. For more information and to
register online, go to:
http://www.amanet.org/events/growth_strategies/index.htm
Monday, December 4, AMA Executive
Conference Center
440
First Street, NW, Washington, DC
20001
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Dingman Center Entrepreneur In
Residence, S. Tien Wong,
scheduled to speak at the
Entrepreneurs Group (TEG) November
9th breakfast
The November 9th breakfast meeting
of the Entrepreneurs Group ("TEG")
will feature Mr. S. Tien Wong, CEO of Opus8, Inc., a
Chevy Chase, Md. based private
investment firm specializing in
middle market buyouts, private
equity, and venture capital
investment. Mr. Wong's topic of
discussion will be "Investing in
CHINA: Huge potential, huge risks."
Opus8 has spent the last year
researching potential investment
opportunities in the Chinese market.
Come hear about Opus8's China
investment approach and strategy. A
Q&A session will follow.
Thursday, November 9, Columbia
Country Club
7900 Connecticut Avenue, Chevy
Chase, MD
Networking & coffee start at 7:30
a.m. followed by a hot, gourmet
breakfast and presentation at 8:05
a.m.
Guests and prospective members
of the TEG have a registration cost
of $40 per person. Please make the
check out to "TEG" and send it to
Jules Raabe no later than the
Tuesday prior. For more information
and to register contact, Ms. Jules
Raabe (Jules@senecaprop.com
or 240-482-1292) ASAP.
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For the
complete list of events go to the
Events page of our website.
CIO Forum
featuring Ted Leonis, Vice Chairman
of America Online, Inc.
Established in
1999, the CIO Forum is a yearly
meeting of top chief information
officers, technology strategists,
and academic researchers in
Mid-Atlantic states. Events are
highly interactive and focus on the
most important issues confronting
technology strategists in the
emerging digital economy, including
e-commerce, the IT talent shortage,
Internet strategy, multi-sourcing,
next generation architectures, and
other topics.
|
Friday, November 3
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. |
1524 VMH
Frank Auditorium
|
Pitch Dingman
Review
Students are invited to pitch their
ideas to the Dingman Center every
Friday between 2:00 p.m. and 3:00
p.m. Each student will have 5-10
minutes to give an overview of their
business idea, which will later be
reviewed and evaluated according to
specific criteria by the Dingman
Center staff. Periodic Pitch Dingman
competitions will be held during the
semester. Business ideas found
viable will find further support in
the Dingman Center.
|
Every Friday
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. |
3570
VMH |
Pitch Dingman
Competition
Similar to the Pitch Dingman
reviews, bring your best
presentation forward and win $500! Business ideas found
viable will find further support in
the Dingman Center. Pre-registration
is required, please contact
Melissa Carrier.
|
Friday, December 8
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
3570 VMH |
Dingman Day
Lunch
These catered luncheons are open to
undergraduate and MBA students and
members of the entrepreneurial
community. Successful entrepreneurs
will talk about their experiences
and answer questions from the
audience.
|
Friday, December 1
12:00 - 2:00 p.m. |
1511 Van Munching Hall |
Allen Andersson, Serial
Entrepreneur and founder of
PaperBoy Ventures |
CAN Breakfast
(invitation only)
The CAN Breakfasts are by invitation
only to angel investors who are
qualified investors in the CAN
network. Investors will have an
opportunity to hear a 10 minute
presentation from approximately four start-up entrepreneurs who are
seeking funding for their business. For more information on the CAN
Program and to participate, contact
Melissa Carrier. The next
CAN Breakfasts will be held
October 4 and November 15.
Tech Visionary
Panel (invitation only)
See what's on the horizon in the
world of technologies. These panel
discussions will look at some of the
cutting edge trends and innovations
to come to market. Learn how these
technologies are going to affect
healthcare, entertainment, financial
services, defense, media, and the
entire range of human interaction.
The next Tech Visionary Panel will
be December 13.
Cupid's Cup
Cupid's
Cup is a $10,000 award given to the best
student start-up business. The
first annual Cupid's Cup was
awarded by Kevin Plank, CEO and
founder of Under Armour, to North
Star Games, makers of Wits and Wager
and Cluzzle, on May 19, 2006 . The winners receive a
$10,000 cash prize to invest in
their company and possession of
Cupid's Cup for a one year period.
Save the date for this exciting
event!
To enter this competition or for
more information on this event
please see the
Cupid's Cup webpage or contact
Andrea Galati.
Date: Friday, May 4
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THE DINGMAN CENTER FOR
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Founded by Rudy Lamone in 1986, the Dingman Center was one of
the first of its kind in the country and has emerged as a
top-ranked entrepreneurship center. Thanks to initial funding
with a generous grant from Michael D. Dingman, founder of the
Signal Corporation (now part of Honeywell International), the
Dingman Center continues to grow as a regional and national
catalyst in the field of entrepreneurship. The Center is now
aggressively evolving, and in some areas, is expanding its
services to further its role as a leader in the student,
regional, and academic entrepreneurial communities.
The Dingman Center is currently led by:
Asher Epstein, Managing Director
Melissa Carrier,
Associate Director
Mr. John LaPides, Chairman of the
Board and
Entrepreneur In Residence
Dr. Scott Koerwer, Associate Dean,
Professional Programs and Services
Please visit our website at
http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/dingman.
Past
Newsletters:
October, 2006
September,
2006
August, 2006
July, 2006
June, 2006
May, 2006
April, 2006
March, 2006
February, 2006
January, 2006
December, 2005
November, 2005
October, 2005
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