Venture Capitalists,
mark your calendars for the next
Capital
Access Network Breakfast, June 27. Also,
be sure not to miss Dingman partner events like the
Early Stage East,
Funding the Bio Tech
Industry and American
Marketing Association Roundtable Series.
Entrepreneurs,
Be sure to
read about successful portfolio companies
Blumpari,
Cap & Gown,
Clean
City
and Hook & Ladder.
The Dingman Center is proud of the
of its 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.
Contact
Melissa Carrier for an appointment.
Students,
the Dingman Center is "Open For Business." We are
excited to kick off Summer 2007. We are
hosting a Mentor Day, and
giving entrepreneurs an opportunity to present your
business idea at Pitch
Dingman.
Are you working on your
golf swing? Because the 14th Annual
Entrepreneur Invitational Golf Tournament is
scheduled for October 10, 2007! Help support the
Dingman Center and enjoy a round of golf with us.
Dingman Center
News:
Other interesting
links:
Upcoming Events
Pitch Dingman
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!
Your next opportunity to win $500
at the Pitch Dingman
competitions resumes in September. For
more information, e-mail
PitchDingman@rhsmith.umd.edu.
Disney Keys to
Excellence
The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School
of Business is proud to host the Disney Institute as
it brings its renowned Keys to Excellence program.
Disney and Smith is a great partnership and offers
an excellent opportunity to learn and implement the
best practices for service. For
more information please go to:
www.rhsmith.umd.edu/news/stories/2007/disney-event.html
Wednesday, June 6,
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 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. The
next CAN Breakfast will be held June 27.
Entrepreneur Invitational Golf
Tournament
Wednesday, October 10th
P.B. Dye Golf Club, Ijamsville, MD
Get ready for the 2007 Entrepreneur Invitational, the fifteenth golf
tournament to support entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland, benefiting the Lamone Entrepreneur Scholars Program. Recognizing the popularity of golf and the benefits of
doing business on the golf course, this exclusive event will take place
on Wednesday, October 10, 2007 at the beautiful P.B. Dye Golf Club in
Ijamsville, Maryland with close proximity to the Greater Baltimore and
Washington, D.C. area. As the name implies, invitations to the
Entrepreneur Invitational are extended to presidents and CEO's of
high-growth venture businesses, as well as principals of firms that
provide services to entrepreneurs.
An incredible day of golf and corporate hospitality has
been planned for sponsors and guests, including an exhilarating 18 holes
of championship golf, cocktails, dinner, and entertainment. Participants
will enjoy the opportunity to gather at a beautiful golf setting, while
creating and enhancing business and social associations with each other.
All guests will be provided with a memorable golfing and corporate
entertainment experience, while benefiting the Lamone Entrepreneur
Scholars Program.
Please check back for updated information
forthcoming!
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New
Distribution Deal for
Hook & Ladder
Hook & Ladder made
several new distribution deals with ten different
wholesalers in Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
and Delaware. CEO Matthew Fleischer reports
tremendous feedback received and anticipates
continued growth in new markets.
Hook & Ladder
produces two brands of beer, the Great American Beer
Festival Gold Medal winning Golden Ale and Backdraft
Brown. The company is based in Silver Spring,
Maryland and was founded by Maryland alumnus and
firefighter Matthew Fleischer. Some of H&L's
proceeds go toward philanthropic commitments such as
the Penny in Every Pint program which donates $4
from every barrel sold to local burn centers to help
the recovery of injured firefighters.
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Graduates &
Dingman Portfolio
Companies:
Cap & Gowns and Clean City, Walk Across the
Stage!
Congratulations to Ori Zohar, founder of Cap & Gown,
a Dingman Center portfolio company, for being a 2007
University of Maryland graduate!
In Spring of 2005, Asher
Epstein made an announcement in a class asking for a
few students interested in getting hands on
experience in entrepreneurship. Later that week I
was in his office, we shared some ideas, we made a
business model and Cap & Gown was born. Over the
last two years, with financial backing from the
Dingman Center, Cap & Gown grew from five gowns to
fifty, from a makeshift business to one with a
strong and focused business concept.
I learned about what it
takes to be an entrepreneur. I finally understood
what Asher meant when he said “fail often, fail
fast”. In the many iterations of the business plan,
Cap & Gown had a PayPal-enabled website (www.mycapandgown.com),
$5 shipping, and ran with many different
advertisements, ultimately trying many different
approaches to find the one that would stick with
consumers. For the first time, Cap & Gown will be
part of the MUSE portfolio of businesses, such that
it will employ MUSE members and will ultimately be
passed on through the club. In exchange, MUSE will
be considered another advisor to the businesses. For
the past month, Cap & Gown has been run by Chris
Kobus, a rising sophomore with entrepreneurial
experience through being a top regional salesman for
College Work Painting. Chris hopes to grow the
business to 80 gowns this year by focusing on both
the MBA and undergraduate business populations. The
ownership structure is divided between Chris for
investing the time and effort to run this business,
the Dingman Center for providing financial backing,
Ori Zohar for founding the business and staying on
as a mentor, and MUSE for providing further advising
and help in marketing.
Clean City
“Leading the Transformation…”
Congratulations to Omarr Tobias, Owner of Clean City, a Dingman Center
portfolio company for being a 2007 University of
Maryland graduate!
Clean City is a
Certified Local Business in the District of Columbia
Limited Liability Company, formed in November of
2003; located in the Fort Lincoln HUB Zone district
of Ward 5. 2006 is our third year of business as a
full service facility enhancement company. Clean
City enhances the value of the businesses and homes
in urban areas through beautification and energy
efficient management of assets and facilities.
Clean City specializes in graffiti removal and
prevention. The company is based on three
fundamental concepts: commitment to our community,
customer satisfaction, and quality of workforce.
Clean City has supported and continues to support
initiatives to improve our community such as “The
Great America Cleanup, and the “Clean up Anacostia
Day.” Clean City’s success has a direct and
immediate impact on the beautification of our
community. Clean City has forged positive long-term
relationships with our clients because we deliver
top quality services for a fair and equitable price.
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Blumpari, Handbag Line Making Appearances in the Big
City
Cherry Kwunyeun feels fortunate to have
completed her first year as a Dingman Center scholar
as she pursues her vision of creating a
lifestyle brand of luxury handbags. She recently
secured shelf space in Verve, a posh boutique in
West Village, Upper West Side and Blue Bag in Nolita,
all very popular shopping districts of New York
City. Locally Blumpari can be found at Jones,
Jones in Cross Keys, Pieces in Silver Spring, Pink
November in Washington, DC and Milagros in
Baltimore. Cherry feels that the
Dingman Center's support is crucial to Blumpari's growth and hopes to further develop partnerships between
corporations and handicraft groups to act
as a distributor for others' products around
the world.
During her time as a Dingman Scholar she
plans to launch an e-commerce site, a line of
accessories and
participate in the WWDMagic trade show as a
wholesale vendor.
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Capital Access Network
(CAN) announces new sponsor:
Morrison & Foerster
The Dingman Center is proud to
announce its newest sponsor to the Capital Access
Network program. Morrison & Foerster will be a Gold
Sponsor for the 2007 and 2008 program.
Morrison & Foerster provides expert counsel to
technology and life sciences companies at every
stage of their development and growth-- from initial
business formation and intellectual property
protection through venture capital financing,
mergers and acquisitions, public offerings, and
beyond.
With more than one thousand lawyers in eighteen
offices around the world, Morrison & Foerster offers
clients comprehensive, global legal services in
business and litigation. The firm is distinguished
by its unsurpassed expertise in technology, finance
and life sciences. It has an unrivaled reach across
the Pacific Rim, particularly in Japan and China. We
have one compelling mission: to deliver success for
our clients. Visit them at
www.mofo.com to
learn more.
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MUSE
hosts a Movie Night
The Maryland Undergraduate Society of Entrepreneurs
better known as MUSE recently held a movie night on
Wednesday, May 9th at the Hoff Theatre. Over
80 attendees enjoyed the free movie, popcorn
and sodas and an evening filled with lots of fun and
information about entrepreneurship. This night
marked the organization's campus-wide coming out for
student entrepreneurs and was featured as the
organization for student business leaders.
Attendees were encouraged to recite the MUSE
promise..."I pledge to think creatively, add value,
and be my own boss". Many thanks to the
University Honors Program for absorbing the costs of
the event and for target marketing via email lists
and website.
To find out more about
MUSE e-mail
gforbes@umd.edu or visit
http://www.studentorg.umd.edu/muse/
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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 are every Tuesday from 8:00 a.m. - 11:00
a.m. Contact
Melissa
Carrier for an appointment, to set up a session, 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.
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Pure
Baby Food Wins the May 2007 Round of the Pitch
Dingman Competition
Five Part-Time MBAs work together to win $500 for
five-minute business pitch
Heather Reilly and
Natalie Radolinski (Managing Directors), and Jessica
Lynch, Rachel Drown, and Bonnie Brady (Directors,
all Part-Time MBA students at the University of
Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, won
the May 2007 Pitch Dingman Competition with their
business idea, Pure Baby Food. In their
winning presentation, Reilly and Radolinski
described Pure Baby Food as a fresh, healthful
all-organic baby food line and café for busy
families seeking environmentally-conscious food
choices and like-minded peers. Reilly and Radolinski
note that the organic segment of the baby food
market has grown 58% from 2000 to 2005 to more than
$100M. Although a small slice of the $3B baby food
industry, the Pure Baby Food leadership is confident
that demand for organic baby food will continue to
grow. Also, the team’s efforts are buoyed by strong
interest and increasing awareness and demand for
organic products across the entire food sector.
The Pitch Dingman
Competition is held monthly, also during the
academic year, working sessions (non-competitive
sessions) are held each Friday from 11am to 12 pm 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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Buy
Your Smith-Branded Merchandise for Departmental
Speakers and Conferences at the Smith Store
 Your
VIP visitors and departmental guest speakers should
leave Smith with an elegant Smith-branded gift as a
thank you for their visit, and The Smith Store is
THE place to go for these items. The Smith Store has
been working hard to develop a selection of
high-quality merchandise that will be appreciated,
displayed and used back in your visitor's home or
office. A few of these items are shown below, and
others are available as well. With two weeks notice,
the "sky is the limit" in terms of item selection.
If you are short on time and only have a few days,
The Smith Store can help you out by providing one of
their items that is in stock.
There are a few great products in
stock this semester, ranging in price. For example, The Smith Store
has newly designed T-shirts,
sweatshirts, hats, coffee mugs, coffee thermoses,
wine openers and many more items to come.
Always available from The Smith Store is the
Smith polo shirt, available for $25.00, or brown
leather money clip wallets for $15.00.
Questions? Contact Chris Wu at
cwu38@rhsmith.umd.edu .The Smith Store is
located in 3570-U, in the Dingman Center for
Entrepreneurship. The hours of the Smith Store vary
and appointments are always available to meet
your needs.
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Partner Events
Early Stage East 2007
Tenth Annual Venture
Conference
June 13th and 14th 2007 DuPont Country Club,
Wilmington, DE
Early Stage East has remained
geographically the largest venture conference
focused on early stage companies from New England to
the Carolinas since 1998. More than 375 companies
have presented at Early Stage East conferences and
have gone on to raise more than $650 million in
venture funding. Some featured industries include
information technology, life sciences, enterprise
software, pharmaceutical industries, industrial bio
technology and many more. For more information on
Early Stage east visit
www.earlystageeast.org.
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Funding the Bio Tech
Industry
Tuesday, June 26,
2007 - Columbia, MD
As
biotechnology initiatives around the region build
momentum, it is critical we increase awareness of
funding opportunities and the challenges. The Voices of
Bio program will focus on available funding sources for
the biotechnology industry. Here's your
opportunity to learn from other bio executives and
experts through a moderator guided interactive
discussion. Attendees will be asked to share their own
experiences -- the good, the bad and what they have
learned along the way. So be prepared to share and ask
questions.
For
more information please contact
Niki Katz
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American
Marketing Association DC Chapter
(AMA-DC) and Marketing Executive
Networking Group
Wednesday, June 20, 2007, Vienna, VA
The Executive Marketing Roundtable
series is designed to offer senior
marketing executives professional
development and networking
opportunities in an exclusive
peer-to-peer environment.
Tom Disantis, Research Director of
Marketing Leadership Council, works
with senior marketing leaders of the
world’s leading organizations
assisting them to apply research
against their organizations most
urgent challenges. The Marketing
Leadership Council is a part of the
Corporate Executive Board whose
mission is to increase the
effectiveness of their member
executives and their enterprise.
For more information please visit
www.amadc.org
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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:
-
May, 2007
-
April, 2007
-
March, 2007
-
February, 2007
-
January,
2007
-
December, 2006
-
November, 2006
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October, 2006
-
September,
2006
-
August, 2006
-
July, 2006
-
June, 2006
-
May, 2006
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April, 2006
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March, 2006
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February, 2006
-
January, 2006
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