JANUARY 2009

The Latest News

Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship Start-Up Bootcamp
The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship has found a unique way to inject entrepreneurial spirit into campus activities with a Dingman Center Bootcamp. This winter break, under the Dingman Center’s initiative, 28 University of Maryland students from diverse majors gathered at the Smith School to bring their business ideas to life in less than three weeks. The main goal of the bootcamp is to get students comfortable with start-up culture within the center’s experiential learning environment.

So what was the Dingman Center Bootcamp all about? In a nutshell, each student commited 100+ hours for three weeks during winter break.  Forming, brainstorming and performing was the plan of action. The center provided all the resources required to get a project off the ground including expert advice from the center’s experienced entrepreneurs-in-residence, legal counseling, and networking events with venture capital and angel investors. Outcomes included a more refined business plan and ideas – not to mention free lunches and cocktails!

The strongest support system for each venture however, was built among the students themselves.

“Working day in and day out of the same room, thinking aloud and having everyone pitch in comments, suggestions and critical analyses on just about anything, laid down a strong foundation for each venture before taking it to the outside world,” said Fatema Kothari, University of Maryland graduate student. “This had to be one of the best experiences I’ve ever had and it’s really built my confidence as well as my connections.

 “I am so impressed with the effort and dedication of these students who voluntary gave up their winter breaks for a unique learning experience. In a tough economic environment students with such tremendous initiative would be a great addition for any new venture”, Epstein said.

In a job market where uncertainty is certain, the center is giving students fundamentals that will help them stay ahead of the curve and soar when the time is right. In addition to building ventures, the bootcamp was meant to be fun. Team building activities included field trips to the local mall to study retail businesses  Every day, lunch hours were spent building camaraderie, with collective discussion about individual progress for each ventures.

 
 

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Social Venture Highlights

Spring 2009 Kickoff

The Social Venture Consulting Program is kicking off the spring projects!  Interested MBA students should attend one of the information sessions below.

What?  Consult for a 501c3 Non-Profit in Spring Semester
When?  Information sessions are Tuesday, January 27th at 12:15 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. (come at whichever time works for you).  We will also be at the DC campus on Saturday, January 31st from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.
Where?  3570A Van Munching Hall (Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship office)
How?  After the sessions, apply for a project, partner with fellow 1st or 2nd years and spend 30 hours over the semester learning new skills and having a direct impact on your client.  Teams will be selected by February 4th and projects begin immediately.
More Info?  Contact Melissa Carrier at 301.405.9517.

Social Venturing Program Sponsor:

*About Social Venturing
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Capital Access Network Updates

Last Round of Companies for 2008

The Dingman Center's Capital Access Network (CAN) continues to connect regional start-up companies seeking early-stage funding with the angel investor community. The CAN Program, sponsored by Morrison & Foerster and Silicon Valley Bank, brought the following exciting three start-up companies to the December Investor Breakfast:

  • Mom Made Foods - Founded in May 2006, a leader in the children's organic space, providing healthy meals and snacks, from a baby's first foods to school-age children's meals.

  • ClassifEye - Provider of secure and authenticated mobile transactions with an initial focus on financial markets, banking and MFI in developing countries.

  • Next Development - Web-based career development and recruiting solutions by students for students, schools, and employers.

The next CAN Breakfast will be held on Wednesday, January 14, 2009.

CAN Program Sponsors:

   

*About CAN
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DCE Partner Events

Dingman Center Entrepreneurship Research Luncheon

 

Date: February 11, 2009

Time: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Location: Executive Dining Room 2517 Van Munching Hall
RSVP: Please register to attend by February 6th

 

Dingman Center Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and Robert H. Smith School of Business Faculty & Doctoral Students are invited to the Dingman Center Entrepreneurship Research Luncheon (lunch provided by the Department of Management and Organization).  Bob Baum will summarize new Smith entrepreneurship research.  Please bring your questions about data sources and the Smith Best Entrepreneurship Paper awards.

 

Yogesh V. Joshi, Assistant Professor, will discuss: New Product Diffusion with Influentials and Imitators
We model the diffusion of innovations in markets with two segments:  influentials who are more in touch with new developments and who affect another segment of imitators whoseown adoptions do not affect the influentials. This two-segment structure with asymmetric influence is consistent with several theories in sociology and diffusion research, as well as many “viral” or “network” marketing strategies. We have four main results. (1) Diffusion in a mixture of influentials and imitators can exhibit a dip or “chasm” between the early and later parts of the diffusion curve. (2) The proportion of adoptions stemming from influentials need not decrease monotonically, but may first decrease and then increase. (3) Erroneously specifying a mixed-influence model to a mixture process where influentials act independently from each other can generate systematic changes in the parameter values reported in earlier research. (4) Empirical analysis of 33 different data series indicates that the two-segment model fits better than the standard mixed-influence, the Gamma/Shifted Gompertz, and the Weibull-Gamma models, especially in cases where a two-segment structure is likely to exist.

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Azi Gera, PhD Candidate, will discuss: Targeted Signals: How do venture capital firms and angel investors differ in signal interpretation
This essay tests whether signals are target specific. I use startups solicitation of funding from both Angel investors and Venture Capital firms to learn the respective roles of the institutional and technical aspects of interfirm signals. The test considers the structure of the signal and the differences between the two types of private equity investors, while controlling for the abilities of the startup to generate the signal. Thus, I can learn if differences in the sender’s abilities influence the structure of the signal, and this in turn, determines the type of receiver to respond favorably to the signal.

EntrepreneurTrek: Trip to Silicon Valley

Date: March 21-22, 2009
Location: Stanford University

The 2-day intensive program is designed to help MBA students and young entrepreneurs network and sharpen their tool kit for securing funding and seeking a rewarding job or internship in the startup space.  Over 1000 (mostly MBA) students and alumni from the top 30 schools (e.g. Chicago GSB, Cornell, Stanford, India School of Business, MIT Sloan, Wharton, etc.) are expected to attend with well-vetted business plans and a chance to pitch in front of a live audience and potential investors.  At EntrepreneurTrek, you can expect to

  • Meet and network with 20+ leading venture capitalists and angel investors

  • Meet and network with 20+ premier start-up and high-tech companies

  • Get an opportunity to pitch your ideas to potential investors

  • Network with other experienced and successful entrepreneur

Please visit the website for more information.
 
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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, Director of Venture Investments and Social Entrepreneurship
Mr. John LaPides, Chairman of the Board and Entrepreneur-in-Residence

Please visit our Web site at http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/dingman.

*Past Newsletters

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