Portfolio - Other Supported Companies

The Dingman Center also assists local entrepreneurs from the Maryland, Virginia, and DC metro area through our Programs. We have helped many start-ups grow to the next level through the CAN and Mentor Program.

Mentor Companies

ASSET STORE

The Asset Store, LLC, is a leading provider of services that facilitates asset owners with the selling of their assets through The Asset Store's transportation, warehousing, and distribution network.

This process allows asset owners to quickly get their assets off of their property and into The Asset Store's advanced, technology driven distribution network that will maximize its value.

MARKET-ECONOMICS

Market-Economics market studies of real estate and economic development projects. Offering feasibility studies, impact analysis, and economic forecasting. Market-Economics provides market research on consumer and business trends for decision making. Cross-cutting with a diversified research capability of reaching non-traditional and minority markets. Financial Risk Modeling, Economic, Housing Forecast, Real Estate Feasibility, and Retail Market Reports. Previous clients have been: Baltimore Development Corporation, Economic Impact of Historic
Designation in Baltimore City, Wilbur Smith Associates, Maryland Inter County Connector (ICC) Highway Economic and Revenue Investment Grade Study and Deloitte & Touche.

M&T ENTERPRISES

The Wellness Company is an international manufacturer and marketer of unique health, home, and personal care products. Founded in 1985, we have partnered with the mission to "Enhance the lives of those we touch by helping people reach their goals". We achieve this through our unique products and innovative home business opportunities.

Our convenient catalog delivery system allows health-oriented customers to shop for over 300 household products and have them delivered directly to their door. The customer does not pay for advertising, trucking, middle-man mark-ups or store display costs thus products cost less. In addition, since each order comes straight from the manufacturer, the products arrive fresh and you save time and money that otherwise would be spent in the grocery store or drugstore.

We've created a unique business structure that allows you to begin earning additional income, achieve your dreams of self-sufficiency, and gain the flexibility and control you've always wanted. You don't have to worry about start-up costs and inventory. Begin by contacting us via our Web site so that we may tell you more!

PURR-FECT GOURMET

Purr-fect Gourmet is a manufacturing company developing all-natural products for use in and on pet food, especially on dry and moist (i.e., semi-dry) cat food. Purr-fect Gourmet's products enhance the aroma and flavor of the underlying pet food and make it more appealing, thereby helping cats avoid an ever-mounting list of frequently-encountered and costly food-related health and medical problems. Rejection of new food by a cat, even to the point of refusing to eat at all, is a long-standing and significant problem both for veterinarians and pet owners. Getting cats to eat the food that is best for them is a key driver in palatability research by the petfood industry. As a food bioprocess engineering firm, Purr-fect Gourmet is dedicated to developing new palatants (for industry use) and all-natural gourmet food and treat products (for consumers' use) that will reverse the current situation by making what is good for cats taste good to them.

ULTIMATE SEASONINGS

The Dingman Center has worked with the owners of Ultimate Seasonings to help them manage their rapidly-growing distribution of an ethnic food spice, now sold in Giant, Shoppers, Whole Foods, and B.J.'s Wholesale, among other locations.

Capital Access Network Companies

ANIMAL ATTRACTION

AnimalAttraction.com is an established and growing online community for people with a strong common interest in, and love for, pets. The company has substantial membership and advertising bases and is well positioned to grow rapidly and profitably with a modest capital infusion. Members connect with each other via email, instant messaging, chat rooms, message boards, and nationwide special events, and even receive tips from The Humane Society of The United States on how to keep their pets safe and happy.

DYSCERN

Dyscern is an eCommerce firm specializing in the rehabilitation, recovery and recycling of consumer electronics for direct sale to the end consumer. Dyscern primarily focuses its efforts on small consumer electronics, allowing the company to maximize the recovery of these units while bringing a marketing and customer support focus that generates a premium on these post-consumer goods.

Dyscern specializes in the recovery of overstock, returned and distressed consumer electronics for its retail and distributor clients. Dyscern's focus is on MP3 players, PDAs, PDA phones, digital cameras, cell phones and portable DVD players.

iNEO MARKETING

iNeoMarketing is a hosted eMarketing software company serving business-to-business companies, focused on creating on-demand marketing applications that drive revenue opportunities for its clients. In addition to its flagship product PluraPage, the company additionally provides a wide range of digital marketing products and services. PluraPage clients span industries including finance, technology, advertising agencies, energy and retailing. iNeoMarketing's offices are located in Northern Virginia. iNeoMarketing can be reached at 703-453-9120, or via its Web site at www.iNeoMarketing.com.

JIT AIRLINE RESOURCES LLC

JIT Airline Resources LLC works with airlines around the world on adaptive, flexible scheduling solutions. If your carrier is typical, your bottom line has been squeezed by relentless competition, declining yields, and a soaring fuel bill. No matter how much progress you make in streamlining operations and reducing your unit costs, it seems like you're just grinding on a never-ending treadmill. Our flexible, Just-In-Time (JIT) Scheduling solution goes after a huge cost that has received little or no attention in the industry.

KAPTURE

Kapture, Inc. has introduced a new approach to one of the most difficult aspects of the information age: managing the growing complexity of knowledge relationships in a manner suitable for human consumption. Kapture is leading with a patent pending model that embodies the tacit experience of research with the explicit results of the effort. By combining these principles our users and their organizations will become more efficient in knowledge retrieval, learning and achieve faster turnaround on innovation.

NEWSWORTHY

Newspaper circulation, readership, and advertising revenue continue to decline. Newspapers must find new sources of revenue that leverage their investment in content and simultaneously attract new consumers, particularly young adults. Newsworthy's fully automated service converts major publishers' full-length newspaper and web stories to high-quality audio. Publishers make these audio stories available to their website users at no cost. Newsworthy attaches audio advertisements to the stories and shares this new advertising revenue with the publisher.

Newsworthy also produces NewsworthyAudio, a Personal Audio Newspaper. NewsworthyAudio users receive personalized Podcasts for a dozen different categories of news aggregated from multiple publishers. Audio advertisements are attached to the Podcasts and delivered to each user each day.

SENSICS

Sensics, Inc., is the panoramic virtual reality display company. Based on patented technology developed over nearly a decade of research, Sensics delivers upgradeable, lightweight, panoramic head-mounted displays that combine ultra-wide field of view and high resolution. Covering a wide range of performance and budget requirements, Sensics enables a new generation of virtual prototyping, training, visualization, entertainment, and remote presence applications. Sensics is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland

ZARACOM

ZaraCom develops the world's most advanced wireless network planning and optimization system for wireless service carriers. Headquartered in the USA, ZaraCom has built a substantial network of commercial partners worldwide to provide local support. Our goal is to deliver best-in-class engineering systems and professional services to the mobile communications industry. We strive to meet the needs of our customers by providing a dynamic response and delivering true commercial and technical value.

Former Assisted Companies

ALERTUS

AlertUS Technologies, LLC, led by Jason Volk, specializes in next-generation public enterprise notification/alert systems. The company was established in 2002 and is currently expanding distribution of its product.

The AlertUS Enterprise Emergency Alert System utilizes a proprietary wireless transmission platform to offer real-time, uninterrupted, secure communication with employees, tenants, and residents. The system uses wireless wall-mountable beacons for signaling and localized notification. The AlertUS solution is designed specifically for use by enterprise public safety managers at corporate and industrial facilities, government offices, hospitals, hotels and residential buildings, chemical plants and utilities, public recreation centers, schools and universities, and airports and transportation hubs. AlertUS Technologies is funded with a combination of grants and private investment. Jason Volk is a former Dingman Scholar who graduated in May '05.

ARCXIS

Arcxis Biotechnologies is a start-up biotechnology company that is developing state of the art portable biological diagnostic tools with the ability to rapidly analyze, detect, and characterize infectious disease agents in a multiplexed format. The technologies being developed by Arcxis have applications in national defense and clinical diagnostic markets.

The company was co-founded in 2004 by CEO and Robert H. Smith MBA graduate John Jansen, along with two Sandia National Laboratories scientists.

The website is: www.arcxis.com

ARTKIA

ARTKIA, winner of the 2005 New Venture Challenge, is developing an innovative software solution for the restaurant industry. In response to the lack of consistency in current software packages, their product RPACT is an easily customizable, fully integrated restaurant solution. Using plug and play architecture, it combines online reservations, back-office functions, floor operations, and inventory management into a complete package, unlike anything currently on the market. When RPACT reaches market in 2006 it will be the only all encompassing software package for the hospitality industry. For more information visit http://www.artkia.com (ARTKIA includes 5 UMD alumni, as well as one current undergraduate).

GRAPHCARD

Graphcard acts as a means of payment for internet commerce for people who don't have access to traditional credit cards. Graphcard is an online payment system that enables anyone anywhere in the world to pay online without having a credit card. The market is projected to be one third of the world's 750 million internet users.

A Send2Press.com story about this

INTERACTIVE MAGIC

Founded by Magician Josh Norris, Interactive Magic is a variety entertainment company catering to corporate and professional clients. IM offers fully customized presentations for corporate functions, private parties and special events. IM boasts a diverse network of performers, including magicians, jugglers, and other variety artists who will research your specific company and deliver a custom performance that integrates your product or message while entertaining your guests. For more information visit http://www.joshnorris.com

LIPINSKI SOUND

An audiophile and pro-audio equipment manufacturer located in Bethesda, Maryland, Lipinski intends to advance the art of music recording and playback to reference status. Clients include engineers for Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Snoop Dogg, Aretha Franklin, Dire Straits, Sheryl Crow, Peter Frampton, Wynonna Judd, Reba McEntire and Willie Nelson, among others.

"The Dingman Center helped us relay a clear message to our financiers that was critical to our fund-raising efforts."

SECUREGO

A team led by Assistant Professor Gang Qu has been awarded a grant by the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance for the development of SecureGo, a new USB flash drive secure e-payment system. The $14,837 grant, facilitated through the University of Maryland Office of Research Administration and Advancement (ORAA), will provide the team the support they need to bring this new technology from idea to prototype, and eventually to market. In addition to Dr. Qu, Monique Anderson of ORAA, ECE Professor Steven Marcus, Assistant Professor of Economics Ginger Jin, and Business Professor of Practice Charles Heller served as co-advisors for the project.

The team's e-payment system revolves around a device called SecureGo-Cash, a USB flash drive equipped with encryption capability for secure online transactions. When connected to a USB port, SecureGo-Cash prompts the user for a password. Each SecureGo-Cash has a unique Machine ID, which is used to complete a financial transaction. The website connects to the SecureGo server, verifies the authenticity of the request, and transfers the amount from the
user's account to the merchant's account. Additionally, the user can set up a cash recovery account with SecureGo-Cash, and if the device is lost or stolen, can transfer the balance to this recovery account. [ Grant Details ]