Eligibility

• Applicant should be seeking between $50,000 and $1,500,000 of equity financing.
• Company must be located in the Mid-Atlantic region (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, or Delaware); at this time, CAN does not consider applicants located outside of this region.
• A complete application must be submitted, which includes Executive Summary, Financials and Business Plan.

When to Apply

CAN applications are accepted on a rolling basis. You should apply when:

• Your product is developed or near completion (proof of concept at a minimum)
• You have existing customers 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 revenues in the next 3-7 years, can be profitable and leads to reasonable returns for investors.

How to Apply

To apply for the CAN program, follow these steps:

1. Complete the online application via the following link: APPLY HERE
2. Send the $100 application fee, payable to University of Maryland, to:

Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship
c/o Melissa Carrier
3570 Van Munching Hall
College Park, MD 20742

CAN Screening PROCESS

Step 1: Pre-Screening - The Capital Access Network staff will review your written application and provide feedback within 14 days regarding eligibility for the next step.

Step 2: Preview and Coaching - Companies will be asked to present their investor pitch via conference call. Initial due diligence of the product, financial plan and team is also conducted. Documented feedback is provided. Our hope is that, through this rigorous coaching process, you are well prepared to successfully meet investors throughout the region.

Step 3: Review Day - Final candidates will be invited to present to our Entrepreneurs-in-residence in College Park. These coaches are professionals who have experience in capital raising across many industries and will provide real time feedback on content and delivery.

Step 4: Investor Presentation - Breakfast presentations to CAN investors are held the 2nd Wednesday of each month from September to June.

If Not Selected...

If your application is not selected, we will also provide you with recommendations/resources to pursue for funding as well as ways in which the Dingman Center can provide assistance including our Mentor Program. If such services are utilized, you may reapply for CAN with the support of the Director.

* Please note: not being selected does not necessarily translate into disinterest by potential investors.

Once Your Application Has Been Approved . . .

CAN investors review the circulated applications and plans, and will engage in one of several ways:

• Request to Present. Dingman Center Management will invite companies to present at a formal CAN breakfast event. Multiple companies are selected for each event.
• Investor/Entrepreneur meeting. Investors may choose to directly contact an entrepreneur or request facilitation of a meeting through the Dingman Center.
• Investor Collaboration. Investors with a mutual interest in a particular company may collaborate to provide feedback and/or pursue an investment in a company.

Investors will make their own decisions about which companies to invest in and for how much. They will lead their own due diligence and negotiations with the company. The Dingman Center is not involved in this process. We do, however, stay closely connected to the entrepreneurs and investors to document interactions and follow-on fundraising.

Concerned about disclosure?

Capital Access Network 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 CAN, or to any private or institutional investors outside of CAN, 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:

1. the market need;
2. the cure for the need;
3. the demonstration of a large and growing market;
4. validation of product or service viability; and
5. the management team and its capability to execute the business plan.