Pitch Dingman

Symbiont Health, maker of innovative technology to detect falls for seniors and nursing home patients, took home the $15,000 grand prize at yesterday’s Pitch Dingman Competition, the University of Maryland’s business competition chaired by businessman and philanthropist Robert G. Hisaoka. The competition awarded nearly $30,000 in seed funding to top student entrepreneurs in a “Shark Tank”-style pitch session, hosted by the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Each year, the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the Robert H. Smith School of Business hosts Pitch Dingman Competition, University of Maryland’s business competition exclusively for Terps, consisting of a fall Semifinals and a winter Finals competition. Top student entrepreneurs deliver pitches to judges who are experts in entrepreneurship, angel investing and venture capital to compete for $30,000 in startup funding.

Each year, the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship hosts Pitch Dingman Competition, an opportunity for University of Maryland student entrepreneurs to pitch their businesses shark tank style to an expert panel of judges to compete for a total of $30,000 in seed funding. Pitch Dingman applications open at the beginning of the academic year, with a short quarterfinals phase in late September. A vetting process from alumni entrepreneur judges leads to a selection of 10 semifinalists. The Pitch Dingman Semifinals on Nov. 17 received a record turnout of students to watch the 10 teams whittled down to five finalists. The final round of competition is set for March 7 at 6 p.m. in the Colony Ballroom of UMD’s Stamp Student Union.

University of Maryland student entrepreneurs will vie for more than $30,000 to fund their startups at the Feb. 16 Pitch Dingman Competition final event at Stamp Student Union. Entrepreneurs heading up five businesses will take to the stage to pitch to a panel of seven judges and an audience of more than 200 students, business leaders, faculty, staff and guests.

On Friday, April 10, and Friday, April 17, the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship will host Pitch Dingman walk-in sessions aboard the Terp Ride bus as part of UMD's 30 Days of Entrepreneurship celebration (#30DaysUMD). Entrepreneurs-in-residence will be on the bus ready to give actionable feedback on business ideas from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Terp Ride will be parked in the bus terminal outside of Stamp Student Union.