College Park, Md. – March 8, 2019 – Aurora Tights, makers of performance apparel for dancers and ice skaters of all skin tones, won the $15,000 grand prize at yesterday’s Pitch Dingman Competition, the University of Maryland’s business competition. Hosted by the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, the competition awarded $30,000 in seed funding to top student entrepreneurs in a “Shark Tank”-style pitch session. The competition is chaired by UMD Distinguished Alumnus Robert G.

Entrepreneurship Center Expands To StartupUMD Space The University of Maryland has a new hub for entrepreneurs in the region, and the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship has moved in. The center of excellence, one of 12 at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, will share the space with other campus partners focused on innovation. The space, dubbed StartupUMD, is part of the “Discovery District” that the university has spearheaded as part of a $2 billion push to revitalize Greater College Park.

Student founders of five University of Maryland startups are gearing up to compete in the final round of the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship’s top business competition, the Pitch Dingman Competition. The Dingman Center at the Robert H. Smith School of Business hosts the annual event, to be held this year on March 7, 2019, in the Grand Ballroom of Maryland’s Stamp Student Union. More than 500 students, faculty, alumni and VIPs are expected to attend to watch top student entrepreneurs pitch their businesses to an expert panel of judges to compete for a total of $30,000 in seed funding.

On November 30, 2018, the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship and the Center for Social Value Creation hosted the inaugural Hult @ UMD, a local edition of the Hult Prize, the largest student competition for social good in the world.

On November 15, 2018, 250 attendees filled Frank Auditorium in Van Munching Hall to watch the Pitch Dingman competition semifinals, chaired by Robert G. Hisaoka ’79. The event features undergraduate, graduate and PhD student founders of 10 exemplary startups across the University of Maryland, College Park.

We are delighted to announce that three student entrepreneurs at the University of Maryland were featured in DC Inno's 25 Under 25. DC Inno's 25 Under 25 is an initiative to recognize the DMV’s top 25 entrepreneurs who are under the age of 25. Coming from the hallways of D.C. high schools and universities, coworking spaces, meetups, and incubators, these entrepreneurs are truly making an impact on the local startup ecosystem.

The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship produces Bootstrapped, a podcast featuring founders, investors, and serial entrepreneurs. The podcast is hosted by Elana Fine, Executive Director of the Dingman Center, and Joe Bailey, Associate Research Professor at the Smith School. Each episode brings a different startup story to life with special guests offering advice and lessons learned on topics that range from fundraising and marketing to team formation and customer acquisition.

College Park, Md. - May 4, 2018 - Entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, students and faculty joined the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business on Thursday, May 3 to celebrate the fourth annual Rudy Awards. Named after former dean and Dingman Center founding director, Rudolph “Rudy” Lamone, the ceremony honors and recognizes the school’s vibrant community of entrepreneurs.

The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship produces Bootstrapped, a podcast featuring founders, investors, and serial entrepreneurs. The podcast is hosted by Elana Fine, Executive Director of the Dingman Center, and Joe Bailey, Associate Research Professor at the Smith School. Each episode brings a different startup story to life with special guests offering advice and lessons learned on topics that range from fundraising and marketing to team formation and customer acquisition.

The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship is pleased to announce that it has accepted 10 startups into its Terp Startup summer incubator program. Launched in 2015, Terp Startup is the final phase of the center's Fearless Founders accelerator. To be considered for the Terp Startup program, students undergo a rigorous application process in which they must demonstrate their startup's traction as well as their own entrepreneurial drive.