|
Press Releases -
2007 Archive
University of Maryland Business School
Strengthens Focus on Social
Responsibility
College Park, Md. – October 25,
2007 – The University of Maryland’s
Robert H. Smith School of Business has
recently expanded its curriculum –
adding new courses and MBA consulting
projects – to strengthen its focus on
social responsibility. The announcement
closely follows the launch of an
endowment fund created through donations
from alumni Carly Fiorina, former
Hewlett-Packard head, and Kevin Plank,
founder and CEO of Under Armour athletic
apparel company, that earmarks $50,000
for investment in student-started
socially responsible ventures.
“We’re dedicated to teaching the next
generation of business leaders to think
about the impact their companies will
have on the world – not just
economically, but environmentally and
socially, too,” said Howard Frank, dean
of the Robert H. Smith School of
Business. “Students must learn how to
create innovative solutions to global
challenges in ways that best benefit
society as a whole.”
(Click on each press release title to
view the full press release.)
University of Maryland Ranked Among
Nation’s Top 25 for Entrepreneurship
Programs
College Park, Md. – October 15,
2007 – The University of Maryland’s
Robert H. Smith School of Business
programs are rated among in the top in
the nation for entrepreneurship,
according to a ranking by
Entrepreneur magazine and The
Princeton Review. The ranking, which
will be published in the November issue
of Entrepreneur, rates Smith’s
undergraduate program No. 14 and its MBA
program No. 18 in the nation. The
recognition comes on the heels of a
similar ranking by Fortune Small
Business in that magazine’s
September issue.
“These ratings indicate the strength
and broad scope of our entrepreneurship
programs, as we’re one of only 12
schools that appear in both the
undergraduate and graduate rankings,”
said Howard Frank, dean of the Robert H.
Smith School of Business. “We’re
committed to helping students develop
into innovators — through both academic
courses and hands-on experiences. We
prepare undergraduates and MBAs to
approach the rapidly evolving business
world with entrepreneurial vision,
whether they are going out to start
businesses or run them.”
(Click on each press release title to
view the full press release.)
University of Maryland MBA Startup Lands
Target Deal Board Game Maker’s “Wits &
Wagers” on Store Shelves Now
College Park, Md. – October 11,
2007 – North Star Games, a Dingman
Center portfolio company has landed its
party game, “Wits & Wagers,” on the
shelves of Target stores nationwide for
the upcoming holiday season. The Dingman
Center, part of the University of
Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of
Business, helps students and regional
entrepreneurs develop their businesses.
North Star Games was started and
incubated at the center when founders
Dominic Crapuchettes and Satish
Pillalamarri were 2004 Smith MBA
candidates. It is now one of the Dingman
Center’s eight portfolio companies, to
which the center provides funding and
advisory services in exchange for
equity.
“Getting picked up by a top retailer
such as Target is a major score for
North Star Games,” said Asher Epstein,
managing director of the Dingman Center
for Entrepreneurship. “We have been
supporting NorthStar games for four
years and they’ve come a long way. Wits
& Wagers is a great game and Target’s
decision is further validation. The
company is great example to other Smith
School student entrepreneurs.”
(Click on each press release title to
view the full press release.)
Carly Fiorina and Under Armour’s Kevin
Plank Establish $175K Entrepreneurship
Fund at University of Maryland
College Park, MD – October
8, 2007 – The University of
Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of
Business today announced the launch of a
$175,000 alumni donor endowment fund for
the Smith School’s Dingman Center for
Entrepreneurship to invest in student-
and alumni-run companies. The fund was
established with gifts from Smith alumni
Carly Fiorina, former president and
chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, and
Kevin Plank, founder and chief executive
of Under Armour. A $50,000 portion of
the fund is earmarked for investment in
socially responsible ventures. The
Dingman Center’s Melissa Carrier will
oversee management of the fund — with
opportunity for Smith student
involvement — in her new role as
director of Venture Investments and
Social Entrepreneurship.
"Carly and Kevin provide great
inspiration as incredible examples of
where entrepreneurial drive and
leadership can take Smith Students,"
said Asher Epstein, managing director of
the Dingman Center.
(Click on each press release title to
view the full press release.)
University of Maryland Hosts Inaugural
Angel Investing Event for Distinguished
Alumni
College Park, Md. – Sept. 19, 2007
– The University of Maryland’s A.
James Clark School of Engineering and
Robert H. Smith School of Business
hosted the university’s inaugural Impact
of Angel Investing seminar yesterday for
distinguished alumni.
The private seminar provided an
overview of angel investing for alumni
with limited angel investment
experience, as well as experienced
investors interested in networking with
other alumni.
“The university hosted a great
event,” says Ron Luzier, Clark School
alumnus, class of 1972 and former senior
vice president and chief technology
officer of Alliant Techsystems Inc.’s
Space Division. “It was part history
lesson, part tutorial, part introduction
to ventures in need of support, and a
great networking opportunity. The event
was a win-win for the university,
entrepreneurs, angel investors and the
community at large.”
(Click on each press release title to
view the full press release.)
University of Maryland Business School
Award $50K to Chinese Entrepreneurs in
Business Plan Competition in Beijing
College Park, Md. – September 11,
2007 – The University of Maryland’s
Robert H. Smith School of Business, a
leading provider of Executive MBA
programs in China, awarded the final
winners of the Smith School’s third
annual China Business Plan Competition.
The three winning teams were announced
Sept. 10 at the culmination of the
yearlong competition, which began with
more than 200 entries. G. Anandalingam,
senior associate dean of the University
of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of
Business, named the winners at an awards
ceremony at the TsingHua Innovation
Plaza in Beijing.
(Click on each press release title to
view the full press release.)
University of Maryland MBA,
Undergraduate Business Programs Among
Nation's Top in Entrepreneurship
College Park, Md. – September 10,
2007 – The University of Maryland’s
Robert H. Smith School of Business MBA
and undergraduate programs are rated
among in the top 25 in the nation for
entrepreneurship, according to a ranking
published in the September issue of
Fortune Small Business magazine.
“If you are looking to immerse
yourself in entrepreneurship, this
school is among the best,” writes
Fortune Small Business of the Robert H.
Smith School of Business in its
“America’s Best Colleges for
Entrepreneurs” feature.
The Smith School’s Dingman Center for
Entrepreneurship is a key reason for its
place as one of the top schools for
entrepreneurship. The center, which
celebrated its 20th anniversary last
year, was one of the first university
entrepreneurship centers in the nation
to help students start and grow
businesses. The magazine highlights
Smith for Dingman Center programs that
provide students with access to
mentoring and weekly opportunities to
pitch their business ideas for feedback
from a roster of experienced
entrepreneurs-in-residence.
(Click on each press release title to
view the full press release.)
Smith School Presents Live Web Cast of
$50K China Business Plan Competition
Beijing, China – August 31, 2007 –
The University of Maryland’s Robert H.
Smith School of Business announced today
it will Web cast the Sept. 10 final
round of its $50,000 China Business Plan
Competition live from Beijing. The Web
cast will be available for viewing on
the homepage of its exclusive portal
partner, QQ.com, on the
QQ Technology Channel.
The Smith School’s Dingman Center for
Entrepreneurship hosts the annual China
Business Plan Competition, in which
entrepreneurs compete for more than
$50,000 in cash, business training and
other prizes to kick-start their
businesses. The 2007 competition field
of approximately 200 entrants was
narrowed to five finalist teams that
will compete Sept. 10 at the TsingHua
Science Park at Innovation Plaza in
Beijing. The event and Web cast will
begin at 2 p.m. in Beijing (2 a.m. EDT)
with the final round competition and
will last through the announcement of
the winners at 5:30 p.m. (5:30 a.m.
EDT). Among the highlights of the
program is an opportunity for each of
the finalist teams to hear feedback on
their business plans from a panel of
seasoned venture capitalists who serve
as judges.
(Click on each press release title to
view the full press release.)
University of Maryland Business School
Names Finalists in $50,000 Business Plan
Competition
Beijing, China – August 8, 2007
— The University of Maryland’s
Robert H. Smith School of Business today
announced the 20 semifinalists of the
school’s 2007 China Business Plan
Competition. The competition will award
winners with more than $50,000 in cash
and prizes, including a $25,000 grand
prize, $15,000 second prize and $10,000
third prize. The Smith School’s Dingman
Center for Entrepreneurship hosts the
China Business Plan Competition, now in
its third year, in support of the growth
of world-class business ideas and
business leaders in China.
Entrepreneurship is a key area of focus
for the Smith School, which offers its
leading Executive MBA programs in
Beijing and Shanghai.
“My congratulations to the
semifinalists,” said Howard Frank, dean
of the Robert H. Smith School of
Business. “Each year I am impressed by
the number and quality of entries, and
this year is no exception.”
(Click on each press release title
to view the full press release.)
Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship
Portfolio Company Joins Homeland
Security Incubator
College Park, Md. – April 27, 2007
– Dingman Center for
Entrepreneurship portfolio company
Exponential Storage recently joined the
Chesapeake Innovation Center, the
region’s premier incubator for homeland
security-focused businesses. The Dingman
Center, part of the University of
Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of
Business, helps entrepreneurs from the
Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
region start and grow their businesses.
Exponential Storage provides
affordable and secure data storage. The
company joined the Dingman Center as a
portfolio company in late 2005, where it
received entrepreneurship mentoring and
access to funding opportunities. Company
founders worked closely with Dingman
Center Managing Director Asher Epstein
and Smith Senior Fellow Mark Walsh, the
managing partner of a private equity and
investment firm who lends his expertise
to Dingman activities.
(Click on each press release title
to view the full press release.)
University of Maryland's Business School
Expands Third Annual China Business Plan
Competition
Beijing, China – April 17, 2007
– The University of Maryland’s
Robert H. Smith School of Business, a
leading provider of Executive MBA
programs in China, today announced a
series of initiatives designed to
promote world-class innovation and
business ideas through the expansion of
its annual China Business Plan
Competition. Now in its third year, the
competition will award $50,000 in prize
money during a final round competition
in September.
“The support of leading U.S. and
Chinese government partners have enabled
the Smith School to create a vibrant
event that continues to increase in
scale and stature,” said Howard Frank,
dean of the University of Maryland’s
Robert H. Smith School of Business. “I
look forward to attending the final
round of the competition in September.”
(Click on each press release title
to view the full press release.)
University of Maryland Alumnus’
Shopping and Fashion Guide Acquired by
Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive
Founder will use proceeds to support
student businesses after getting
publication's start at the University of
Maryland’s business school
College Park, MD – March 13, 2007
–SHOP DC, a Washington, D.C. shopping
and fashion guide founded by Zoey
Rawlins, was recently acquired by
Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive (WPNI)
and has been relaunched as DC Scout. A
former University of Maryland MBA
student, Rawlins announced she will use
some of the proceeds to benefit student
entrepreneurs at the Robert H. Smith
School of Business.
Rawlins created SHOP DC two years ago
while working toward her MBA at the
Smith School and with $7,000 in startup
funding from the school’s Dingman Center
for Entrepreneurship. The Dingman Center
assisted SHOP DC as part of $50,000 in
seed stage funding the center annually
makes available to student-run, start-up
companies.
(Click on each press release title
to view the full press release.)
Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship
Portfolio Company Joins Silver Spring
Incubator
College Park, Md. – March 9, 2007
– Destination Information Systems
software maker Geocentric — a Dingman
Center for Entrepreneurship portfolio
company — recently accepted a spot in
the Silver Spring Innovation Center, a
Montgomery County, Md. incubator for
early-stage and startup information
technology companies. The Dingman
Center, part of the University of
Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of
Business, helps students and
entrepreneurs throughout the
Baltimore-Washington, D.C. region start
and grow their businesses, investing in
some as portfolio companies.
“The Dingman Center’s support and
advice have been extremely helpful,”
said Geocentric President and Founder
Jim Blakeslee, who graduated with an MBA
from the Robert H. Smith School of
Business in 2006. He launched the
company in 2005.
(Click on each press release title
to view the full press release.)
|
