Fall News
Venture Capitalists, mark your calendars for the Greater Baltimore
Technology Council's
TechNite
in October. Save the dates for our next
Capital
Access Network Breakfasts, October 4
and November 15 from 9:30
a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the University of Maryland,
College Park.
Entrepreneurs, the Dingman Center is proud to announce the launch
of its revised Mentor Program.
Dingman Center staff and experienced mentors are
available every Tuesday from 8 - 11 a.m. to provide
support and resources to help your company make the
leap forward in its business. Appointment required.
If you missed last month's
Women's Entrepreneurship Event be sure read the
event summary
below.
Students, be sure to read up on all
the Upcoming Events and remember to mark your
calendars for October 27 for our
Dingman Day Lunch
featuring Hands On Toys! Also, be sure to get your
pitches ready for our weekly
Pitch Dingman
Review sessions every Friday, and the
Pitch Dingman $500 Competition,
October 27 in 3570
Van Munching Hall. Five minutes is all it
takes to win $500! Young entrepreneurs at the Shady
Grove campus have initiated the Collegiate
Entrepreneurs' Organization (CEO) for
details on how to join see below.
Other interesting
links:
Upcoming Events
Capital Access
Network Review Day
Students and faculty are invited to hear start-up
companies present to our
Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and Dingman staff as they
prepare for Capital Access Network angel investor
presentations. Listen to feedback by our experts,
give some advice of your own, and learn about some
of the new businesses being started today. It's a
great experience for everyone!
To Register, click here!!
-
Presentations begin
at 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 1:00 p.m.
Please arrive promptly for the time slots you wish
to attend.
Friday,
October 20, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., 3440 Van
Munching Hall
Pitch Dingman $500 Competition
- 5 minutes is all it takes to win $500!
Come to the monthly competition, present your
business idea in five minutes to a panel of judges from
the Dingman Center, and you could win
$500!
For
information about the weekly Pitch Dingman sessions
on Fridays or the monthly Pitch Dingman
competitions, e-mail
Melissa
Carrier. Pre-registration is required for the
Pitch Dingman Competition. To pre-register, contact
Melissa
Carrier.
Friday, October 27, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.,
3570 Van Munching Hall
Dingman Day Lunch
Featuring Hands On Toys
Come meet Andy Farrar,
CEO and Founder of Hands On Toys. Hear him speak
about his ups and downs as an entrepreneur and learn
about his innovative new products and inventions to
the toy market.
  HandsOnToys,
Inc. was founded in March 1993 as a
partnership between Andrew E. Farrar, Rustam T. Booz
and Arthur M. Ganson. The company was established to
bring innovative new products and inventions to the
toy market with a focus on the design, development
and marketing of imaginative toys which stimulate
interactive play and learning. They're toys parents
love their children to own and children love to play
with.
The company develops
their own toys and seeks out new toy concepts from the
design community.
HandsOnToys, Inc. prototypes, tests and refines
products and product packaging, then positions and
markets them.
For more
information contact
Andrea
Galati or
Click here to register!!
Friday, October
27, 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m., 1511 Van Munching Hall
Mentor Day
The Mentor Program at
the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship is an
innovative consulting service for entrepreneurs and
small-medium businesses that assists companies in
identifying solutions to business problems with the
support of experienced, senior management
professionals. Office hours begin on September 19
and continue every Tuesday from 8:00 a.m. - 11:00
a.m. Contact
Melissa
Carrier for an appointment or for more details.
Additionally, consultative services will be
available for select companies looking for
longer-term support from mentors at $250/hour
payable to the Dingman Center.
Every Tuesday, 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., 3570 Van Munching Hall
Pitch
Dingman Review
The 2006-2007 Pitch
Dingman program is held every Friday.
Students, faculty and staff of the University of
Maryland community are invited to pitch their
business ideas to the Dingman Center for assessment
and feedback. Business ideas found viable will find
further support from the Dingman Center.
Every Friday, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., 3570 Van Munching
Hall
Dingman
Process Workshops
This informative
hour-long workshop explains the Dingman Process, which
consists of Ideation, Assessment, Implementation,
and Iteration. The most successful entrepreneurs
are not necessarily those with the most innovative
ideas, but those who can find gaps in the market and
develop products to meet consumers' needs . The
Dingman Process helps entrepreneurs systematically
analyze and develop businesses based on this
concept. This workshop is presented once each
academic year, and, this year, it will be held at
College Park as well as at each of our satellite
campuses for our part-time MBA students.
Refreshments will be served.
Wednesday, October 4,
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., UMDC Room C-1
Tuesday, October 10,
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., UMDC Room 330-B
CAN Breakfast
(invitation only)
The CAN Breakfasts are by invitation
only to angel investors who are
qualified investors in the CAN
network. Investors will have an
opportunity to hear a 10 minute
presentation from approximately four start-up entrepreneurs who are
seeking funding for their business.
For more information on the CAN
Program and to participate, contact
Melissa Carrier. Upcoming CAN Breakfasts will be held
October 4 and November
15.
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Event Summaries
Dingman Center
Open House and Visiting Hours - September 22
The
Dingman Center hosted its first open house of the
year September 22, 2006, welcoming those interested
to learn more about the center and the resources it
has to offer. Students, staff, Dingman Scholars and
members of the Maryland Undergraduate Society of
Entrepreneurs mingled over refreshments and
discussed business ideas as well as upcoming events
at the center.
Shania Lin, a junior marketing and logistics major,
attended the open house because she plans to start
her own small business. “I think the Dingman Center
is a great resource for students and I'm looking to
get more involved in it this semester,” Lin said.
Entrepreneurs in residence were also on hand to help
further introduce students to the center and assist
with development of business ideas as well as Asher
Epstein, Managing Director, who addressed the crowd
and emphasized that, at the Dingman Center,
“students get access to a great amount of knowledge
with a group of people who want to share it.”
Dr. Charles O.
Heller Honorary Roast
- September 26
 The
Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship celebrated the
contributions of long time friend, mentor and former
director Dr. Charles O. Heller on September 26, 2006
with a roast in his honor. Friends and family
gathered for refreshments, memories, and fun.
Friends, employees, and former students all took the
podium to roast Charlie for his many accomplishments
and endearing qualities.
Professor emeritus,
founder of the Dingman Center, and former dean, Rudy
Lamone, reflected, “I may have planted the seeds for
the Dingman Center, but Charlie Heller made the
flowers bloom. Charlie brought to the Center an
extraordinary form of leadership and mission. His
vision and passion have had a contagious quality for
all of us who have worked with Charlie these past 20
years.” The Smith School wishes Charlie all the best
in his future endeavors.
Women's Entrepreneurship Event and Networking
Reception - September 28
By Lisa Rassenti BA
2007
On September 28,
2006, the Smith School's Dingman Center for
Entrepreneurship welcomed some of the region's most
successful female entrepreneurs as well as aspiring
entrepreneurs and business owners to the Women's
Entrepreneurship Event, co-sponsored by the Smith
Association of Women MBAs. Speakers included
business owners Amy Nichols, Gina Schaefer Penny Pompei and author Julie Lenzer Kirk — all who
discussed the do's and don'ts of starting your own
business.
Keynote speaker Julie
Lenzer Kirk, entrepreneur and author of “Secrets of
a Mompreneur: What Raising Children Teaches You
About Running a Business,” due out fall 2007, spoke
about how a “yes” from clients, advisors and others
isn't always a good thing. She compared these yeses
to bobbleheads and warned that nodding heads aren't
helpful and every entrepreneur should surround
themselves with people who “tell you what you need
to hear,” even if it's not what you want to hear.
Amy Nichols, founder
of Happy Tails Dog Spa™, recommended effective
growth strategies and advised that, simply, “to
grow, you have to start.” She also discussed the
benefits of franchising and how it's helped her
company grow from one location to an expected 100 by
2008.
Gina Schaefer, a
member of the Ace Hardware Cooperative, owns three
Ace Hardware stores in Washington, D.C., and has
become an expert on how to use other people's money
to finance a business and help it grow. She advised
that “you have to have money to make money. Most
people may be able to start a business, but that
doesn't mean they can start a cash flow.” Schaefer
advised that women need not be afraid of the
financial aspect of a business. “Even if you have to
go to seven different banks, do it. You never know
what's going to happen,” she said.
Penny Pompei, a
self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur, has founded
three very different companies and advised the
audience that “becoming an entrepreneur is a
terminal decision.” She emphasized the need for an
exit plan when starting a business because it
ensures goal committal and optimism, even in a
downward business cycle. Her main point, however,
was that “in order to be a successful entrepreneur,
especially as a woman, you have to have passion.”
The speakers were
followed by an audience Q&A and networking reception
where questions ranged from how to pick a
second-in-command to suggestions for helpful books.
Click here to watch the event!
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The Dingman Center Travels to China
for the 2nd
Annual China Business Plan
Competition
September 9
through September 14 the Dingman
Center traveled to China to take
part in the 2nd Annual China
Business Plan Competition and to
learn about the Chinese economy and
business practices. Among sightseeing and a trip to the magnificent
Great Wall, the China delegation met
with Chris Beede, Chief Economic
Officer for the US Embassy in
Beijing. Mr. Beede's informative
presentation included insight into
the growing concerns for domestic
stability, intellectual property
rights, and job creation. Mr. Beede
also informed the delegation that
China's banking sector is very
fragile and that the rapid economic
growth of China has led to a rapid
energy growth, causing a huge need
for importation of gas and fuel.
 The
Dingman Center delegation met
with China Business Plan Competition
sponsor, DLA Piper Rudnick. At DLA
the Center was introduced to Mark
Williams and Rocky Lee both head of
the private equity and venture
capital segment at DLA. These
gentlemen discussed the venture
capital environment in China. They
informed the delegation that DLA had
closed, in that week alone, 10 venture
capital deals—an un- precedented
number for the firm. Rocky Lee projected venture
capital investment in China to
double in the coming year.
The Dingman
Center also got the privilege to
visit ZhongGuanCun
Industrial Park, one of the largest
business incubators in China. The
delegation met with many Chinese
entrepreneurs, including a internet
protocol television company and
architecture firm, to learn about
their companies and see their
incubation space.
Chris Ryan, CEO of ING Investment Management Asia
Pacific, met with the delegation and
spoke on ING's business growth in
China. Mr. Ryan reported that ING
has grown at a rate of 25% per annum
for the past seven years and that
the Chinese saving rate is at 50%,
up from 35% just last year. Ryan
informed the delegation that health
care services are a large part of
investment and that China has an
enormous consumer market.
The trip concluded with the 2nd
Annual China Business Plan
Competition in which teams with the
best presentation and business idea
were awarded a total of $50,000. The
Dingman Center looks forward to next
year's competition and the
opportunity to meet with more
successful entrepreneurs.
To read more about the winners and
the competition see the article
below.
The Dingman
Center visits the Robert H. Smith
School's Beijing Office.
Pictured from
left to right are: Asher Epstein,
Managing Director; Andrea Galati,
Marketing and Operations Manager;
Adam Lehman, Entrepreneur in
Residence; Melissa Carrier,
Associate Director and Mark Walsh,
Senior Smith Fellow
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Smith School Announces Winners in
China Business Plan Competition
Chinese Entrepreneurs Win $50,000
 The
final winners of the Second Annual
China Business Plan Competition were
announced on September 13, 2006.
The announcement of the three
winning teams is the culmination of
the year-long national competition,
which began with nearly 150 entries.
Howard Frank, dean of the Smith
School and Mr. Liang Gui, director
general of the Torch High-Tech
Center at the China Ministry of
Science and Technology, named the
winners at an awards ceremony in
Beijing, China.
The
winners are:
-
US$25,000 grand prize winner –
Coolbar
-
US$15,000 second prize winner –
JBI
-
US$10,000 third prize winner –
China Lecture
 “My
congratulations to the winners,”
said Frank. “China clearly is
emerging as a hotbed of
entrepreneurship for the 21st
century
—
a real motivation for the
Smith School to continue to create
initiatives that support the growth
of world-class business ideas and
leaders here.”
The
winners were selected from five
finalist teams which were invited to
compete in the final round of the
competition. Daofeng He, Chairman of
the Board of Directors for Sinoway
Investment Corporation, delivered
the keynote address at the final
round which was themed “Building
Leaders for the Digital Economy.”
 “I
commend the Smith School for
aggressively sharing its expertise
and leadership in entrepreneurship
in China,” said competition judge
Mark Walsh, managing partner, Ruxton
Associates, LLC, and senior
executive fellow at the Smith
School's Dingman Center for
Entrepreneurship. “With the annual
China Business Plan Competition and
its other entrepreneurship
initiatives, the Smith School has
created valuable forums for Chinese
entrepreneurs to learn from best
practices and to be inspired.
Today's program had huge value for
all involved.”
In
addition to naming the winners,
Frank announced that the Smith
School has partnered with CCTV as
the exclusive academic provider for
the popular “Win in China” reality
television program. The Smith School
has partnered with CCTV to jointly
deliver the “Win in China
— Smith
School Business Plan Competition.”
Next year's competition will provide
winning entrepreneurs with special
training programs from the Smith
School's Dingman Center for
Entrepreneurship in the United
States, as well as with scholarships
to the school's world-class
Executive MBA programs in Beijing
and Shanghai. The competition is set
to launch in late September 2006.
Entrepreneurship, globalization and
the integration of business and
technology are key areas of focus
for the Smith School, which offers
its leading Executive MBA programs
in Beijing and Shanghai. Smith's
business management programs in
China, like the China Business Plan
Competition, are built around the
“Building Leaders for the Digital
Economy” theme.
Sponsors
for the Smith School's 2006 China
Business Plan Competition include:
The State of Maryland's Department
of Business and Economic
Development, ING Investment
Management Asia/Pacific, New York
Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX),
Zhongguancun Wangjing Science Park,
The Hina Group, iSoftStone
Information Service Corp., Wilmer
Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP,
ChinaCast, Opus8, Zernike USA,
Shipston Group Limited, China Growth
Capital, Zero2IPO, The Wall Street
Journal Chinese Online Edition,
Economic Observer, Discovering
Value, Maryland Center China and
Maryland China Business Council.
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The
Dingman Center Welcomes 3 New Board
Members!
The Dingman
Center welcomes three new additions to
its Advisory Board: Tami J. Howie,
Mark Levine and
Laura Neuman. We are also happy to
announce John Lapides, CEO of Snow
Valley Inc. and current
Entrepreneur-in-Residence, as the
new Chairman of the Board. Jeff
Grinspoon of Morgan Stanley will be
accompanying John as Vice Chairman
of the Board of Advisors.
Meet our newest
members:
Ms. Tami J. Howie
is a Partner in the Mergers &
Acquisitions, Public Offerings,
Venture Capital, and Emerging
Companies practice groups and a
member of the Cooley Godward
Business department. She joined the
Firm in 2005 and is resident in the
Washington, D.C., office.
Ms. Howie
focuses her practice on securities
and general corporate law, with an
emphasis on the representation of
emerging growth companies and
technology companies. She has
counseled clients in a number of
transactions including public and
private debt and equity offerings,
mergers and acquisitions, SEC
reporting and compliance, corporate
governance, and venture capital
transactions. Prior to joining
Cooley, Ms. Howie practiced with
Piper Rudnick and joined Gray Cary
in 2003, where she became a partner.
She was a partner of DLA Piper
following its merger with Gray Cary
in January of 2005. Ms. Howie was
also named “Corporate Finance Young
Gun” by the Washington Business
Journal in 2004. Ms. Howie received
a J.D. from the University of
Maryland School of Law in 1997 magna
cum laude. She earned a B.A. from
Towson State University in 1994 cum
laude. Ms. Howie is admitted to
practice in Maryland and the
District of Columbia.
Mr. Mark
Levine is Managing Director at
Core-Capital Partners, LLC. Prior to
joining Core, Mr. Levine was the
managing member of GCI Venture
Partners, an early stage technology
venture capital fund in the
mid-Atlantic region. Mr. Levine has
served on the Boards of Directors of
InPhonic (NASDAQ:INPC), Clareos,
VocalData (acquired by TKLC),
sentitO Networks, and Roundbox. Mr.
Levine was an officer of
GEO-CENTERS, INC, a high technology
services firm with more than $200
million in revenue and 1200
employees when it was acquired by
SAIC. From 1979-1985, Mr. Levine was
a Subcommittee Staff Director of the
Small Business Committee in the U.S.
House of Representatives. Mr. Levine
was involved in several successful
legislative/regulatory initiatives
including: The Small Business
Innovation Development Act (SBIR),
the Small Business and University
Patent Act, The Competition in
Contracting Act (CICA), The Prompt
Payment Act, the Regulatory
Flexibility Act, and numerous
amendments to the DoD, EPA, NIH,
SBA, DoE Authorization bills. Mr.
Levine has an MBA in Finance from
George Washington University (1978).
He lives in Washington, D.C. with his
wife and two children. His civic and
business activities include serving
on the Boards of Trustees of the
Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA)
and the Maret School, the Board of
Advisors of the George Washington
University Business School and the
Dingman Center (University of
Maryland), the Advisory Board of
Marshfield Associates (investment
management), and as Vice Chair and
Executive Committee Member of the
Professional Services Council.
Ms. Laura A.
Neuman is Interim Executive
Director of the Chesapeake
Innovation Center. Ms. Neuman has a
proven track record in all aspects
of identifying, building, and
running technology companies. This
experience includes working from the
initial start-up phase to product
development through market
deployment. Her corporate experience
includes microelectronic
semiconductors, Internet and
communications infrastructure
technologies, combining an
entrepreneurial focus with broad
experience in corporate development,
strategic planning and operations.
Ms. Neuman has been an active member
of the CIC Board of Directors for
the past three years. She has
substantial knowledge of the CIC
member companies and understands
your needs. Ms. Neuman is currently
Entrepreneur in Residence with
Springboard Enterprises, whose
mission is to help women-led
companies raise venture capital. Her
previous experience includes: CEO of
Matrics, where she raised $18
million in venture capital and then
orchestrated the sale of the company
for $230 million; and Vice President
of Business Development and Sales
for CAIS Internet. Ms. Neuman has a
MBA
from Loyola College and completed
the Executive Program at Stanford
Business School. She is a frequent
speaker on Entrepreneurship and
Technology for colleges,
universities and the media. In 2004,
Ms. Neuman was named one of the Top
100 Women in Maryland by The Daily
Record.
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Dingman Center
for Entrepreneurship adds
Neil Selvin
as Entrepreneur-in-Residence
 The
Dingman Center is happy to announce
Neil Selvin as the latest addition
to our esteemed Entrepreneur in
Residence team. Selvin has more than
25 years of experience branding and
marketing a range of technology
products and now operates an
independent consulting practice,
Strategic Marketing. He will
leverage his substantial insight and
experience to assist student and
local entrepreneurs in their
preparation to obtain funding
through the Dingman Center's Capital
Access Network.
“Neil brings a
great deal of knowledge to the
Dingman Center as a successful
entrepreneur and strategic marketing
consultant,” said Asher Epstein,
managing director of the Dingman
Center for Entrepreneurship. “His
history of success offers a huge
asset to the students and regional
entrepreneurs seeking to promote and
build their businesses.”
“Neil Selvin
is a true leader of the digital
economy and an invaluable resource
for Smith students and regional
entrepreneurs taking part in Dingman
Center programs,” said Howard Frank,
dean of the University of Maryland's
Robert H. Smith School of Business.
Previously,
Selvin was the executive vice
president and chief marketing
officer for Approva, a software
compliance company. He also ran a
number of companies, including
OneWorld Systems and Pivia. Prior to
this he served as chief executive of
Global Village Communication, a
Macintosh modem and communications
software company. Selvin's
accomplishments include growing
Global Village from a $20 million
company to $140 million in three
years, and taking the company public
in 1994. In the early 1990s, Selvin
worked at Apple, where he was the
director of marketing for portable
computers and drove the launch of
the original PowerBooks. By creating
unique positioning for the
PowerBook, he was able to
permanently change the laptop
playing field, resulting in
first-year revenues of $1 billion
and the most successful new brand at
Apple in seven years. Selvin has
also served on a number of boards of
directors.
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Giving
Back to Baltimore's Firefighters
Dingman Center Portfolio Company
Hook & Ladder Brewing Company teams
up with Baltimore Beer Distributor
to put a “Penny in Every Pint” for
local firefighters.
COLLEGE
PARK, MD.—The Dingman Center for
Entrepreneurship announced a new
distribution deal between Hook &
Ladder Brewing Company and one of
Baltimore's top distributors, The
Winner Distributing Company. Hook &
Ladder, a Dingman Center Portfolio
Company, is operated by entrepreneur
and Robert H. Smith School of
Business graduate Matt Fleischer
(MBA 2005).
Hook & Ladder
Brewing Company was built on the
principal of giving back to
firefighters, and now, Baltimore's
newest beer is getting others into
the act.
Hook & Ladder,
based in Silver Spring, Md., recently
teamed up with The Winner
Distributing Company, a Baltimore
beer distributor. Together, the
companies will be making regular
contributions to the Metropolitan
Firefighters Burn Center Fund, a
non-profit organization dedicated to
assisting in the recovery and
rehabilitation of injured
firefighters and burn patients in
the Baltimore metropolitan area.
“Baltimore has a
proud firefighter tradition, and
we're excited to become part of that
community,” says Hook & Ladder Chief
Operating Officer and longtime
volunteer firefighter Rich
Fleischer. “We've taken a passion
for good beer, a passion for
firefighting, and a passion for
giving back to the community, and
melded them together.”
Hook & Ladder has
always donated proceeds from each
barrel sold to local firefighter
burn foundations, and now, together
with matching contributions from The
Winner Distributing Company, will
donate $4 per barrel to the
Metropolitan Firefighter's Burn
Center Fund. Previously, Hook &
Ladder has distributed primarily in
the Washington, D.C. metropolitan
area and has donated more than
$4,000 to the D.C. Firefighters Burn
Foundation since the beginning of
the year.
“We are thrilled
to have the support of the Hook and
Ladder and Winner Team,” says Tom
McLhinney, President of the
Metropolitan Fire Fighters Burn
Center Fund of Baltimore. “Through
their previous efforts, it's obvious
they truly believe in supporting the
firefighter and burn community, and
they have demonstrated to us they
are serious about making a
difference in Baltimore.”
Hook & Ladder
features two draft beers—The 2001
Great American Beer Festival Gold
Medal winning “Golden Ale” and
“Backdraft Brown”—that are now
available on tap in establishments
throughout the city.
“It was a natural
fit for us,” says Winner
Distributing Company Executive Vice
President John Daue. “Hook &
Ladder's corporate philosophy of
giving back to the community echoes
our efforts. This company is all
about the firefighter, from their
donations to the Burn Foundation to
their Signature Firefighter Axe Tap
handle.”
About Hook
and Ladder Brewing Co.
Headquartered in Silver Spring, Md,
Hook & Ladder Brewing Co. (www.hookandladderbeer.com)
was founded in 1999 in San Francisco
by brothers Rich and Matt Fleischer.
The brew quickly gained a following
in local bars, and soon won the
prestigious gold medal in the
American-style wheat category at the
Great American Beer Festival,
beating out 53 brewers from around
the country. With a gold medal and
successful business concept, the
brothers moved Hook & Ladder back to
their Maryland roots and set up home
base in Silver Spring, Md. In just
under a year, Hook & Ladder brews
have gained a large presence in the
Washington, D.C., metro area and have
recently began expanding into
Baltimore.
Click here
to read more exciting news about
Hook & Ladder read their feature
article in the Washington Post!
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Shady Grove Entrepreneurship Fellows
Establish the Collegiate
Entrepreneurs' Organization (CEO)
Students, who are
part of the Fellows Program have
initiated a new student organization
headquartered in the Shady Grove
Campus for all Robert H. Smith
School students interested in
entrepreneurship. The Collegiate
Entrepreneurs' Organization (CEO)
exists to foster the entrepreneurial
spirit in the University Of Maryland
Robert H. Smith School of Business
and the Universities at Shady Grove
community. CEO will provide
resources for those interested in
starting new ventures and a social
forum to discuss entrepreneurial
ideas. In addition, the Collegiate
Entrepreneurs' Organization (CEO)
exists to support the mission and
purpose of University of Maryland
Robert H. Smith School of Business
entrepreneurs' fellows program.
For more
information about the club and its
activities email
ceo_umd@yahoo.com
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GBTC's TechNite - Six Degrees
The Greater Baltimore Technology
Council invites you to join them as
they examine the Power of Six
Degrees and how it's driving
business in the region and beyond.
Discover how companies you know got
to where they are today and who
helped them along the way. Through
their experiences, you'll see how
our region's network reaches around
the world.
GBTC's TechNite - Six Degrees
Thursday, October 19, 2006
The Baltimore Convention Center
One West Pratt Street
*Register at:
http://www.gbtechcouncil.org/technite2006
Reception & Networking - 5:15 p.m.
Dinner - 6:30 p.m.
Lounge & Cash Bar - 8:45 p.m.
Dress - Whatever you care to wear!
* When registering, enter Dingman in
the Promotion Code box and click OK
in order to receive your Dingman
Center for Entrepreneurship
discount!
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For the
complete list of events go to the
Events page of our website.
Dingman
Process Workshop
This informative 75 - 90 minute
workshop explains the Dingman
Process, which consists of Ideation,
Assessment, Implementation, and
Iteration. The most successful
entrepreneurs are not necessarily
those with the most innovative
ideas, but those who can find gaps
in the market and develop products
to meet consumers' needs. The
Dingman Process helps entrepreneurs
systematically analyze and develop
businesses based on this concept. This workshop is presented once each
academic year, and this year it will
be held at College Park as well as
at each of our satellite campuses
for our part-time MBA students.
Contact
Melissa Carrier for more
details.
|
Wednesday, October 4
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. |
UMDC Campus Room C-1 |
|
Tuesday, October 10
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. |
UMDC Campus Room 330-B |
|
Monday, October 30
5:00 p.m. |
UMBC Campus |
CIO Forum
featuring Ted Leonis, Vice Chairman
of America Online, Inc.
Established in
1999, the CIO Forum is a yearly
meeting of top chief information
officers, technology strategists,
and academic researchers in
Mid-Atlantic states. Events are
highly interactive and focus on the
most important issues confronting
technology strategists in the
emerging digital economy, including
e-commerce, the IT talent shortage,
Internet strategy, multi-sourcing,
next generation architectures, and
other topics.
|
Friday, November 3
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. |
1524 VMH
Frank Auditorium
|
Pitch Dingman
Review
Students are invited to pitch their
ideas to the Dingman Center every
Friday between 2:00 p.m. and 3:00
p.m. Each student will have 5-10
minutes to give an overview of their
business idea, which will later be
reviewed and evaluated according to
specific criteria by the Dingman
Center staff. Periodic Pitch Dingman
competitions will be held during the
semester. Business ideas found
viable will find further support in
the Dingman Center.
|
Every Friday
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. |
3570
VMH |
Pitch Dingman
Competition
Similar to the Pitch Dingman
reviews, bring your best
presentation forward and win $500! Business ideas found
viable will find further support in
the Dingman Center. Pre-registration
is required, please contact
Melissa Carrier.
|
Friday, October 27
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
3570 VMH |
|
Friday, December 8
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
3570 VMH |
Dingman Day
Lunch
These catered luncheons are open to
undergraduate and MBA students and
members of the entrepreneurial
community. Successful entrepreneurs
will talk about their experiences
and answer questions from the
audience.
|
Friday, October 27
12:00 - 2:00 p.m. |
1511 Van Munching Hall |
Andy Farrar from HandsOn
Toys |
|
Friday, December 1
12:00 - 2:00 p.m. |
1511 Van Munching Hall |
Allen Andersson, Serial
Entrepreneur and founder of
PaperBoy Ventures |
CAN Breakfast
(invitation only)
The CAN Breakfasts are by invitation
only to angel investors who are
qualified investors in the CAN
network. Investors will have an
opportunity to hear a 10 minute
presentation from approximately four start-up entrepreneurs who are
seeking funding for their business. For more information on the CAN
Program and to participate, contact
Melissa Carrier. The next
CAN Breakfasts will be held
October 4 and November 15.
Tech Visionary
Panel (invitation only)
See what's on the horizon in the
world of technologies. These panel
discussions will look at some of the
cutting edge trends and innovations
to come to market. Learn how these
technologies are going to affect
healthcare, entertainment, financial
services, defense, media, and the
entire range of human interaction.
The next Tech Visionary Panel will
be Wednesday, October 18.
Cupid's Cup
Cupid's
Cup is a ten thousand dollar
monetary award given to the best
student start-up business. The
first annual Cupid's Cup was
awarded by Kevin Plank, CEO and
founder of Under Armour, to North
Star Games, makers of Wits and Wager
and Cluzzle, on May 19, 2006 . The winners receive a
$10,000 cash prize to invest in
their company and possession of
Cupid's Cup for a one year period.
Save the date for this exciting
event!
To enter this competition or for
more information on this event
please see the
Cupid's Cup webpage or contact
Andrea Galati.
Date: Friday, May 4
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THE DINGMAN CENTER FOR
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Founded by Rudy Lamone in 1986, the Dingman Center was one of
the first of its kind in the country and has emerged as a
top-ranked entrepreneurship center. Thanks to initial funding
with a generous grant from Michael D. Dingman, founder of the
Signal Corporation (now part of Honeywell International), the
Dingman Center continues to grow as a regional and national
catalyst in the field of entrepreneurship. The Center is now
aggressively evolving, and in some areas, is expanding its
services to further its role as a leader in the student,
regional, and academic entrepreneurial communities.
The Dingman Center is currently led by:
Asher Epstein, Managing Director
Dr. Charles Heller, Chairman of the Board and Director Emeritus
Dr. Scott Koerwer, Associate Dean,
Professional Programs and Services
Please visit our website at
http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/dingman.
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