The Latest News 

 

 

Congratulations to Goozex CEO Valerio Zanini on the birth of healthy baby boy Matteo Roberto!

Matteo was born on Sept 13, 2007 at 8.1 pounds and 20.5 inches long. We're happy that the Dingman family is expanding!

 

Goozex on Facebook! Goozex is now part of the Facebook community. Check out how to add Goozex to your profile.

 

September's $500 Pitch Dingman Winners - The Dingman Center held its first $500 Pitch Dingman competition of Fall 2007 on Friday, September 28, 2007. Read about the Winners.

 

Check out Feed The Turtle, the latest MD student business - www.FeedTheTurtle.com, a free online menu and bar guide.

Students, Get your pitches ready for the October Pitch Dingman. Mark your calendars for CAN Review Day and a briefing by fellow students on their visits with Chinese manufacturers. Mark your calendars for the UM Boot Camp for MTECH Ventures!  Come learn about the tremendous resources available, network and enjoy some good food. Also, meet your MTECH colleagues during the social hour kickoff of the UMD Business Plan Competition. Missed Michael Chasen's talk? Get a debrief here. Want to help determine the fate of a Dingman Center portfolio company? Check out North Star Games' product at Target!

 

Venture Capitalists, are you working on your golf swing? Because the 15th Annual Entrepreneur Invitational Golf Tournament is scheduled for October 10th!  Help support the Dingman Center and enjoy a round of golf with us. Want to help determine the fate of a Dingman Center portfolio company? Check out North Star Games' product at Target! Need to network? Attend the Greater Baltimore Technology Council's TechNite.

 

Entrepreneurs, Looking for Capital? Apply to our Capital Access Network. Also, mark your calendars for the UM Boot Camp for MTECH Ventures!  Come learn about the tremendous resources available, network and enjoy some good food.  Want to help determine the fate of a Dingman Center portfolio company? Check out North Star Games' product at Target! Need to network? Attend the Greater Baltimore Technology Council's TechNite. Also, be sure not to miss the many Dingman partner events like the National Association of Women MBA's Conference & Career Fair.

 

The Dingman Center is proud of its Mentor Program. Dingman Center staff and experienced mentors are available every Tuesday from 8 - 11 am to provide support and resources to help your company make a leap forward in its business. Appointment required. Contact Melissa Carrier for an appointment. 

 

Other interesting links:

• Our Fall 2007 Calendar is ready, mark your calendars! 

• Buy your Smith-branded merchandise for departmental speakers and conferences at the Smith Store.

Upcoming Events

Pitch Dingman

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Goozex on Facebook

Support a Dingman portfolio company by adding Goozex to your profile on Facebook

This is the url to add the app to your profile:
http://apps.facebook.com/goozexgames/join.php


Here is what our new application lets you do:
1. Rate & Review Games  -- Entire database of 23,000 games ready for you to comment on!
2. Post your favorite games
3. Post the games you want to play
4. Connect to your Goozex account and show your library lists
5. See what your friends have done and what games they are playing!
6. Share with your friends!

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Michael Chasen, President and CEO of Blackboard  

 

On Tuesday, October 2, Michael Chasen, president and CEO of Blackboard, Inc. shared how he provided the leadership to take Blackboard from a start-up company offering one product to a publicly-held company offering software and services to millions of people around the world. His expertise managing fast growth Internet software companies coupled with a passion to enhance education through technology has been critical to Blackboard's success.

Chasen, together with Blackboard Chairman Matthew Pittinsky, founded the company in 1997. Chasen has served as CEO of Blackboard since January 2001, as president since February 2004 and as a director since founding the company in 1997. Together, Chasen and Pittinsky developed a company that is a leader and pioneer in online education. Because of a strong business plan and complete understanding of the business, Blackboard has a promising future.

Throughout his speech, he offered words of advice to entrepreneurs, including: starting a company is more than full time work; networking is key; don’t build the business infrastructure before the business; know your business; build the product in order to sell more; target potential investors; valuation is an art and science; experience is good but drive and passion are better; have a business model that generates money, and always be one step away from making money.

Before co-founding Blackboard, from May 1996 to June 1997, he was a consultant with KPMG Consulting (now BearingPoint, Inc.) serving colleges and universities. He received a bachelor of science degree from American University and a master of business administration degree from Georgetown University School of Business.

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September's Pitch Dingman Winners

Pitch Dingman Competition- Wonder Woman Sports and FI Ventures win the September 2007 Round
MBA candidate and Law student wow judges and split $500 prize with five-minute business pitches

The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business held its first Pitch Dingman competition of Fall 2007 on Friday, September 28, 2007. Pitch Dingman is a monthly contest open to all members of the University of Maryland community – including students, faculty and staff – that is designed to promote entrepreneurship and the launch of new businesses. The format allows for a five-minute presentation of a business idea followed by three minutes of questions and feedback. The contest judges include a combination of Dingman staff, MBA student scholars, and Entrepreneurs-in-Residence.

Laura Bennett’s business idea, Wonder Woman Sports, aims to provide “fashionable, comfortable, functional and affordable attire for the active woman who works out as just one part of a healthy lifestyle and who wants one fun outfit to wear throughout her busy day.”  Clothing articles will feature bold patterns in trim and feminine silhouettes. Bennett will use the proceeds to manufacture and develop prototypes. Bennett is an MBA candidate in the full-time program at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Rita Polikov’s business, FI Ventures, seeks to provide consumers with a fun, unique, innovative energy drink unlike any product currently on the market. Polikov’s patent-pending concept and business idea have been under development for some time and she looks forward to using her winnings on promotional efforts and test-marketing. Polikov is a third-year student at the University of Maryland School of Law.

The Pitch Dingman Competition is held monthly at the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business during the academic calendar year. Also during the academic year, working sessions (non-competitive sessions) are held each Friday from 11am to 12 pm to assist entrepreneurs in preparing their pitches and to offer feedback and advice once competitors’ businesses are up and running. For more information about the Pitch Dingman Competition, the Pitch Dingman work sessions, and to register as a participant, email PitchDingman@rhsmith.umd.edu.

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Feed the Turtle

 

Hungry? Look no further than this new student business at www.feedtheturtle.com.

FeedTheTurtle.com was started in the Fall of 2007 by three students at the University of Maryland. Jimmy Lyons, Sarah Kornides, and Clinton Masterson grew tired of always ordering food from the same restaurants. They searched everywhere for menus and phone numbers, but realized that this was an extremely frustrating experience. After endlessly brainstorming a solution to this problem, an interactive database including menus, phone numbers, addresses, and hours of operation of ALL the restaurants and bars in College Park was born.

Although it took hard work, business negotiations, and extensive research, Jimmy, Sarah, and Clint knew that their all-inclusive online menu guide would greatly benefit the students, faculty, and residents of College Park.

Their website includes all the menus for College Park, some ridiculous food specials, and nightly entertainment information. October 8-11th is Cheap Eats Week which will include pizzas, pitas, subs, and cheese steaks all for under $2!  Enjoy!

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Fall 2007 Calendar

 

Pitch Dingman

Students are invited to pitch their ideas to the Dingman Center every Friday between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Each student will have 5-10 minutes to give an overview of their business idea and Dingman Center staff/EIRs will provide immediate feedback.  Business ideas found viable will find further support in the Dingman Center.
 

Every Friday 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 pm

3570 VMH

 

Pitch Dingman Competition
Similar to the Pitch Dingman reviews.  Business ideas found viable will find further support in the Dingman Center.
 

Friday, October 26 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 pm	3570 VMH
Friday, November 30 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 pm	3570 VMH
Friday, December 14 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 pm	3570 VMH

 

Dingman Day Lunch
These catered luncheons are open to all University of Maryland students.  Successful entrepreneurs will talk about their experiences and answer questions from the audience. 

 

Friday, December 7 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.

 

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.

 

Wednesday, November 7 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 am
Wednesday, December 12 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 am

 

CAN 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!

 

Wednesday, October 17 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 pm	2511 VMH
Wednesday, November 14 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 pm	2511 VMH

 

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.
 

Wednesday, November 28 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

 

Mentor Day

The Mentor Program 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.

 

Every Tuesday beginning September 18 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

3570 VMH

 

China Debrief

Hear Smith students talk about their experience on the Dingman Center's China manufacturing trip and 3rd Annual Business Plan Competition.

 

Wednesday, October 10 5:00 pm

Tyser Auditorium, 1212 VMH

 

 

 

Partner Events

 

25th Annual National Association of Women MBAs Conference & Career Fair

November 2 & 3, 2007, Robert H. Smith School of Business

 

 

Join us at the Smith School of Business for Take the Lead: Globalization, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (GET). Explore how GET shapes the business place now and continues to change every day. Discover how women are successfully taking the lead in our global economy through innovation while embracing emerging technologies.

 

 

TechNite

Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Baltimore Convention Center

 

TechNite has become Greater Baltimore's premiere night out for the business and technology communities. Now in its 17th year, the evening includes a high powered program, dinner, and intensive networking. With almost 1,000 attendees representing one-person start ups to the Fortune 500 businesses found in our region, TechNite is the place to be. It's fun, it's high energy, it will make you proud to do business here.

 

Attend TechNite and receive a discounted rate of $170 (a savings of $15 over the non-member rate). When you register, enter "dingman" as the Promotion Code to receive the reduced price.

 

For more information, go to www.gbtechcouncil.org/technite2007.

 

 

 MIT Enterprise Forum "Entrepreneurship" Broadcast Details

"Entrepreneurship: Success, Failure, Greatness" with Ann Winblad and Jason Pontin.

http://enterpriseforum.mit.edu/network/broadcasts/200709/index.html

Date : Thursday, September 27, 2007
Times : 1100 - 12:30 ET, apx 15 out
Satellite : Galaxy 26 (formerly IA 6) / TR 9 C-band analog
Downlink frequency : 3880 vertical (V)
Audios : 6.2 and 6.8 subcarrier - full program mix

Testing to start at 11:00 am Eastern
program will run live from approximately 11:25 am until approximately 12:30 pm Eastern


URL:
Here is the URL to click on for the webcast:
http://web.mit.edu/webcast/enterprise-forum/2007/mit-mitef-kresge-27sep2007-1100-220k.ram

No password is needed. Clicking the link will launch the Real Player application on your computer.
The live webcast will run from approximately 11:25 am - 12:30 pm Eastern on Thursday, September 27.


WEB TESTING TIMES:
This Monday and Tuesday, September 24 and 25, from 3:00 - 4:30 pm Eastern , you may click on the above link and test that your venue is properly receiving the web streamed program. We can not emphasize the importance of performing this test in advance of hosting your live audience. Should you have any difficulties or questions during the testing times, you may contact Robert Sikkema at 617-253-0901.
(Full technical requirements for your system are included at the bottom of the email.)


DVD ORDERING DETAILS:
You may choose to host a delayed viewing instead. Please go to https://alum.mit.edu/smarTrans/user/Register.dyn?eventID=16421&groupID=184 and complete the details so that we may send you the DVD.

Please note that we will likely have these ready to ship on or around Wednesday, October 3rd and they will be sent to you via DHL overnight. An email with the package tracking number will be sent to you when it ships. There is a $35 charge for the DVD ($50 for international sites) which covers the costs of duplication and shipping. When you complete your online order form, we ask that you include the date of your local event. If you do not know the specific date yet, please provide an approximate timeframe. If you would like to coordinate sending an invitation to local MIT alumni, please state that as well so that we may work with you on this.

 

 

Listen to Randy Pausch,

Co-founder of Entertainment Technology Center and Director of the Alice Project

Randy Pausch, a renowned computer scientist – recently gave his “last lecture” at CMU. A survivor of advanced pancreatic cancer, listen to Randy talk about the lessons of his life, what he was proud of, what was difficult – focusing on what it took to achieve his childhood dreams. Check out the WSJ article on Mr. Pausch's talk at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119024238402033039.html.

The full video of his talk is here:
http://www.etc.cmu.edu/global_news/?q=node/42

Randy’s personal page and treatment blog is here:
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/

 

 

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    North Star Games Shines Bright

WITS & WAGERS Board Game Goes National at Target

North Star Games is a board game company that was incubated in the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship.  Over the past 3 years, the Dingman Center provided assistance in the form of advice, business contacts, and a small equity investment.  Their latest award-winning party game, Wits & Wagers, is stocked at all 1,550 Target locations. 

Getting into a large national outlet like Target is transformational for a small start-up company.  Sales for North Star Games will increase by over 600% this year.  Wits & Wagers is guaranteed shelf space until the 2007 holiday season, but Target will decide whether to keep the product for 2008 depending upon the first six weeks of sales.  So, while North Star Games will be profitable for the first time in three years, the long-term fate of the company is still unknown. 

The success of North Star Games is now dependant upon their ability to quickly build a brand name for their game.  Winning 11 prestigious industry awards has made that job easier (Cranium only won 2 awards).  More importantly, Wits & Wagers was dubbed “the latest in living-room play” by Time Magazine and the best trivia game of all time by About.com.

What is the game’s secret?  Wits & Wagers is trivia for people who don’t know stuff.  The twist is that you can bet on the answers provided by other players, making the game more social and exciting than other trivia games.  Another important factor is that Wits & Wagers can be taught in 2 minutes, played in 25 minutes, and enjoyed by up 20 people, which makes it a great activity for outdoor picnics, holiday gatherings, and large parties. 

So the next time you are in Target, think of someone who could use a fun gift and pick up a copy of Wits & Wagers.  You’ll be helping to determine the fate of a Dingman Center portfolio company and providing your friends with hours of great entertainment.

You can learn more about Wits & Wagers at www.NorthStarGames.com. 

About North Star Games:

Founded in 2004 by two University of Maryland MBA students, North Star Games is a living room startup run by Dominic Crapuchettes and Satish Pillalamarri. Their goal is to inspire creativity, laughter and cheering through designer games that engage and enrich the mind. The company prides itself on bringing innovation to an increasingly stagnant party game market that relies on Hollywood licenses instead of fresh game ideas. 

One of North Star Games’ most popular innovations is removing turns from their games.  “Waiting for your turn is boring,” says Crapuchettes, “so our games don’t have them. Instead, we find activities that are inherently fun and build a game around that activity, so that everyone is always participating in the action.”

To discover more about North Star Games, please visit www.NorthStarGames.com.

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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

Melissa Carrier, Associate Director
Mr. John LaPides, Chairman of the Board and Entrepreneur In Residence
Dr. Scott Koerwer, Associate Dean, Professional Programs and Services

Please visit our website at http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/dingman.

 

    Past Newsletters:

• September, 2007

• August, 2007

• July, 2007

• June, 2007

• May, 2007

• April, 2007

• March, 2007

• February, 2007

• January, 2007

• December, 2006

• November, 2006

• October, 2006

• September, 2006

• August, 2006

• July, 2006

• June, 2006

• May, 2006

• April, 2006

• March, 2006

• February, 2006

• January, 2006

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