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Portfolio Companies
Portfolio Companies have a close
partnership and lasting relationship
with the Dingman Center. Portfolio
Companies are selected on the basis of
their long term viability and management
team's objectives. Many portfolio
companies were started by Past Dingman
Scholars and others with close ties with
the center. Portfolio Companies have the
opportunity to be mentored and advised
by our expert Entrepreneurs in Residence
and the opportunity to gain a small
amount of capital from the center.
To learn more or apply to become a
Dingman Center Portfolio Company, please
click here.
EXPONENTIAL
STORAGE
Changing
the Game in Data Storage:
Exponential Storage is an early stage company developing
simple and affordable data storage systems for dependable, secure, “always on” access
to large and growing volumes of mission critical data. We take advantage of the
economic and performance advantages of the latest generation of off-the-shelf hardware
and software. This approach dramatically lowers the cost of “enterprise
class” data storage while providing exceptional capabilities.
Our initial storage system is optimized for critical digital content such as
audio or video files, engineering documents, digital images, and medical records.
Among other capabilities, this system supports guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS)
for large-scale video streaming. For information contact: Wick Keating, CEO,
at
wkeating@exponentialstorage.com.
GEOCENTRIC
Geocentric is a specialty software and services company dedicated to improving
internet mapping and local search by enabling Destination Marketing Organizations,
such as business improvement districts and tourism destinations, to self-manage
and self-publish high-quality interactive maps and location driven content within
their existing websites.
Geocentric's award-winning technology is currently showcased on
Downtown Bethesda, an interactive
guide to Bethesda dining and shopping.
"The Dingman Center's support and advice has been extremely helpful," says Geocentric
Founder Jim Blakeslee, who completed his MBA at the Robert H. Smith School of
Business in 2006.
Geocentric was recently
profiled
by Gazette.Net, with a particular emphasis
placed on the recent earning of the 2005 MAPublisher Map Award in the Multimedia
Map category for the Downtown Bethesda Interactive Guide. The MAPublisher
awards, which recognize excellence in cartography and map making, are awarded by
Avenza Systems Inc.
GLOBALPAWN.com
 GlobalPawn.com
was formed with the vision of providing the 8 billion dollar pawn industry a safe,
convenient and effective method of placing its inventory automatically online in
real-time. In partnership with all nine major pawn software vendors, the pawnshops
available inventory is uploaded to a central database. The integration of the pawnshops
point-of-sales system (POS) enables GlobalPawn.com
to utilize the industries 75,000 employees to build the database which could consist
of more than 120 million items found in the pawn industry. Each time a piece of
inventory is sold from a pawnshop's POS system, the inventory is automatically removed
from GlobalPawn.com.The pawnshop can accept, reject or counter online offers,
and receive subsequent counter offers allowing for true on-line negotiation right
in the software the pawnshop currently uses. There are no listing fees, only
a 4.5% fee is charged to the pawnshop for any sale made online. Segments of
the business model are covered by a pending patent in the U.S. and Europe.
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GOOZEX
 Goozex, Inc.
is an award winning
peer-to-multi-peer video game trading
company headquartered in College Park,
Maryland. The company has designed and
developed an innovative online system
that connects members to build a
community across North America, and
allows them to trade games with each
other. Goozex is managed by a team that
is dedicated to preserving the integrity
of the system, meeting growing customer
demands, and maintaining its lead in the
online used video game trading market.
Goozex operates on a point-based system
that allows its users to retain the real
market value of their used video games
when trading for other games. Members
agree to mail their original game discs
in exchange for points and then use
those points to request other games.
Goozex charges a $1.00 transaction fee
for each trade, and guarantees every
exchange made with a full refund policy.
The Goozex library is comprised of
individual user home libraries, and has
over 12,000 units. Goozex offers more
games than any given retail store and
most online venues without holding
inventory.
Goozex launched in July 2006 and is
receiving extremely positive customer
reviews. The company has already been
featured in numerous press articles
including The Washington Post, PCGamer,
Games Radar, Stars and Stripes, and
other publications. The user base
continues to grow at an extremely rapid
rate that is keeping pace with
comparable companies. For more
information please visit
www.goozex.com .
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HOOK AND LADDER BREWING COMPANY
 Hook
& Ladder Brewing Company is an award winning microbrewery (Gold Medal at the
Great American Beer Festival, 2001) founded by a firefighter from Bethesda, MD.
Hook & Ladder produces two beers for your enjoyment: Grassfire Wheat, an American
style wheat beer with a zesty wheat malt flavor that is crisp and refreshing and
Backdraft Brown, a medium bodied brown ale with a pronounced roasted flavor and
light hop finish. CEO and President
Matt Fleischer, is a former Dingman Scholar and earned his MBA from the Robert
H. Smith School of Business. Hook & Ladder aims to provide a variety of quality
brews with an experience of adventure and excitement while giving back to local
firefighter communities.
Hook and Ladder was recently
profiled
by Gazette.Net. Included in the article
is a list of places to get Hook & Ladder Beer, including Mongolian Barbeque, Hard
Times Café, and the Quarry House Tavern.
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MOM MADE FOODS
 Mom
Made ™ Foods - choice organics for children - is the Mid-Atlantic's first
organically-certified producer of fresh frozen foods for children.
Heather Stouffer,
Founder, created the company when she
couldn't find any store-bought products
in area supermarkets or specialty stores
that she felt good about feeding her
son. As a full-time working mom, cooking
her own food wasn't always an option and
she sought a practical way to introduce
her son to a variety of wholesome,
nutritious solid foods that would create
the foundation for a lifetime of healthy
eating.
Mom Made offers
conveniently-sized servings made with
the freshest organic ingredients then
immediately frozen to lock-in the
freshness. Mom Made products are
all-natural without any additives or
preservatives, offering three product
lines, Mom Made for Baby, Mom Made Meals
and Mom Made Munchies. Mom Made products
can be found in freezer aisles in stores
such as Whole Foods, Wegmans and many
others. The company and products have
been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show,
FOX, CBS, Sprig.com, Examiner and many
others. For more information, visit
www.mommadefoods.com.
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NORTH STAR GAMES
 The
company was founded by two MBA graduates from the University of Maryland in
2004 in order to bring innovation back into a stagnant party game market. "The board
game industry lacks innovation when it comes to game design because sales are driven
by the latest Hollywood licenses." says founder Dominic Crapuchettes, "While the
latest Hollywood license often makes a great gift, the games are poorly designed
and usually come out of the closet only once before making its way to the Salvation
Army." Contrary to current trends, North Star Games is taking a long term approach
by focusing on games that are fun, innovative, and can be enjoyed time and time
again.
The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship has been very supportive of
North Star Games since its inception
in the summer of 2003 where it was incubated within the center. Since then, we have
received great feedback on our business model, financial support with community
events, and significant help towards getting in front of local investors.
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SHOP DC
 Zoey
Rawlins, the owner and founder of SHOP DC, was recently
interviewed by
UrbanDivas.com about her experience creating
a luxury magazine.
SHOP DC, a magazine owned and managed
by Rawlins Media, capitalizes on the trend of increasing numbers of luxury
hotels coming to the Washington DC area. SHOP DC is an up-scale, glamorous
magazine which serves the 4 star hotel client, showcasing the high-end retail
shops, spas and galleries. Unlike traditional visitors magazines, which tend to
look more like coupon books, SHOP DC has the look and feel of a Town & Country
or ELITE Traveler, but tailored to the individual market. For more
information, visit www.shopdc.com.
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XTS
 September
30, 2005 The
Capital Access
Network (CAN) recently assisted a local start up,
eXpert Technology Solutions (XTS), which provides
turnkey business intelligence reporting to track access to corporate computer systems,
in securing $50,000 in matching funds from the
Maryland Department of Business and Economic
Development (DBED) in June 2005. After securing the DBED funding the company
also obtained another $200,000 from an early-stage investor.
"We came to the Dingman Center and got great feedback and help refining our business
plan," said Eric Spiegel, XTS CEO. "After the Dingman Center introduced us to DBED
things really started rolling. I'd encourage any local entrepreneur to take advantage
of the resources offered by CAN as a key first step in turning a business idea into
a reality."
Recent Press Release
announcing New Product Launch
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