Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship Launches Startup Podcast

The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business has launched a startup podcast called Bootstrapped. The podcast features founders, investors and serial entrepreneurs from the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia startup scene. While the podcast covers many aspects of startup life, the heart of the show focuses on funding from both the founder and investor perspectives, thus the name, Bootstrapped.

Last week, the Dingman Center released the first three episodes of Bootstrapped. Featuring the Dingman Center’s Managing Director Elana Fine and Smith School Associate Research Professor Joe Bailey as hosts, each episode highlights startup trends and introduces a special guest, including serial startup operator Mark Walsh, Chief Investment & Innovation Officer for the U.S. Small Business Association; Dingman Center Angel investor Sam Medile, CEO, Unified Parking Partners; and Kanchan Singh, the UMD-alumna and founder of D.C.’s first cat cafe, Crumbs & Whiskers.

According to co-host, Fine, “this podcast is a unique opportunity to share the stories and personalities of our dynamic community. By focusing the show on strategies entrepreneurs often use to fund their startups, we hope Bootstrapped will educate our listeners and encourage them to think creatively about financing their business.”

The podcast is the brainchild of current Smith School Executive MBA student, Oscar Zeballos, Co-Founder and President at MORE Broadcasting. “As a serial entrepreneur, I felt it was important to find a vehicle to share what we learned in our Entrepreneurship Action Learning Plan in the EMBA program with as many entrepreneurs as possible,” said Zeballos. “The vehicle I envisioned was a top notch professional business/education podcast. Elana and Joe’s chemistry was evident in our first class, which made the transition from the classroom to the recording studio flawless.”

Zeballos started his career as a radio broadcaster and talk show host on CBS Radio. Since then, he has moved into the podcast industry where he now produces and serves as a host of “The Mike O’Meara Show.” In addition to executive producing Bootstrapped, Zeballos has launched a new startup in the podcasting business: technology for content producers to distribute podcasts through their own branded individual apps.

Each episode of Bootstrapped starts with trend stories from the hosts, moves onto an interview with a special guest and then closes with a segment titled, "Kickstarter or Not?" Listeners gain insights into startup life and venture creation. Additional episodes will be recorded this month. To listen or download the podcast, visit go.umd.edu/bootstrapped.

- Holly DeArmond, Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship