University of Marylands Smith School of Business and TiE-DC Continue Unique Program to Help Entrepreneurs Succeed

College Park, Md. October 9, 2006 The University of Marylands Robert H. Smith School of Business and TiE-DC, one of Washington, D.C.s largest entrepreneurship and business networking organizations, have announced the start of the second TiE-Smith Fellows Program. The program, which aims to help area entrepreneurs succeed, first launched in fall 2005. The 11-week series of workshops and small-group mentoring sessions for the 15 participating entrepreneurs who have already launched their businesses but not yet received venture capital funding are hosted at the Smith Schools Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship from September through December 2006.

The program creates a powerful catalyst via an ideal combination of education, mentorship and networking, said Anil Gupta, research director for the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship and a co-director of the TiE-Smith Fellows Program. Combining Smith School and Dingman Center expertise, with local VC community funding and contacts, with TiE mentorship, is a great recipe for optimizing an entrepreneurs chance for success.

The program will offer intensive learning opportunities via the weekly workshops which will combine insight from top Smith School faculty members and guest entrepreneur and financier speakers and small-group mentoring meetings that will include case analysis of fellows actual business challenges and scenarios by venture capitalists and successful area entrepreneurs.

The TiE-Smith Fellows Program offers a great environment for members to exchange ideas and information. For example, two participants in last years inaugural program combined efforts to create a single, more competitive firm, said Robert Baum, Smith School professor and a co-director of the TiE-Smith Fellows Program. I expect the program will result in local talent, ideas and businesses that we will be hearing about for some time.

The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, is one of the first and leading entrepreneurial centers in the nation. The Dingman Center has facilitated, supported and guided entrepreneurs in the mid-Atlantic region since 1986. More information about the Dingman Center can be found at www.rhsmith.umd.edu/dingman. 

About TiE-DC
TiE-DC is Washington's largest organization of entrepreneurs, dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, from Richmond, Va., to New York. TiE stands for The Innovative Ecosystem and is a not-for-profit global network of more than 40 chapters in nine countries with more than 10,000 entrepreneur and professional members. TiE-DC is a recognized leader in promoting entrepreneurship in the region through networking, mentoring and education. More information can be found at www.tie-dc.org.

About the University of Marylands Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research for the digital economy. One of 13 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, Executive MBA, MS PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations on three continents North America, Europe and Asia.