François de Zamaróczy, Smith MBA candidate 2017, writes about the Pitch Dingman semifinals event last week. Pitch Dingman is the University of Maryland’s only business competition exclusively for Terps.

On Friday, April 10, and Friday, April 17, the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship will host Pitch Dingman walk-in sessions aboard the Terp Ride bus as part of UMD's 30 Days of Entrepreneurship celebration (#30DaysUMD). Entrepreneurs-in-residence will be on the bus ready to give actionable feedback on business ideas from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Terp Ride will be parked in the bus terminal outside of Stamp Student Union. 

"Teaching entrepreneurship gives students the confidence to pitch their ideas, the tools to bring those ideas to market and the inspiration to start over and do it again,” says Elana Fine, managing director of the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. This sentiment drives the mission of the center, where a dedicated team works to “discover, equip and celebrate entrepreneurs.”

A better job search system. Destroyed iPhones. Email without boundaries. Bacon. Those were some of the business ideas from five student businesses who went head-to-head for $3,500 in funding in the fall Pitch Dingman Competition, Thursday, Nov. 21 at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.  In the end, SellMyOldTech.Com ($2,000 first prize) came out on top after pitching a panel of judges and an audience of students, faculty, staff and alumni. QuickMailCheck captured second place ($1,000) and the Audience Choice award ($500).

A group of student entrepreneurs got an unusual opportunity to present their big ideas to an audience of University of Maryland Trustees and the university’s new president, Dr. Wallace Loh, as the Smith School’s weekly Pitch Dingman competition went to the Riggs Alumni Center on Friday, October 29. The event followed a University Board of Trustees meeting which focused on the importance of entrepreneurship to the university and the state of Maryland.