Mtech News, Opportunities and Events
 

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Mtech News, Opportunities and Events
November 20, 2009

Michael Chasen, Blackboard Inc.
Watch a clip from Blackboard CEO Michael Chasen's talk at the UM Technology Start-Up Boot Camp. Watch the entire video here!

News

  • Mtech Seeks Applicants for a Program Director for the New Honors Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program
  • Bioreactor for Bone Tissue Engineering Wins Professor Venture Fair
  • Hillman Entrepreneurs Company Nu Skool Wins Pitch Dingman Competition
  • Download Slides from Dean Chang's Market Research Workshop
  • Watch Video Presentations by Blackboard CEO Michael Chasen and Polycom Founder Brian Hinman

Opportunities

  • Earn a Certificate in Innovation Management from the University of Maryland
  • Free Legal Services on Intellectual Property and Related Matters for Entrepreneurs and Emerging Tech Companies: Maryland Intellectual Property Legal Resource Center Now at UM, Mtech
  • Chesapeake Bay Seed Capital Fund: Financing Available for Qualifying Green Companies

Upcoming Mtech Events

  • December 8: Free, Open Entrepreneur Office Hours for University of Maryland Students, Faculty and Staff, and Regional Entrepreneurs with Tech-Based Startups or Ideas
  • December 11: Dollars & Sense: Will Your Idea Make Money?

Partner and Other Events

  • December 1: Crossing the Commercialization Chasm!
  • December 1-3: Green Business Leaders Forum
  • December 2: TECHknowledge Speaker Series - Chris Hughes, Co-Founder of Facebook
  • December 3: 2009 MD-AEP Environmental Leadership Series Banquet
  • December 7: GBC Small Business Summit
  • December 8: The State of Stimulus "Recovery Act:" Technology Opportunities and Spending Forecast
  • December 8: Intellectual Property: How to Handle Infringement, Maximize Value
  • December 9: Converting Emerging Technology to Steady Cash Flow
  • December 9: Keeping the Lights on in Maryland: How Can We Do It?
  • December 10: BioBreakfast Series: Orphan Drugs and Devices - Incentives and Opportunities to Drive Commercial Success
  • December 10: 2009 International Defense Forum
  • December 11: TEDCO Funding Briefing
  • December 11: Booz Allen Distinguished Colloquium in ECE: Dr. Ambarish Goswami, Honda Research: "Humanoid Robots"
  • December 11: Driving the Future Through Innovation and Responsibility
  • December 15: Capital Formation Breakfast
  • December 15: TCM Fifth Annual Holiday Networking Celebration

Mtech venture programs' valued 2009-2010 sponsors are Fish & Richardson P.C. and Nixon Peabody LLP.

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News

Mtech Seeks Applicants for a Program Director for the New Honors Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program
Mtech is hiring a program director for the new honors Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program. The program, which launches fall 2010, provides entrepreneurial-minded freshmen and sophomores from all majors the opportunity to learn and live entrepreneurship and innovation. Students develop the entrepreneurial mindsets, skill sets, and relationships to launch successful concepts with startup companies and corporate ventures. Through experiential learning, dynamic courses, seminars, workshops, competitions, and volunteerism, students receive a world-class education in entrepreneurship and innovation. In collaboration with faculty and mentors who have successfully launched new ventures, all student teams develop an innovative idea and write a product plan. Read the job description and learn how to apply.

Bioreactor for Bone Tissue Engineering Wins Professor Venture Fair
John Fisher, associate professor in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering, won the Best Inventor Pitch at the 2009 Bioscience Research and Technology Review Day with a tissue engineering bioreactor system that grows bone and other types of tissue for implantation. Fisher's technology was one of six innovations presented in an eight-minute pitch by faculty members and graduate students at the Professor Venture Fair, held November 12 at the University of Maryland. The annual Biotechnology Research and Technology Review Day Professor Venture Fair is hosted by the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech), the Office of Technology Commercialization, and the College of Chemical and Life Sciences. The pitch competition encourages scientists to consider the commercial potential of their work and challenges them to translate their ideas to a general, non-technical audience. More»

Hillman Entrepreneurs Company Nu Skool Wins Pitch Dingman Competition
Hillman Entrepreneurs students Santiago Maxwell and Waqar Manzur pitched their company, Nu Skool, at the Pitch Dingman Competition today--and won a total of $2,250! David Hillman, benefactor for the Hillman program, attended to cheer them on. View pictures from the event.

Download Slides from Dean Chang's Market Research Workshop
Slides from the November 13 Market Research Workshop conducted by Dean Chang, director of Mtech's venture programs, are available for download here.

Watch Video Presentations by Blackboard CEO Michael Chasen and Polycom Founder Brian Hinman
If you missed these great presentations at the UM Technology Start-Up Boot Camp, you can still catch them online! Watch Chasen's talk here and Hinman's talk here!

Opportunities

Earn a Certificate in Innovation Management from the University of Maryland
The world-class executive education Certificate in Innovation Management Program starts this January.

Innovation is the key to growth, revitalization, and the creation of value for your customers, your shareholders and society. With today's pace of technological advancement and globalization, an entrepreneurial approach to innovation that considers business and technology is essential for all companies and organizations to succeed and thrive.

Two nationally-acclaimed schools at the University of Maryland, the Robert H. Smith School of Business and the A. James Clark School of Engineering, are bringing together world-class business and technology instructors to offer the Certificate in Innovation Management. This unique, five-day program pairs award-winning entrepreneurs and faculty from business and engineering to address:

  • What is the best strategy for my firm?
  • How should I market my innovation?
  • How should I measure and track the innovation's success financially?
  • How can I best negotiate with the partners I need to succeed?
  • How can I manage the product design and development process?

Individual, one-day courses focus on:

When you enroll in five days of study, you will earn a Certificate in Innovation Management from the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering and the Robert H. Smith School of Business to recognize your knowledge in the topics covered and enhance your resume and credentials.
Learn more and register at www.innovation.umd.edu.

Free Legal Services on Intellectual Property and Related Matters for Entrepreneurs and Emerging Tech Companies: Maryland Intellectual Property Legal Resource Center Now at UM, Mtech
The Maryland Intellectual Property Legal Resource Center (MIPLRC), which offers free legal services on intellectual property and related matters to entrepreneurs and emerging technology companies and explores relevant legal, ethical and policy issues in the high technology and intellectual property areas, is now at the university and Mtech. MIPLRC’s legal services are available at no charge to university faculty and students, as well as to regional entrepreneurs and startup companies. For more information, visit www.miplrc.org.

Chesapeake Bay Seed Capital Fund: Financing Available for Qualifying Green Companies
If your company or technology could improve air or water quality around the Chesapeake Bay area, consider applying for investment from the Chesapeake Bay Seed Capital Fund. Supported by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and administered by Mtech, the fund will invest $250,000 annually over a three-year period into Maryland-based startup companies with innovative technologies that may help improve air and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay area. Fund recipients are jointly selected by Mtech and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. More»

Upcoming Mtech Events

December 8, 10 a.m.-noon: Free, Open Entrepreneur Office Hours for University of Maryland Students, Faculty and Staff, and Regional Entrepreneurs with Tech-Based Startups or Ideas
Mtech is hosting free office hours to help aspiring and current entrepreneurs with tech-based startups or ideas get advice on how to:

  • build and finance a startup company
  • develop and protect intellectual property
  • navigate the technology transfer process
  • refine your business strategy for rapid growth
  • tap into other entrepreneurial resources

Representatives from the following organizations and groups are typically on hand to speak with you one-on-one regarding any questions you might have about starting a company:

Location: Room 1103, Technology Advancement Program building
Read more and register at: www.eoh.umd.edu

December 11, noon-1 p.m.: Dollars & Sense: Will Your Idea Make Money?
So you've got the best idea since sliced bread, but how do you know if it will actually make money? The truth is you won't until you start selling it. But before you get to that point, you need to build a financial plan to figure out if your revenue and cost assumptions and projections make any sense. In this workshop, we will learn how to build a robust financial model that can be used not only for your business plan entries, but also as a tool for scenario building and sensitivity analysis. The speaker will be Jim Chung, director of Mtech's VentureAccelerator Program.
Location: PEPCO Room 1105, Kim Engineering Building
Register to attend!

Partner and Other Events

December 1, 6:30-9 p.m.: Crossing the Commercialization Chasm!
This exciting event will highlight the success of three companies that have translated seed funding from government grants (e.g., SBIR, ATP) into successful commercial solutions. We will learn how they navigated the process out of the lab and into the market and the challenges and pitfalls faced along the way. Our expert panelists will help highlight some of the key business decisions that influenced the ultimate outcome and assist the companies with the challenges they face moving forward.
Location: NRECA, Ballston, VA
More information: MITEF event page

December 1-3: Green Business Leaders Forum
Following the success of last year's Korea-US Green Business Leaders Forum, this year's forum escalates its scale and expends the program scope to include various creative programs to help understand the key elements for launching sustainable Green Economy successfully. Keynote speakers together with expert panels will focus on the major components that propel the business case for Green Technology: Clean Technologies, Renewables and Low-Carbon Energy; Financing CleanTech Enterprises; Government Policy; and The Impact of Climate Change on Business. All of the speakers will discuss and help attendees uncover significant business opportunities, financing sources, and profitable strategies in the emerging Green Economy.
Location: Sheraton Premiere Tysons Corner, 8661 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA 22182
More information: NVTC events page

December 2, 8-10:30 a.m.: TECHknowledge Speaker Series - Chris Hughes, Co-Founder of Facebook
TCM is excited to announce that Chris Hughes, co-founder of Facebook and developer of My.BarackObama.com, will kick off our brand new Executive Speaker Series. Chris Hughes is the co-founder of Facebook and developer of My.BarackObama.com – two of the most successful start-ups in modern history. He has spent his career developing technologies to make social communication and political organizing easier and more efficient. Chris is now an Entrepreneur in Residence at General Catalyst Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in entrepreneurs who are building the technology-based companies that will lead innovation and transform industries.
Location: Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Road, Bethesda, MD 20852
More information: TCM events page

December 3, 6-9 p.m.: 2009 MD-AEP Environmental Leadership Series Banquet
Join over 200 business, government and academic leaders on the evening of December 3 at the Miller Senate Office Building in Annapolis as we pay tribute to our 2009 MD-AEP Environmental Leadership Series hosts. These organizations collectively represent world-class technology, research, science and governance applications with tremendous potential for export and are wonderful examples of Maryland's green leadership.
Location: Miller Senate Office Bldg., Annapolis, MD
More information: event page

December 7, 8:15-11:30 a.m.: GBC Small Business Summit
Presented by the Greater Baltimore Committee and Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, this event features sessions on financing, business and technology, health care, and green/energy/sustainability.
Location: Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel, 101 West Fayette Street Baltimore, MD 21201
More information: GBC event page

December 8, 8-11 a.m.: The State of Stimulus "Recovery Act:" Technology Opportunities and Spending Forecast
The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) Business to Government committee in coordination with Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) present an update and overview of the technology and small business opportunities associated with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The $787 billion Recovery plan includes federal tax cuts and incentives, an expansion of unemployment benefits, and other spending on social entitlement programs. In addition, federal agencies are using Recovery funds to award contracts, grants, and loans around the country. To date, almost $15 billion in recovery act funds have been awarded to U.S. entities. The following expert panelist will explain where the money is going and what Stimulus IT opportunities still exist, with special focus on opportunities for Small Businesses.
Location: The Tower Club, 8000 Towers Crescent Drive, Vienna, VA
More information: NVTC event page

December 8, 7:30-9:30 a.m.: Intellectual Property: How to Handle Infringement, Maximize Value
You open the paper one morning to see that a product has been commercialized based on your proprietary technology. Or maybe your blog content has been re-published without attribution. What can you do? What could you have done sooner? Our panel of experts will start the discussion with the elements of an IP audit followed by the types of protection and associated costs/processes, and how to leverage IP for competitive advantage both in operations and M&A.
Location: Sheraton Annapolis, 173 Jennifer Rd, Annapolis, MD 21401
More information: CRTC event page

December 9, 7:30-10 a.m.: Converting Emerging Technology to Steady Cash Flow
Despite passion, drive and an abundance of good ideas, most new businesses will not make a profit during the first few years. So how do you turn your technology into a steady stream of cash that will allow you to operate your business? Come hear from a panel of experts who have asked that same question and come up with answers to make their businesses successful.
Location: The Center for Innovative Technology, 2214 Rock Hill Road, Herndon, VA
More information: NVTC event page

December 9, 9-10 a.m.: Keeping the Lights on in Maryland: How Can We Do It?
Please join us for a comprehensive overview of capacity, generation, transmission, and regulation issues that affect Maryland's future ability to keep the lights on and brownouts away. This symposium will give you the grounding you need to make informed choices and sound energy decisions for your company and your home.
Location: UMB BioPark, Building II, 801 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
More information: GBC event page

December 10, 7:30-10:30 a.m.: BioBreakfast Series: Orphan Drugs and Devices - Incentives and Opportunities to Drive Commercial Success
Just over 25 years ago, the U.S. Congress passed the Orphan Drug Act thanks in large part to the efforts of the National Organization for Rare Diseases (NORD). This legislation provides financial incentives for the development of new treatments for rare diseases. Since the passage of the act in 1983, more than 300 orphan drugs and biological products have received marketing authorization and over 1000 different orphan drug designations have been granted by the FDA’s Office of Orphan Products Development. Join the MdBio Division of the Tech Council of Maryland to celebrate the success of the Orphan Drug Act and learn how bioscience companies can access and utilize its mandated incentives to facilitate drug development programs, shape business strategies, and drive commercial success.
Location: Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology (CARB), 9600 Gudelsky Drive Auditorium, Room A-107, Rockville, MD 20850
More information: TCM events page

December 10, 8:30-11:30 a.m.: 2009 International Defense Forum
Join TechAmerica Foundation and leaders from industry and government to explore current and future international defense markets and issues involved with defense industry support of U.S. international security efforts. The Forum will feature keynote speaker Dr. James N. Miller, Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Additionally, an expert panel will discuss the tension between U.S. policies promoting international security programs and policies restricting defense technologies that may be needed to support those programs.
Location: Boeing Conference Center, 1200 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22209
More information: NVTC events page

December 11, 2-3:30 p.m.: TEDCO Funding Briefing
TEDCO Funding briefings provide detailed information about TEDCO’s primary funding programs for seed stage companies, including:

  • Fort Detrick Technology Transfer Initiative (FDTTI)
  • Maryland Technology Transfer Fund (MTTF)
  • TechStart
  • Johnson and Johnson Joint Investment Program
  • University Technology Development Fund (UTDF)
  • Working Capital Loan Fund (WCLF)
  • Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF)
  • Rural Business Initiative (RBI)
  • NAVAIR Technology Insertion (NAVTI) Initiative

Attendees will learn about eligibility requirements, proposal submission guidelines, review processes, award conditions, reporting requirements and payback (MTTF, UTDF, and WCLF only). These briefings should be of interest to economic development professionals, angel investors, entrepreneurs, small technology-based businesses, small defense contractors and university faculty inventors. Briefings are free, however registration is required.
Location: TEDCO, 5565 Sterrett Place Suite 214, Columbia, MD 21044
More information: TEDCO event page

December 11, 2p.m.: Booz Allen Distinguished Colloquium in ECE: Dr. Ambarish Goswami, Honda Research: "Humanoid Robots"
Despite years of research, postural stability and balance in humanoid robots remain an area of active interest -- and some confusion. Why is it that something healthy human beings do effortlessly, is so difficult to understand and replicate in a machine? Why there is still no general consensus on a definition for gait stability? In this talk we will explore these issues in the context of reviewing the fundamentals of balance models and their dynamics in humanoid robots. Keen interest in balance research sometimes makes us overlook the consequences of a balance failure. Although a fall is a rare event in the life of a humanoid robot, its occurrence is virtually unavoidable, and its consequences are disastrous. A major reason that humanoid robots are not allowed to move freely is the concern of self-damage and injury that can be unintentionally caused by a falling robot. In this respect, we will describe our ongoing work on humanoid robot fall strategy which rapidly modifies the robot's fall direction in order to avoid hitting a person or an object in the vicinity. Our approach is based on intelligent foot placement as well as a method called "inertia shaping" which is aimed at controlling the centroidal inertia of the robot. We demonstrate our results through the simulation of an Asimo-like humanoid robot.
Location: Jeong H. Kim Engineering Bldg., Rm. 1110, University of Maryland
More information: ECE event page

December 11, 7:45-9:15 a.m.: Driving the Future Through Innovation and Responsibility
Keynote Speaker: Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America
Location: Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, 1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean, VA
More information: NVTC Titans Breakfast event page

December 15, 8-9 a.m.: Capital Formation Breakfast
The Tech Council of Maryland's Capital Formation Forum is a breakfast series that brings you closer to leaders from the region's angel, venture capital and entrepreneurial landscape. The series focuses on providing a place in which innovative technology and biotechnology leaders can meet, network and learn from each other.
Location: Tech Council of Maryland, 9713 Key West Avenue Kennedy Room, Rockville, MD 20850
More information: TCM events page

December 15, 6-8 p.m.: TCM Fifth Annual Holiday Networking Celebration
Register now to attend the Tech Council of Maryland's Fifth Annual Holiday Networking Celebration. Each year TCM brings you the most high-profile holiday networking event featuring: absolutely no speeches! Just uninterrupted networking time. A who’s who of the elite from the Maryland biotechnology and technology community. Open bar and great food in a larger venue. Free parking. The area’s Best Night of Holiday Networking! The dress is business attire.
Location: Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Road, Bethesda, MD 20852
More information: TCM events page

Mtech Sponsors
Mtech's venture programs work closely with organizations and persons, ranging from local entrepreneurs and angel investors to service providers and large corporations, who share a passion for starting and building ventures, as well as for training technologists to become founders. Mtech venture programs' valued 2009-2010 sponsors are Fish & Richardson P.C. and Nixon Peabody LLP.

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Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech)
A. James Clark School of Engineering
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
301.405.3889