Mtech News, Opportunities and Events
January 23, 2012

New Mtech Video!
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program
Student Perspectives

Made by students for students, this video describes the academics, community, opportunities and experience of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. Watch the video online!

Mtech’s Maryland Industrial Partnerships program (MIPS) is working to fuel the innovation economy in Maryland. As the weather turns cold, we want to highlight MIPS projects with the promise to reduce energy consumption, increase energy efficiency, and explore new and alternate sources of energy.

We're working at this by funding the development of promising new energy-related products. If these projects are successful, you’ll see new energy-related solutions, technologies, products and jobs in Maryland to help create a more energy-efficient world.

Takoma Park-based CoolCAD Electronics is working with Shuvra Bhattacharyya, professor of electrical and computer engineering and the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, to develop a cost and power-consumption-optimized wireless sensor network for monitoring energy use in residential and commercial buildings. Sensing power needs and automatically adjusting for them will reduce energy consumption in unused parts of buildings.

Jewel Barlow, director of the Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel at the University of Maryland, is working with Genovation Cars to validate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models for the company's new plug-in electric hybrid G2 automobile.

Read about all ten highlighted energy projects on the Mtech blog!

Enter the University of Maryland $75K Business Plan Competition: $75,000 Is Up for Grabs!
Enter by February 26

Have you considered starting a tech company based upon your research or have a burning idea for one? Take the first step--enter the University of Maryland $75K Business Plan Competition! Initial entries require just a short (up to three pages) executive summary.

INNOVATE--take your research or great idea and start a company! We will help you. Finalists receive mentoring from seasoned and successful professionals. All entrants receive expert feedback. Initial entrants can take advantage of the free, open entrepreneur office hours offered by Mtech (www.eoh.umd.edu). Attend the free executive summary workshop on February 3 for tips on how to write a great entry.

ACCELERATE--your venture towards success with the credibility that comes from winning a prestigious competition. Previous winners include Inc. 500 companies Squarespace and Lurn.

WIN--potentially thousands in cash and other prizes for your company. The competition has awarded $685,000 to companies originating at the University of Maryland since 2001. Five previous winners are now multi-million dollar ventures. Winners are also eligible for a free year in the TERP Startub Lab (www.startuplab.umd.edu).

The twelfth annual University of Maryland $75K Business Plan Competition encourages students, faculty and researchers at the University of Maryland to leverage their talent and ideas to create tomorrow's leading companies. The competition process, its network of expert mentors and partners and the cash prizes awarded have helped many students, faculty and researchers act on their dreams and build their own companies.

Learn how to prepare you entry at the free Executive Summary Workshop on February 3. Read more about the competition and find full details about how to enter at www.bpc.umd.edu.

The ACC $100K Clean Energy Challenge: Now Accepting Applications

The $100K ACC Clean Energy Challenge, a new business plan competition encouraging students from all universities throughout the southeastern United States to develop business plans for new clean energy companies, is now accepting entries.

The ACC Clean Energy Challenge, supported by the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), invites business plans with commercialization potential in the clean energy space, including projects related to renewable energy, energy efficiency improvements and advanced fuels/vehicles.

The winner of the competition will receive a $100,000 prize and compete in the DOE National Clean Energy Business Plan Finals in Washington, D.C., in summer 2012.

The ACC Clean Energy Challenge targets and is open to all ACC schools, as well as other universities in the southeastern U.S. The ACC Clean Energy Challenge finals event will rotate among three sub-regions with nearby ACC schools co-hosting each year. Maryland, Virginia, and Virginia Tech co-host in Washington, D.C. in year one; Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Wake Forest co-host in Research Triangle in year two; and Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Miami will co-host in Atlanta in year three.

Initial entries are due March 23, 2012.

For more information and to enter, visit: www.accnrg.org.

Additional Opportunities

• Free Legal Services on Intellectual Property and Related Matters for Entrepreneurs and Emerging Tech Companies
• Chesapeake Bay Seed Capital Fund: Financing Available for Qualifying Green Companies
• Certificate in Innovation Management Program: Resolve to Propel your Enterprise to New Heights in 2012!
  

Upcoming Mtech Events

• January 30: Hinman CEOs Information Session
• February 3: Executive Summary Workshop
• February 14: Free, Open Entrepreneur Office Hours for University of Maryland Students, Faculty and Staff, and Regional Entrepreneurs with Tech-Based Startups or Ideas
• March 26-28: Cell Culture Technology Workshop
  

Partner Opportunities and Events

• Startup America Master Challenge
• January 25: The ABC's of Starting a Business
• January 27: Pitch Dingman
• January 31: Crowd Funding for Business Development
• February 2: Entrepreneur Navigator Awards
• February 7: Business Plan Intensive
• February 7: Smart Start - Entrepreneur 101
• February 10: Biotech Leadership Series with FDA Commissioner Hamburg
• February 15: DC Tech Meetup #11: Social Media Week Edition
• February 16: MARCHING ORDERS: The Military as Customer and Collaborator
• February 22: What I wish I had known when I was an entrepreneur
  

Additional Opportunities

Free Legal Services on Intellectual Property and Related Matters for Entrepreneurs and Emerging Tech Companies
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. The MIPLRC is part of the University of Maryland School of Law. For more information, visit www.mtech.umd.edu/miplrc/.

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»

Certificate in Innovation Management Program: Resolve to Propel your Enterprise to New Heights in 2012!

Join DC-area entrepreneurs to learn actionable strategies from world-class thought leaders with real expertise in launching and sustaining successful businesses. The University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering and Robert H. Smith School of Business present the fifth year of this practical, hands-on learning experience with an emphasis on small business development.

Earn the Certificate in Innovation Management in five alternating Fridays starting this April. All courses are held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in downtown Washington, D.C.

Investor John May, co-author of "Every Business Needs An Angel," and entrepreneur Tien Wong, CEO at Lore Systems, Inc., will be among those sharing their tips for success and providing practical tools to help your business grow.

Through this unique program, you will learn:

• How to determine an innovation strategy by integrating insights from external environmental and internal organizational characteristics;
• How to raise the right type of financial capital at the right time;
• How to understand what customers really value and effectively position your innovation for targeting the right set of customers;
• How to best negotiate with the partners you need to succeed; and
• How to plan, implement, execute, and close out projects.

Limited seats are available to maximize opportunities for attendees to network directly with faculty, investors, and entrepreneurs.

Register at www.execed.umd.edu.

Upcoming Mtech Events

January 30, 6-7 p.m.: Hinman CEOs Information Session
As the nation’s first living-learning entrepreneurship program, Hinman CEOs is a groundbreaking initiative placing entrepreneurially-minded junior and senior students from all technical and non-technical academic disciplines in a unique community. Students live together, learn about entrepreneurship, and can launch new ventures. The mission of Hinman CEOs is to foster an entrepreneurial spirit, create a sense of community and cooperation, and develop ethical leaders.

Hinman CEOs is accepting applications for Fall 2012 until February 8. As a junior-senior residential program, applicants should be sophomores at the time of the application.

Apply at: HinmanCEOs.umd.edu

February 3, noon-1 p.m.: Executive Summary Workshop
Location: Room 1107 Stamp Student Union, University of Maryland, College Park
Cost: Free
Executive summaries should all provide the same basic information (company description, value proposition, etc.), but presenting that information in an exciting and memorable way is difficult. Learn how to intrigue judges with your executive summary so they want to see your business plan in the UM $75K Business Plan Competition finals.
Register to attend»

February 14, 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
Location: Room 1103, Technology Advancement Program building
Cost: Free
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:

• Mtech VentureAccelerator Program
• Mtech Technology Advancement Program
• Office of Technology Commercialization
• Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship
• Maryland Intellectual Property Legal Resource Center
• Maryland Biotechnology Center
• Experienced Entrepreneurs
• Representatives from the following investment and grant organizations are also often on campus to participate in Entrepreneur Office Hours or other Mtech events for new ventures: CNF Investment, New Markets Growth Fund, Amplifier Venture Partners, Novak Biddle Venture Partners, HIG Ventures, Grotech, Maryland Venture Fund, and TEDCO.

Read more and register at: www.eoh.umd.edu

March 26-28: Cell Culture Technology Workshop

The University of Maryland, College Park, together with industry experts, is pleased to offer a three-day workshop on cell culture technology. The session features hands-on instruction with various cell culture expression systems and introduces attendees with the techniques, methodologies, principles, and applications of anchorage dependent and suspension adapted cell lines. The workshop provides an opportunity for participants not only to learn the principles of cell culture scale-up at the bench, but also covers recent advances and up-to-date applications of this methodology including single-use systems.

The workshop laboratory sessions take place in a newly operational learning facility located within the University of Maryland's Biopharmaceutical Advancement Facility on the Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR)-Shady Grove campus. The BAF houses bioprocessing equipment for process development and optimization ranging from 1 L to 60 L. All workshop participants will track their own anchorage-dependent and suspension-adapted cell lines over a three day period. Attendees will also prepare, inoculate, and harvest a cell culture bioreactor. The format is fast-paced, but plenty of time has been allocated for discussion with workshop faculty.

More information»

Partner and Opportunities and Events

Startup America Master Challenge
Are you a Startup America Master? Do you have enough startup influence to help us recruit 100,000 startups by March 31, 2012? Prove it.

The Startup America Master Challenge is a campaign to engage the most influential leaders to identify and recruit the best young companies across the country to join the Startup America Partnership. Your startups will have free access to over $1.2 billion in tools and resources to help their company grow. Masters will compete for top influencer honors, measured by the number of startups each Master recruits. Top Masters will compete in weekly challenges with bragging rights on the line, and will be recognized at upcoming events including Startup America’s Anniversary and SXSW.

If you are a startup interested in free resources from Startup America Partnership, apply for a Startup America Partnership Growth Kit.
More information»

January 25, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: The ABC's of Starting a Business
Location: Rockville Women's Business Center, 95 Monroe St., Rockville
Cost: $10
Learn what it takes to start a company, and the resources to help you.
Register»

January 27, 11 a.m.-noon: Pitch Dingman
Have an idea for a business? Pitch Dingman informal sessions are held Fridays from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in 2518 Van Munching Hall and open to all UMD students. Entrepreneurs in Residence are available to hear and evaluate new business ideas.
More information»

January 31, 9-10:30 a.m.: Crowd Funding for Business Development
Location: Dixon Hughes Goodman, 111 Rockville Pike, 6th Floor, Rockville
Cost: $10
Film makers, artists, political candidates and non-profit organizations have had success raising funds for campaigns and projects via small donations solicited using the internet and social media. Learn how your organization might benefit from crowd funding.
Register»

February 2, 7:30-9:30 a.m.: Entrepreneur Navigator Awards
Location: The Tower Club, 8000 Towers Crescent Drive, Vienna, VA
Cost: $45-65
The Entrepreneur Navigator Awards, presented by The Entrepreneur Center @NVTC, honor leaders who have mentored and advised entrepreneurs and startups in the Greater Washington region. Join the Northern Virginia Technology Council as it honors those whose commitments of time, experience, intellectual capital and personal effort have improved the quality of the entrepreneur community or have led to the success of a startup or entrepreneur.
More information»

February 7: Business Plan Intensive
Location: Rockville Women's Business Center, 95 Monroe St., Rockville
Cost: $60
Spend six consecutive Tuesdays working on a different part of your business plan, so you can write this important document for your company!
Information and registration here.

February 7, 5:30-9 p.m.: Smart Start - Entrepreneur 101
Location: Wheaton Business Innovation Center, Wheaton Building South, 11002 Viers Mill Road, Suite 700, Wheaton, MD 20902
Cost: $45
The Capital Region SBDC presents Smart Start Entrepreneur 101 as one workshop in a series of four workshops highly recommended for new start-up businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs. This course is taught by an attorney, a tax Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and a commercial insurance professional. You will learn how to: 1.) legally define your business and register your business name; 2.) keep proper financial records and report taxes; 3.) assess the insurance requirements needed to safeguard your business and personal assets; and 4.) learn about the valuable resources offered by the Small Business Development Center. Knowledge is power in the business arena. Learn how to avoid common pitfalls, explore the feasibility of your idea, and increase chances for success! You will also receive a CD filled with valuable information to start your business!
More information»

February 10, 8:30-11 a.m.: Biotech Leadership Series with FDA Commissioner Hamburg
Location: Bethesda Marriott, 5151 Pooks Hill Road, Bethesda, MD 20814
Cost: $40-$60

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, M.D. will share her thoughts on:

• The importance of the biotech industry to Maryland and the national economy
• Regulation: helping protect consumers and corporate bottom lines
• FDA: catalyst for innovation
• Challenges facing the FDA, especially globalization

More information»

February 15, 7 p.m.: DC Tech Meetup #11: Social Media Week Edition
Location: Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St NW, Washington, D.C.
Cost: Free
The DC Tech Meetup convenes technologists, entrepreneurs, investors and the broader innovation community regularly to learn and share. Each month, 800+ innovators gather to see demos, launch products and meet their future co-founders, partners and funders.
More information»

February 16, 6-9 p.m.: MARCHING ORDERS: The Military as Customer and Collaborator
Location: 9601 Medical Center Drive, Rockville MD 20850
Cost: $40
Do you know the various branches of the U.S. Military are one of the largest procurers of products and services in the country? Do you realize that if your strategic outreach is limited to commercial and civilian customers, you also limit your chances of success and survival? From high-tech to biotech, from cybersecurity to healthcare, the military is interested in what you have to offer. It serves a pivotal role for technology companies. Even in these times of federal budget cuts, DoD, DHS, HHS, and other agencies, will still be awarding billions of dollars in contracts and grants to further their various missions. However, companies often seem daunted and intimidated by the size and complexity of the military, and need guidance on how to approach the different offerors. February's MITEF event will provide a highly valuable opportunity to learn and discuss the various funding mechanisms available, speak about technology transfer, and gain insight into partnering with our Armed Forces.
More information»

February 22, 6-8 p.m.: What I wish I had known when I was an entrepreneur
Location: BOMI, 1 Park Place, Suite 425, Annapolis, MD 21401
Cost: $45
By Steven Oxman
IT Division, HW Department Head Naval Center for Cost Analysis
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Cost and Economics)
The Pentagon
For high technology businesses that work with or wish to work with the Government, and more to the point, the Department of Defense, there are things the Government is truly interested in (like CMMI for Software Developers) and there are things the Government is far less interested in (like ISO-9000 for Software Developers). Some entrepreneurs and businesses, or perhaps their business developers, might get all of these points. But I know that I did not get all of these points, and I was a DOD Civil Servant before I had my own firm. So let's look at things that I know now that I did not know when I ran my own firm.
More information»

Thanks to Our Sponsors!
Sponsors of Mtech's programs include: Fish & Richardson P.C., the Maryland Biotechnology Center, Lockheed Martin, Nixon Peabody LLP, SAIC, and Warren Citrin. Mtech's partner organizations are FounderCorps, Social Matchbox, and Tech Cocktail.

E-newsletter archives are available at: http://www.mtech.umd.edu/news/enewsletters.html

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