New Venture Practicum is a three-credit course within the Dingman Center’s Fearless Founders accelerator where, under the guidance of Maryland Smith Clinical Professor Oliver Schlake, students build and test their business ideas using lean startup methodology. Each business is assigned a venture mentor from the Dingman Center Mentor Network. Upon completion of the course, students will be eligible for seed funding.
Read on to learn more about this cohort’s exciting student founders and their businesses!
BlessedBraids – Nadia Edet ’20
BlessedBraids is a business that provides quality protective styling for an affordable price. They specialize in box braids, Marley twists, faux locs, and many more. They are located in beltsville Maryland at “house of hair extensions and weaves”
BraceLint, LLC – Daniel Raithel ’20
Normally you aren’t able to fit a lint roller in your pocket, but with the BraceLint’s patent pending flat design that props up into almost a “bracelet”, everyone can present their best selves at all times.
Break Box – Ryan Perpall ’20
Break Box Bottle Throwing is a glass diversion service focused on removing glass from the waste stream by processing it through ‘The Break Box’.
First Day Investing LLC – Jack Riina ’21
First Day Investing is working to create an educational website that we can offer to high school and college students in order to help them learn the fundamentals of finance and investing.
Gig – Shyon Parsadoust ’19
We are a collaborative e-commerce platform designed to help college students market their talents to one another, to University departments, and to local businesses.
JK Computer Tutoring – Jason Krakower ’20
JK Computer tutoring connects senior citizens to modern technology. Our goal is to educate senior citizens to utilize the modern technology available to them through group and private sessions.
Midday Zeal – Meena Jagasivamani, MS ’19
Centered around creating a meaningful lunch our, Midday Zeal is providing a fun activity space for busy working professionals in metro areas during their lunch time.
NuroSTREAM – Steven Jettoo ’20 & Kirsten Newman ’15
NuroSTREAM has developed brain targeted learning tools to help you learn anything, anywhere! Dream up STREAM with NuroSTREAM, the learning specialist.
OpenPoll – Finalist, Pitch Dingman Competition – Zachary Wynegar ’19
OpenPoll allows decision makers to distribute surveys using push notifications, see who hasn’t responded, and gather responses easily.
PlayBox – Danielle Koonce ’21
PlayBox allows customers to rent and share play and fitness equipment at local parks, campuses, and outdoor recreational facilities through its equipment sharing pods which are accessed via the swipe of a credit/debit card and charged by the hour.
Sabreen Cosmetics – Kareemah Mustafa ’19
Sabreen Cosmetics seeks to serve the often-underrepresented women of color in the clean cosmetic and beauty industry through products handcrafted with high-quality, non-toxic, PETA-Certified vegan, and cruelty-free ingredients.
SimMyRide – Ilya Kavalerov ’20
SimMyRide turns cycling and map data into a rideable virtual world when you upload your gpx file or pick a point on the map.
Solr Tech – Finalist, Pitch Dingman Competition – Alexei Onufrak ’20
Solr Tech has created the most versatile, powerful, and convenient way to transform any outdoor patio umbrella into a solar charging station.
Xtra Productions Dance company (XPDC) – Angelita Pollard ’19
Xtra Productions Dance Company incorporates dance, singing, spoken word and acting into annual productions and showcases in order to put an artistic spin on events occurring in the news and modern day media.
Meet students in our New Venture Practicum cohort and learn more about their startups when you come to our Founders Showcase from 5-6 p.m. preceding Pitch Dingman Competition Finals on March 7. Two startups in the cohort, OpenPoll and Solr Tech, are finalists in the competition. Learn more and register here.