Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship

This summer, the Dingman Center will be conducting interviews with the 11 student startups who are participating in our first in-person Terp Startup summer accelerator since 2020. Participating student entrepreneurs will receive a stipend up to $5,000 that will enable them to work exclusively on their startups over the next eight weeks.

Co-founders: Robert Choe PhD ’23, Bioengineering. Blake Kuzemchak ’23, Bioengineering. Erfan Jabari ’22, Bioengineering.

DC: In two to three sentences, how would you describe your startup?

Choe: Our startup revolves around the UCleaner device that is an all-in-one autoflosser for people undergoing dental braces treatment.

DC: At what point did you know you wanted to create your own startup?

Choe: As UMD has a great entrepreneurial community and resources, we all had a nascent desire to explore the startup scene on campus. However, the inception of this particular startup idea began in the fall of 2021. 

DC: What or who is your biggest influence for your startup?

Choe: We don’t have one specific big influence. Rather, being bioengineers, we are motivated by our desire to solve big problems in the healthcare space. We identified a problem area in the dental space and began working to make it a viable startup.

DC: What makes your business unique?

Choe: We are the only product that aims to design a comprehensive full-mouth oral hygiene product specifically for dental braces wearers.

DC: What updates or significant accomplishments can you share with us about your company from the last six months?

Choe: We started this venture in January. So far, the biggest accomplishment for our team is that we have narrowed down our product-market fit. We have plenty of work to do so continue validating our product-market fit further and actually initiate product testing in the near future.

DC: When it comes to your startup, how do you define success?

Choe: We aim to make the UCleaner device a requisite oral hygiene product for dental braces wearers. 

DC: What do you feel that you have achieved from participating in Terp Startup Accelerator this summer?

Choe: We did the most significant customer discovery during the TSA. The TSA provided the framework, resources, and mentors to really execute the customer validation process. It was an invaluable experience and we would highly recommend any aspiring UMD student entrepreneur to participate in the TSA.

DC: If you could give advice to any aspiring entrepreneurs, what would it be?

Choe: Once you have an idea and form your initial product/customer hypotheses, stop thinking and start doing. Talk to people about your idea, go to start-up gatherings, etc. It may be daunting at first, but take baby steps and keep at it. Successful ventures do not take months but years to develop. The most important thing is that you need to start somewhere.

To learn more about UCleaner, please visit the website here.

This summer, the Dingman Center will be conducting interviews with the 11 student startups who are participating in our first in-person Terp Startup summer accelerator since 2020. Participating student entrepreneurs will receive a stipend up to $5,000 that will enable them to work exclusively on their startups over the next eight weeks.

Founders: Robert Castro ’24, CEO and co-founder, finance major. Samai Patel ’25, CSO and co-founder, computer science major. Zach Lefkovitz ’24, CTO and co-founder, computer science major. Corbin Voorhees ’25, graphic designer, aerospace engineering major. Matt Gashaw ’25, marketing lead, computer science major.

DC: In two to three sentences, how would you describe your startup?

Castro: We’re a social media platform that connects users in real life through events tailored to their interests. Our app is the best way to find exciting events while meeting awesome people along the way.

DC: At what point did you know you wanted to create your own startup?

Castro: It was definitely after my freshman year of college when I had just finished my first internship at a local investment bank. Although I enjoyed the experience, I did some introspection and realized I had more passion for my work when I create my own things, especially those that help and inspire others. I’ve always enjoyed working on engineering projects, making art, and building things that had value, and I finally understood that building my own business, particularly one that solved a common problem, would give me great fulfillment. So, I reached out to some friends around campus with a similar vision and we started brainstorming to see if we could make it a reality.

DC: What or who is your biggest influence for your startup?

Castro: I would say my biggest influence was definitely my family. Both of my parents came from very humble backgrounds in a place where opportunities to make a living were very scarce. I’m very grateful for their dedication to their career as it allowed me to have the resources I have now, especially those here at the University of Maryland, and I feel it’s my obligation to take advantage of these opportunities and work on things I’m truly passionate about when my relatives never got that chance.

DC: How did you come up with the name of your venture?

Castro: We’ve had three names so far, but the first two didn’t last very long. We decided our new name needed to convey the essence of our users moving from place to place and being in communities of like minded people. Our team got to work and made a list of words and phrases that evoke these ideas, and one of the most popular words was “wave” as we liked the colors and imagery that could be used for our brand. We came up with many variations using “wave” but we ultimately chose “WaveLi” as it was short, sweet, and catchy.

DC: What updates or significant accomplishments can you share with us about your company from the last six months?

Castro: We’ve hit many major milestones on our journey towards launch. The first of which is the fact that our company was recently incorporated in the state of Delaware which gave us access to a company bank account and the Apple Developer program. In addition, we’ve also grown our waitlist and Instagram account substantially. This will give us a solid community of initial users for when our app launches in the fall. Furthermore, in the spring of 2022, we won the audience choice award during the Pitch Dingman Competition which gave us invaluable feedback for our startup and prize funds for our budget. Finally, we’ve just finished developing our first alpha test which will go live in a few days, so we’re making good progress towards our release on the App Store.

DC: When it comes to your startup, how do you define success?

Castro: We would consider ourselves successful when we have a growing platform full of users who have found exciting events and met great friends they may have never met otherwise. Once we’re at a point where we can confidently say we’ve helped our users consistently find events they’re looking for in a straightforward manner while integrating them in a new community, we will know WaveLi is succeeding.

DC: What were you hoping to achieve during the Terp Startup Accelerator this summer?

Castro: Our main goals were to build our network and gain knowledge for our company to grow to its potential. We were very excited to work with the professionals and coaches so we can learn from their experience and avoid common mistakes that startups tend to make. WaveLi will incorporate this knowledge into our growth plan and leverage the network at the Dingman Center to connect other professionals to our platform.

DC: If you could give advice to any aspiring entrepreneurs, what would it be?

Castro: I would make sure they understand that being an entrepreneur is a very bumpy road, it is not a straight line upwards at all. You’ll have wins and losses. You’ll feel triumphant and defeated. What matters is not the things that happen, but how you react and adapt to them. The two most important qualities an entrepreneur can have in my opinion are resilience and persistence. It’s a long journey, so don’t focus on the end goal. Focus on the small things, and don’t beat yourself if you make mistakes, because they will happen. You’ll learn so much in this process that even if things don’t work out exactly the way you wanted them to, you’ll be a stronger and more capable person by the end of it.

To learn more about WaveLi, please visit the website here.

This summer, the Dingman Center will be conducting interviews with the 11 student startups who are participating in our first in-person Terp Startup summer accelerator since 2020. Participating student entrepreneurs will receive a stipend up to $5,000 that will enable them to work exclusively on their startups over the next eight weeks.

Founders: Kang Ewimbi ’23, Entertainment Industry major.

DC: In two to three sentences, how would you describe your startup?

Ewimbi: Empire 242 is a record label ran by artists for artists looking for an alternative path from the major recording companies, as independence and transparency are paramount to creativity.

DC: At what point did you know you wanted to create your own startup?

Ewimbi: I decided to create my own startup as I was entering high school. My friends and I were in a band, and we knew that we wanted to be in the music industry. As I was doing research to figure out how to expand our careers as artists, it became apparent to me that the business practices used by major record labels were underhanded and overall detrimental to creators. Thus, I got to work creating an avenue for us and other artists to pursue viable, long-lasting careers within the music industry.

DC: What or who is your biggest influence for your startup?

Ewimbi: Artist-owned record labels like Death Row, Young Money, No Limit, Dreamville, OVO, etc.

DC: How did you come up with the name of your business?

Ewimbi: So back in middle school, my friends and I were in a program called Rock Band. In it, we were able to learn how to play non-traditional instruments in a classroom setting — like electric guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, etc. Simultaneously, we would learn about history in the 20th century through the lens of music and pop culture. This experience really resonated with us, and so we decided to start an out-of-school band. After going through a multitude of names, we landed on Room 242, named after the Rock Band classroom where we cultivated our love of music. Going into high school, we stopped being a band as our music taste shifted towards hip-hop and pop, which lead to us becoming a record label and adopting the name 242 to pay homage to our origins.

DC: What updates or significant accomplishments can you share with us about your company from the last six months?

Ewimbi: We have gotten our first record contracts drafted, released a constant portfolio of records across our artist roster, planned a series of underground concerts for the DMV music scene, and developed an efficient release checklist for our future drops.

DC: As a student business owner, what motivates you?

Ewimbi: I’m motivated by the change I want to see within the music industry, the drive of my friends as they grow artistically, and the general love of music I’ve had since birth.

DC: What are you hoping to achieve during the Terp Startup Accelerator this summer?

Ewimbi: I’m hoping to get our website designed, contracts signed, and business plan finalized by the end of the Terp Startup Accelerator.

DC: If you could give advice to any aspiring entrepreneurs, what would it be??

Ewimbi: Develop a team and trust them as much as you’re comfortable with. Teamwork makes the dream work, as they say.

To learn more about EMPIRE 242, please visit the website here.

This summer, the Dingman Center will be conducting interviews with the 11 student startups who are participating in our first in-person Terp Startup summer accelerator since 2020. Participating student entrepreneurs will receive a stipend up to $5,000 that will enable them to work exclusively on their startups over the next eight weeks.

Founders: Ryan Myer ’22, Finance major. Kyle Sznoluch, general education major.

DC: In two to three sentences, how would you describe your startup?

Myer: Our business name is Sparza and our goal is to spread fun, happiness, and bring balance to the world! We have created a card game called A Balancing Act that involves two teams who go head-to-head with one person on each team acting out a hilarious, goofy action card while their teammates balance cards on them. The team who balances and acts the best will win the most points and eventually win the game!

DC: At what point did you know you wanted to create your own startup?

Myer: I was in an entrepreneurship class, BMGT461M, with professor Le-Marie Thompson and I told her one day that I have always wanted to start a business. She said, “well, why haven’t you?,” “what is stopping you?” Later that day I went home, called my good friend, Kyle Sznoluch, and convinced him to join me on this wild entrepreneurship adventure. Ultimately, I have always wanted to start a business venture and am thankful for every opportunity I have received.

DC: What or who is your biggest influence for your startup?

Myer: I have always wanted to work for myself, make my own hours, and put in countless hours of work to escape the rat race that many people involve themselves in.

DC: What updates or significant accomplishments can you share with us about your company from the last six months?

Myer: In the last six months, we have conducted over 100 customer interviews, prototyped our game, ordered units, and sold the card game to the general public.

DC: As a student business owner, what motivates you?

Myer: The ability to learn more, hone my abilities, and the feeling of accomplishment as we progress through the entrepreneurial journey.

DC: What are you hoping to achieve during the Terp Startup Accelerator this summer?

Myer: We aim to sell through all of our current product inventory, improve our website, produce a professional commercial, gain advice, and grow our social media presence.

DC: If you could give advice to any aspiring entrepreneurs, what would it be??

Myer: I would say to go for it! Take that initial step and you will be absolutely dumbfounded by what you can truly achieve when you set your mind to something. Find a driving motivation for why you want to start the business. Something that will continue to drive you through your best day, worst days, and days when you even feel like giving up. Never give up and you will see success! If starting a business was easy, everyone would do it.

To learn more about Sparza, please visit the website here.

This summer, the Dingman Center will be conducting interviews with the 11 student startups who are participating in our first in-person Terp Startup summer accelerator since 2020. Participating student entrepreneurs will receive a stipend up to $5,000 that will enable them to work exclusively on their startups over the next eight weeks.

Founders: Alisha Pun ’23, Economics major, Statistics and Spanish minor. Kevin Tu ’23 Biology and Economics major, Nonprofit Leadership & Social Innovation minor.

DC: In two to three sentences, how would you describe your startup?

Pun: Sustainabli works to reduce the high levels of energy consumption and chemical/plastic waste that is produced by labs. We create behavioral change amongst scientists through our cost-effective programs, with each program honing in on a specific source of environmental harm. Our mission is to make research sustainable while also cutting costs for research institutes.

DC: At what point did you know you wanted to create your own startup?

Tu: In 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released their grimmest report yet on global warming, which galvanized me to do something to help our environment. Having been in research for 6 years, I had always noticed the staggering amount of waste that each scientist generates. As scientists, we tend to justify the amount of waste we produce with our data or discoveries, but I’ve realized that this is a fallacy. It’s perfectly possible to minimize the waste we produce while still producing excellent results. When I learned that there wasn’t much being done to address the waste produced by research, I decided that it was time to take matters into my own hands and build a startup committed to reducing research waste.

DC: What or who is your biggest influence for your startup?

Pun: Emery Wolf was a previous sustainability coordinator at UMD. We worked with him closely and his passion for the environment was inspiring to us. He generated initial data on the feasibility of our venture’s initial products. The data demonstrated a huge opportunity to transform the realm of hard-science research towards a more sustainable culture. We owe a lot to him for encouraging us to begin this startup journey.

DC: What updates or significant accomplishments can you share with us about your company from the last three months?

Pun: Sustainabli was founded in March of this year. Over the past three months, our team has piloted a Shut the Sash competition between four chemistry labs at UMD. During this program, these labs have been competing against each other to see who can reduce the most amount of energy consumption by keeping their fume hood sashes closed. We’ve also created a website that uses real-time data to visualize the amount of CO2 emissions being released by each lab and fume hood. Our plan is to then expand this program to the rest of UMD’s research labs so that we can fully measure its impact on costs and carbon emissions.

DC: As a student business owner, how do you define success?

Pun: We define success as fulfilling our purpose and being able to sustain ourselves so that we can further amplify our impact on the world. It means being on the track to reaching our next greatest potential.

DC: What are you hoping to achieve during the Terp Startup Accelerator this summer?

Pun: Aside from further fostering an entrepreneurial outlook for our company, our main objective in this accelerator is to determine our go to market strategy; we hope to identify a detailed ideal customer profile and create the best pricing model that allows us to expand our programs and maximize our influence on the world of research.

DC: If you could give advice to any aspiring entrepreneurs, what would it be??

Pun: For primarily impact-driven startups like Sustainabli, there’s a tendency to prioritize our impact over our consumers’ needs. Our best piece of advice is to first delve deep into the individuals or entities that your business would be selling to; make sure your product or service is truly needed and that it will in fact survive in the market. Innovate a solution business model that will have both impact and longevity.