Category Archives: Worth Reading

Aug 02 2013
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Worth Reading 8/2/13

The summer has flown by – it’s officially August! This week we welcomed our newest team member, Alyse Carter. If you stop by the Dingman Center, say hello! She’ll be sitting at our front desk. Now, let’s get into what’s worth reading this week.

A lot of college students and recent graduates think they have it all figure out, but there are a lot valuable lessons young people can be learning. Here are 20 Things 20-Year-Olds Don’t Get. Are you in your twenties and disagree with this list? Leave us a comment and tell us why!

We all know how painful it can be managing multiple schedules for work, school, sports, doctors appointments and more. Check out this impressive 14-year-old entrepreneur that got funding for his startup that simplifies the way parents can coordinate calendars for all of their children’s activities.

A controversial topic on the startup scene is the comparison of successful male entrepreneurs vs female. Entrepreneur.com tells us why Lack of Confidence, Fear of Failure Hold Women Back From Being Entrepreneurs

Why are celebrities drawn to investing in travel startups? Actors, athletes and singers are becoming investors or brought in as brand ambassadors for companies such as Airbnb, Skype and Trippy.

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Jul 26 2013
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Worth Reading

Worth Reading 7/26/13

This week at the Dingman Center, board member and successful entrepreneur Andrea Keating was in the office mentoring students with business ideas. We also released a must-read post by Elana Fine, managing director, about the importance of being a global entrepreneur. Now, let’s end our week with what’s worth reading.

Entrepreneur Matt Garrison and his startup Energy.me are contracted to make $180 million in revenue over the next 18 months by buying and selling wholesale electricity. Find out the secret to the company’s technology in Lightning In A Bottle: Starting Up In A $190 Billion Market.

Investors in other cities may have more money to spend, but they don’t have the experience you’ll get from a DC investor. Tech Cocktail shows us why Angel Funding Opportunities Are Soaring in Washington, DC.

VCs don’t want to hear entrepreneurs pitch ten different ideas hoping one will sound good enough to invest in. Instead, they look for entrepreneurs that are passionate and convicted. Here’s why Successful Entrepreneurship Is Not About Winning A Popularity Contest With Venture Capitalists.

Is your startup having trouble pushing people to your website? Take a look at How PolicyMic, A Startup With A Handful Of Employees, Gets 6 Million People To Read It Every Month.

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Jul 19 2013
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Worth Reading

Worth Reading 7/19/13

This week, the Dingman Center hosted a group of Chinese MBA students from Peking University and exposed them to innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland and throughout the region. Make sure you like the Dingman Center Facebook page so you can see photos from their visit when they are posted next week. Also this week, Elana Fine participated in another Live Chat with the Washington Post and we posted an interview with student entrepreneur, Ayana Cotton, discussing her startup Evlove. Now, here’s what’s worth reading this week.

At the Dingman Center, we believe that entrepreneurship can be taught. This is proven by the number of student entrepreneurs that come through our office every day. The average undergraduate entrepreneurship course doesn’t offer the kind of experiential learning opportunities that students get through programs offered by the Dingman Center, and Forbes agrees. Explore this controversial topic with 5 Reasons Why Undergrad Entrepreneurship Courses Aren’t Producing Entrepreneurs.

If you’re starting a company, where should you live? Washington, D.C., New York City and Boston are the top cities on the east coast. Here is an infographic of The 7 Hottest Startup Scenes in the U.S, with Austin, TX taking the #1 spot.

One of the hardest things about starting a new company is finding the perfect name. It should memorable, easy to say and hopefully not already taken. Check out these tips for naming your startup from The Wall Street Journal.

There are more resources for starting a business than ever before. From online resources to countless networks of entrepreneurial thinkers, the current generation of young-adults  are better equipped than the successful business leaders of our past. Here are 5 Reasons Why Millennials Are Born Entrepreneurs.

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Jul 03 2013
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Worth Reading

Worth Reading 7/3/13

With the 4th of July holiday just one day away, we’re sending you Worth Reading a little early this week. Enjoy your vacation with some good reads.

The goal of many entrepreneurs is to have a successful exit and sell their startup for hundreds of millions of dollars. But, is this the smartest approach? Business Insider tells us Why It’s Better To Sell A Startup For $20 Million Instead Of $200 Million.

There is much to be learned about entrepreneurship from the legendary Superman! Although he never started a business, he embodies many of the principles of entrepreneurship. Here are 7 Entrepreneurship Lessons From ‘Man Of Steel’

Millions in funding doesn’t always equal long-lasting success. Better Place founder, Shai Agassi, knows this all too well. Check out these Lessons From a Startup That Scored $836 Million in VC — and Failed.

Venture Beat recently released an article on the startup tech scene in Las Vegas, including a harsh critique of the DC technology sector. Take a look at InTheCapital’s reaction to the article in Venture Beat Tales Unfounded Jab at the DC Tech Startup Scene.

Finally, we’re including an article on a topic that we’re all tackling—growing and strengthening our Twitter accounts. We talk about it a lot at Dingman. How can we get retweets? How can we get more followers? How is all this affecting our brand? Check out PR Daily’s recent infographic on how to get more re-tweets.

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Jun 21 2013
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Worth Reading 6/21/13

As most of you know, the Dingman Center doesn’t shut down during the summer. We’ve had another exciting week including: Elana Fine teaming up with Rami Essaid for a Live Chat with the Washington Post, Entrepreneur-in-Residence Liz Sara advising students on their business ideas, and the Smith School hosting a fun BBQ for faculty and staff. Make sure you stay connected with the Dingman Center on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates on our community of entrepreneurs. Now, let’s check out what’s worth reading this week.

According to a recent article on Forbes.com there is an entrepreneur zombie movement in which, unlike the fearless risk takers of the past, “forced entrepreneurs” are simply starting businesses in response to a tightening job market. Here’s how you cure a zombie entrepreneur.

Social media is the fastest and easiest way to reach a large number of people and platforms like Facebook and Twitter are key in the marketing strategies of the country’s most successful startups. What makes the difference between a few hundred and a few thousand followers? Here are 5 Social Media Rules Every Entrepreneur Should Know.

Washington DC is continuing to thrive as an entrepreneurial ecosystem with the launch of the National Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation that will be built on the National Mall. The center will become a national landmark highlighting the country’s risk takers and innovators and hopefully inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs.

In case you missed this week’s Business Rx column, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Harry Geller gave advice to Chase Kaczmarek of Wheel Shields on addressing an international market. Chase is a member of the Dingman Center’s EnTERPreneur Academy, winner of a Pitch Dingman Competition and was voted one of the 5 coolest booths at the Business & Innovation Showcase during Cupid’s Cup.

Follow the Dingman Center blog for a new Worth Reading post every Friday.

Jun 07 2013
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Worth Reading 6/7/13

Working on your business this summer? Don’t miss our annual end of summer entrepreneurship boot camp, Dingman Jumpstart. Today is the final day to take advantage of our $100 registration discount. Stay current this summer and read through this week’s collection of articles we consider worth reading.

Entrepreneurs come up with great ideas every day; execution is the hard part. Inc. Magazine’s 6 Steps to a Smarter Start-Up will show you how to keep spirit needed to drive your company to success.

As most of you may have heard, popular social media blogging platform, Tumblr, was acquired by Yahoo! for $1.1 billion. How will the acquisition affect the entrepreneurial ecosystem in America? New York Times small business blogger, Cliff Oxford, tells us Why the Tumblr Deal is a Disaster for Entrepreneurs.

Are you a small tiger or an aging dinosaur? With entrepreneurial activity in the U.S. at its highest ever, the community is a jungle! Learn the Laws of the Jungle for Business Startups from Forbes magazine.

The entrepreneurial ecosystem is crowded these days and startups are having a hard time differentiating themselves. Trying to increase your presence? Here are 7 Marketing Tips for Bootstrapped Startups.

We’ll leave you with one of the most popular articles buzzing on our social media pages this week. Check this out before your next trip to the supermarket: Strategic Eating: Two Meals Entrepreneurs Should Never Skip. Happy eating!

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May 31 2013
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Worth Reading 5/31/13

The Dingman Center team came back to work this week rejuvenated after the Memorial Day holiday weekend. We’re sure some of you weren’t keeping up with the news while on vacation – here’s what’s worth reading this week.

Wondering if you’ll be a successful entrepreneur? Your genes might tell you. Founder Institute CEO, Adeo Ressi developed a personality test that leads him to believe that certain critical traits that make entrepreneurs successful are in fact genetic.

In The Accelerators, a Wall Street Journal blog, co-founder of ZenPayroll Joshua Reeves discusses the importance of his entrepreneurial support system.

David McClure and 500 Startups are expanding to southeast Asia. Similar to 500 Luchadores in Mexico and 500 StartupWallah in India, the $10 million microfund named 500 Durian LP will invest in startups in the area.

Considering traveling to a music festival this summer? Local startup RidePost provides an online platform where users  can sell seats in their car for long road trips. RidePost is partnering with music festival organizers to establish a network of transportation for concert-goers up and down the east coast.

In a traditionally male-dominated industry, women are making a splash on the tech scene. Get inspired by this all female team of high school juniors from the state of Maryland known as the “Fabulous Five” who were named winners of the Verizon Innovative App Challenge. The group won $10,000 for their high school with their winning app called Study Buddy.

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May 24 2013
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Worth Reading 5/24/13

The Dingman Center is ending a great week full of summer planning and celebrating. To start the week we cheered on  Smith School graduates including our own Alla Corey, MBA ‘13. Later in the week we held our  final meeting of the Board of Advisors and Entrepreneurs-in-Residence. We closed the week at DC Upfront, a partner event with InTheCapital. Now that our week of celebrations is closing, let’s take a look at what’s worth reading from the startup community.

Local startup FlagTap, who you might remember seeing at this year’s Cupid’s Cup Business & Innovation Showcase, is a universal online rewards program that lets website owners reward users for interacting with their websites. In this week’s edition of the Washington Post’s Business Rx column, Elana Fine gives advice to Co-Founder Aaron Dinin on the fundraising process, particularly with Angel Investors.

Historically, entrepreneurship was for risk-takers; people who didn’t want a “real job” and decided to go at it on their own. According to Entrepreneur.com, times are changing. In 2012, almost 13% of American adults were in the process of starting a new business, up from 8% in 1999. The face of entrepreneurship is also changing with an increase in female and immigrant entrepreneurs. Check out this cool infographic on WHO the entrepreneurs are in the U.S.

This week, AOL Co-Founder, Chairman of Startup America and Former Cupid’s Cup Keynote Speak Steve Case announced that Startup America Partnership will join forces with Startup Weekend (based in Seattle) to found UP Global in an effort boost startup activity in regions all around the world, outside of traditional technology hubs like San Francisco and New York. Check out this article in the Wall Street Journal for more details on the upcoming partnership.

Finally, the Dingman Center has decided to pivot on its mission to now focus on building on a community that discovers, equips, connects and celebrates entrepreneurs. You can find this announcement plus highlights from the semester in our latest newsletter.

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May 10 2013
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Worth Reading

Worth Reading 5/10/13

Things are quietly winding down here at Van Munching Hall as the students prepare for their last finals of the year.  The Dingman Center has also been quietly rumbling along, preparing for our last batch of Pitch Dingman Sessions and our upcoming summer programs. How’re you all preparing for the summer?  Whether it’s taking a vacation, or finally putting together that business you’ve been meaning to start, the Dingman Center will be here to support you.

So let’s move on to what’s worth reading.

Let’s start by taking a look at the Dingman Center’s week in the news.  In case you missed it, this week’s Business RX column in the Washington Post featured Elana Fine giving advice to TouchdownSpace, a startup looking to enter the virtual office industry.  In addition, Terpiture, one the finalists from last Friday’s Pitch Dingman Competition was featured on the University of Maryland school newspapaer, the Diamondback.

Often times, entrepreneurs have brainstorms for a business, but can’t articulate the actual business problem that their business idea will solve.  Well never fear, this inc.com piece gives you 4 steps to approach understanding your business problem.

Many of you may know that Israel is also known as start-up nation. In fact the center has been building a relationship with the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) for years now, even sending MBA students to Technion over the summer for an immersive entrepreneurial fellowship.  This latest inc.com article articulates just some of the lessons we can learn from the entrepreneurial culture in Israel.

As we’ve often seen, many of the technological innovations in the past few decades have come from military and government research, but did you also know that a lot of what we see as everyday items now actually originated from space?  Tested.com takes a look at a few surprising inventions that were actually developed by NASA for use in space!

And finally, in the debate for the importance of higher education in entrepreneurship and career success, the side of education finds a champion in a local VC. In this Huffington Post editorial, Jonathan Aberman, venture capitalist and lecturer at the Smith School of Business, gives his impassioned take on the importance of education to entrepreneurship and our society as a whole.

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May 03 2013
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Worth Reading

Worth Reading 5/3/2013

What an eventful day for the Dingman Center!  Thanks to everyone who came out to our last Pitch Dingman Competition of the year. It was a packed house today at Tyser Auditorium! Congratulations to Vitus, an IT solution for veterinarians, who won 1st place as well as the Audience Choice Award!  Runner up was BOVER, a mobile app for farmers in developing countries.  Special mention also goes to the other competitors, Cart Noodles, Sweet Buds, and Terpiture who also put up a valiant challenge. It takes  a lot of guts to pitch in front of a panel of experts and all of our finalists are will on their way to startup success!

For the rest of you aspiring entrepreneurs, here’s some articles worth reading to get you on your way as well!

Here at Worth Reading we encourage aspiring entrepreneurs to read as much as possible to not only build their skills but also to learn from experts.  We want you to read so much that we’re recommending that you read an article from inc.com that recommends other books that aspiring entrepreneurs should read!

The hardest part of starting a business is coming up with an idea, but the trick is that ideas are everywhere! In this Wall Street Journal article, several entrepreneurial  experts and mentors weigh in on where they draw their entrepreneurial inspiration from.

So now you have your idea, but an important thing to keep in mind is the idea you start with is likely not the idea you’ll end with once your business gets going.  This Wired article takes a look at Pivots and the importance of identifying opportunities despite hitting dead ends.

Cold calling can be a drag, but for a new startup without an established client base, it might be the only way to generate business leads.  Never fear though! Inc.com presents their guide to make cold calling fun!

Finally, there’s been a trend towards social entrepreneurship lately (even in today’s Pitch Dingman Competition). Forbes examines the rise of starting for-profit businesses to directly tackle social issues.  Definitely an interesting read!

Until next time!

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