Over 50 aspiring entrepreneurs, including students from the University of Maryland, The Guanghua School of Management at Peking University, and local professionals, took part in this year’s Dingman Jumpstart, which ran from August 20 – 24, 2012. Dingman Jumpstart participants underwent an intense series of workshops and seminars covering a variety of topics including, how to craft a perfect pitch, build a solid business model, understand startup revenue and cost structures, and navigate the legal landscape of the startup world. Participants also had the opportunity to form teams and work on new or existing business ideas culminating in a live investor pitch to a panel of expert judges from The Dingman Center’s community network. The weeklong event was a huge success with several teams being identified as potential seed funding opportunities for the Dingman Center’s E-Fund.
For those who missed this amazing opportunity, here are just some of the key takeaways from the 2012 Dingman Jumpstart sessions:
- “When the time comes to pivot, it’s important understand where your company’s strength is really in and what you do right.”
– John LaPides, Dingman Center EIR, on Business Model Patterns - “Identify the pain point, and then identify the person who can and will pay to relieve that pain point.”
– Elana Fine, Dingman Center Managing Director, on Marketing Channels - “Technology is only a small component of the solution. Solutions take an ecosystem in order to add sustainable value.”
– Elana Fine on Marketing Channels - “Investors don’t bet on the horse (the company), they bet on the jockey (the entrepreneur).”
– Sam Medile, Dingman Center Board Member, on Entrepreneurial Selling - “The sources of a company’s competitive advantage is how close their product is to being ‘perfect, free, and now’ or how it can ‘work harder longer.’”
– Dr. Bob Baum, Professor Emeritus, on Organizing to Compete - “It is crucial to present a ‘fully baked’ idea to investors (Practice! Formulate! Iterate!).”
– Swaroop Kolli & Pradeep Suthram, 2012 MBA Graduates, on How to Pitch - “The ultimate tragedy is to see a business succeed, then fail through their success.”
– Mark Walsh, Dingman Center Board of Advisor Chairman, on The Art of Storytelling
The Dingman Center would like to thank all of the speakers, advisors, and judges who helped make Dingman Jumpstart a success. The Dingman Center encourage this year’s participants to stay connected and apply for the EnTERPreneur Academy to grow your venture from idea to launch.
Interested in participating in next year’s Dingman Jumpstart? Keep your eyes open for information next spring. Learn more at: http://ter.ps/jumpstart