Join us for our first workshop of the semester, next week—February 28th from noon to 1 pm in University Center 115—to speak with and learn from Jason Tagler as he shares his inside scoop on funding. He will be discussing his experiences as a venture capitalist, and what a truly successful and efficient pitch sounds like. If you’re interested in finding out what venture capitalists are really looking for, this workshop is for you. Bring your lunch and your questions­—we can’t wait to see you!  

About The Event

This session, taught by a venture capitalist, will show you how to create a "read me pitch" and "listen to me pitch" as quickly and efficiently as possible. It will introduce Pitch Creator and theFoundation Pitch (http://www.pitchcreator.com/self-study-courses/) which will prepare you to successfully pitch your business idea. You don't want to miss this opportunity!

About Jason

Jason is a Partner at Camden Partners and joined the firm in 2005. He invests in technology-enabled services, software, and business services companies. Jason currently serves on the boards of OutMatch, Proposal Software, Viventium, and Tracx. His previous board roles include Steelwedge (acquired by E2open), Prolexic Technologies (acquired by Akamai), Ranir, and IncentOne (acquired by Welltok).

Pitch Creator is an online learning platform and was started in 2014 as Jason Tagler's volunteer, passion project for Baltimore. His initial goals were to help entrepreneurs in the Baltimore area learn how to pitch investors and raise money for their businesses; thereby impacting Baltimore's economy, start-up ecosystem, and job creation potential. However, the online self-study materials have expanded greatly since then and entrepreneurs/CEOs from all over the world visit our website.

To RSVP, click here!

Are you interested in conducting research, but require money or mentorship to get started? If this sounds familiar, you’ll be interested in the Entrepreneurship Undergraduate Research Awards. This year marks the introduction of Entrepreneurship URAs, which will award up to $1,500 to undergraduate researchers developing a solution to either a technical or social problem in collaboration with a UMBC faculty member. These solutions can be products, services, address a social or “green” concern, or promote ideas that generate artistic value—be creative! The only requirement is that you must be enrolled as a UMBC student for the duration of the work proposed.

Award period: June, 2018 - May, 2019

Application Deadline: February 16, 2018

To apply or learn more, click here.

If you have any questions, contact Vivian Armor, Director, Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship 410-455-5740, or email armor@umbc.edu.

Entrepreneurship URA’s provide up to $1,500 to undergraduate researchers to support the development of a solution to either a technical or social problem in collaboration with a UMBC faculty mentor. These solutions can be products or services, address a social or “green” concern, or promote ideas that generate artistic value. To be eligible for an Entrepreneurship URA, you must be enrolled as a UMBC student for the duration of the work proposed.

DEADLINE: February 16, 2018

If you are interested in applying, please click here.

For more information: 

Vivian Armor, Director of Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship

410-455-5740 

armor@umbc.edu

The purpose of the PNC Scholars/Fellows Program is to provide awards up to $3,000 to outstanding UMBC students interested in becoming an entrepreneur. This award is associated with UMBC’s Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship.  The scholarship will be awarded for the 2017 - 2018 academic year. 

 The awards will be used as academic scholarships (up to $1,000), or as “seed funding” (up to $2,000) to launch new ventures or community based social entrepreneurship projects.  

CRITERIA:

Students interested in applying for this award should:

Ø  Submit a 1-2 page personal statement about their interest in entrepreneurship.  The statement should:

Ø  Describe the impact an academic scholarship will have on their future as an entrepreneur or social innovator or

Ø  Describe how the award money will be used as “seed funding” to launch a new venture, or “seed funding” to launch a community based social entrepreneurship project.  Submit a preliminary budget outlining anticipated expenses.

Ø  Submit an updated resume

Ø  Have a minimum GPA of 3.0 

Instructions for submission are located at the bottom of the application (attached). 

The deadline is October 27, 2017 and any questions should be directed to Vivian Armor at armor@umbc.edu. 

GOT IDEAS? LET’S HEAR THEM! Share them with us and you might win $750! Keep reading to learn how your brilliant idea can win you some cash!

The annual UMBC Idea competition is designed to challenge you to think about problems and opportunities all around us. If UMBC is one of the most innovative schools in the nation, then UMBC students are just the kind of innovators that can really change the world. This is your chance to make it happen.

Simply answer a handful of general questions regarding your idea on the entry form (video pitches are allowed, just link your video to your form). The top entries will be judged by a panel of professionals and alumni, along with a crowd of students on November 16, 2017, at the final competition in the Commons Sports Zone.

Cash prizes are:

·         1st prize                  $750  

·         2nd Prize                $500

·         3rd Prize                 $250

·         Best Pitch               $250

How to Enter

To enter the competition, complete the UMBC Idea Competition Entry Form, which asks you to describe a problem or opportunity, and describe your idea for addressing it. Submission forms will be limited to one page, so you will need to articulate the problem you have identified and your idea succinctly. You will also be allowed to post a video to YouTube in which you can personally pitch your idea to the campus. The videos are not required, but they are encouraged as an effective way to communicate ideas to the review committee. YouTube videos are limited to 60 seconds and creativity is encouraged. Videos longer than 60 seconds will not be considered by the judges.

For a full list of the rules, visit http://entrepreneurship.umbc.edu/competitions/umbcs-idea-competition/

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: October 12 at 1 PM