Create New Ventures and Startup Companies

The Mtech Ventures team partners with entrepreneurs to build leading technology companies. With company founders facing challenges such as business planning, staffing, launching, and financing, we provide expert mentoring backed by years of entrepreneurial and venture capital experience, as well as extensive services and resources to help turn great ideas into scalable enterprises.

Entrepreneur Office Hours (www.eoh.umd.edu)
Free, Open Office Hours for UM Students, Faculty, Staff, and Regional Entrepreneurs with Tech-Based Startups or Ideas

Mtech hosts free office hours each month to help aspiring and current entrepreneurs with tech-based startups or ideas get advice on how to:

• build and finance a startup company
• develop and protect intellectual property
• navigate the technology transfer process
• refine business strategy for rapid growth
• tap into other entrepreneurial resources

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University of Maryland Technology Startup Boot Camp (www.bootcamp.umd.edu)
Annual Intensive, One-Day Workshop and Networking Event on How to Launch Tech Ventures

One of the region's premier annual entrepreneurship events, the University of Maryland Technology Startup Boot Camp brings together about 500 faculty, students, researchers, CEOs, founders, investors, tech transfer managers, federal lab scientists, and other experts. Headlined by many of the region's entrepreneurial leaders, the Boot Camp offers both aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs inspiration, knowledge, insight, and connections that will help them successfully launch and grow their technology ideas and startups. More»

University of Maryland $75K Business Plan Competition (www.bpc.umd.edu)
Annual Competition for Faculty, Students and Recent Alumni to Vet New Tech Venture Ideas

The UM $75K Business Plan Competition promotes the commercialization of innovative ideas and University-created technologies by offering faculty, students, and alumni cash prizes for the best new venture plans. The competition emphasizes learning by offering personal coaching for finalists, as well as the experience of presenting ideas to an experienced panel of investors and judges. Since 2001, the competition has served as a launch point for the commercial success of many previous winners, including Squarespace Inc., RioRey Inc., AnthroTronix Inc., Alertus Technologies, and Chesapeake PERL. More»

TERP Startup Lab (www.terpslab.umd.edu)

Tech Entrepreneur Research and Prototyping Laboratory. More»

VentureAccelerator Program (www.va.umd.edu)
Intense, Hands-On Venture Creation Assistance for Faculty and Students

VentureAccelerator helps University of Maryland inventors get their research out of the laboratory and into the commercial sector by helping them create successful companies. VentureAccelerator's experienced team of business professionals works with university entrepreneurs so they continue to fulfill their academic responsibilities while furthering the development of their companies. VA staff speed the process of venture creation by systematically guiding and coaching inventors through business processes such as:

• Sound Business Planning
• Understanding Customers & Markets
• Setting Goals & Priorities
• Acquiring Skills & Recruiting Talent
• Raising Capital

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Technology Advancement Program (www.tap.umd.edu)
Leading Technology Venture Incubator in Maryland

For more than 20 years, TAP has helped build some of the most successful tech companies in Maryland, including Martek Biosciences, Digene Corporation, Powerize.com, DataStream Content Solutions and NovaScreen. TAP’s staff, comprised of seasoned veterans of startups and venture capital firms, provide: business advice and support, market intelligence, introductions and access to funding. TAP offers furnished offices, flexible lab space, faculty expertise, a talented student pool, and resources afforded by a top research university. More»

Funding (www.mtech.umd.edu/funding/cbsc/index.html)

Mtech offers a variety of funding programs, from MIPS R&D funding for product development, and the Chesapeake Bay Seed Capital Fund, which supports Maryland-based startup companies with innovative technologies that may help improve air and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay area. More»

Chesapeake Bay Seed Capital Fund (www.mtech.umd.edu/funding/cbsc)

Supported by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and administered by Mtech, the Chesapeake Bay Seed Capital Fund will invest $250,000 annually over a three-year period into Maryland-based startup companies with innovative technologies that may help improve air and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay area. Fund recipients are jointly selected by Mtech and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. More»