Launch It
Are you interested in launching an entrepreneurial, innovative, and/or social impact venture? Wondering where to start?
The University of Maryland has many resources for supporting students, faculty, alumni, and startups & businesses aspiring to launch or grow a venture.
UMD’s entrepreneurial ecosystem has a track record of turning out creative, problem-solving businesses that make an impact—from campus to the global economy.
Many—Squarespace, OpenGov, and Grip Boost among them—are now household names. Others—like the Food Recovery Network (which boasts General Mills and Whole Foods Market among their funders) and WISE Cities (the emerging woman-run company won DC Startup Week’s 2023 student pitch competition)—are well on their way.
The companies’ common pedigree? Each was hatched by students and alums of the University of Maryland (UMD).
And it’s no wonder: on Maryland’s College Park campus, Terps have unparalleled resources for creativity, collaboration, and innovation at their fingertips. Consider, for instance, the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) within the university’s A. James Clark School of Engineering. A national leader in entrepreneurship and innovation education that was home to the first tech company incubator within the state of Maryland, Mtech claims an economic impact of over $77 billion to date.
Or Startup Shell, a student-run incubator and coworking space that sits on the first floor of the E.A. Fernandez IDEA Factory; its student-spun businesses, which include Imperfect Foods and Solr Tech, have secured over $2 billion in startup venture value and contributed $1.3 billion to the economy since Startup Shell took flight in 2012.
Or the new xFoundry@UMD, an exciting XPRIZE-inspired initiative announced last fall to incentivize students’ technology innovations (the winning team will receive a venture backed by $250,000 to $2 million in investors’ funds to launch the company).
Money talks—but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Before companies like Squarespace and OpenGov had customers and stock, their future founders and CEOs were UMD students taking classes with world-class faculty, networking with leadership mentors from industry, and pushing the limits of innovation in interdisciplinary cross-campus competitions.
The resources add up to an ecosystem that’s ripe for turning UMD students’ fearless ideas into entrepreneurial realities.
Read more about how You Can Launch It At Maryland (Story by Amanda Loudin and Illustration by Gwen Keraval) in the Engineering at Maryland magazine.
Launch Resources at UMD for Students
Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship provides students with engaging courses and programs, collaborative workshops, and meaningful partnerships that cultivate creativity, critical thinking, and innovation and entrepreneurship skills.
Dingman-Lamone Center for Entrepreneurship
The Dingman-Lamone Center for Entrepreneurship has created a number of programs to appeal to students who are interested in entrepreneurship.
Do Good Institute
The University of Maryland is home to the nation's first Do Good campus and engages students from orientation to graduation in Do Good events, projects, courses and academic programs that help grow your knowledge, expertise and experience in nonprofit management, philanthropy, social innovation and civic engagement.
Hatchery
The Hatchery’s vision is to empower Terps to turn their most ambitious ideas into thriving startups poised for real-world impact.
Startup Shell
Startup Shell is a student-run startup incubator and co-working space at the University of Maryland. We provide the student entrepreneurship community with the space, resources, and network to explore ideas, collaborate, and scale their ventures.
xFoundry@UMD
At xFoundry@UMD, we believe in empowering students to become agents of change, capable of addressing complex problems and making a tangible impact on the world.
Launch Resources at UMD for Faculty
Startup Fundamentals Workshop Series
Startup Fundamentals Workshops are offered in collaboration with the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the Robert H. Smith School of Business and Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute at the Clark School of Engineering. All sessions are offered virtually via Zoom platform and many (but not all) are recorded and are available on our StartupUMD YouTube Channel
Startup Guide
Have an invention or a great idea for a company? Scroll down for our interactive guide for aspiring graduate student and faculty entrepreneurs at the University of Maryland. Many startup journeys may not be as linear as the steps in this guide. Feel free to use resources from different stages in this guide based on what is useful to your company now.
UMD I-Corps
I-Corps provides real world training on how to incorporate innovations into commercially viable companies to solve societal problems. The curriculum is based on the Lean Startup framework, through which researchers can better understand the market potential of an innovation.
Launch Resources at UMD for Alumni
Alumni Association Online Learning
Access the support of your Terp network no matter where you are in the world. Check out YouTube playlists of past, recorded webinars, specifically the EnTERPreneur Playlist, which includes the TENxUMD EnTERPreneurs Series, along with industry specific content for current and aspiring Terp founders.
Startup Fundamentals Online Workshops
Startup Fundamentals Workshops are offered in collaboration with the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the Robert H. Smith School of Business and Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute at the Clark School of Engineering. All sessions are offered virtually via Zoom platform and many (but not all) are recorded and are available on our StartupUMD YouTube Channel
EnTERPreneur Network
The EnTERPreneur Network is an industry-focused University of Maryland Alumni Association group with a broad mandate to foster a vibrant Terp alumni entrepreneurship ecosystem. It serves as a dedicated platform to connect alumni with the resources, tools, and connections needed in meaningful ways to advance their entrepreneurial goals.
Terp Business Directory
This searchable online directory features businesses of all kinds - event planners, health and wellness coaches, website designers and more. Users can discover and patronize Terp-led businesses and continue the tradition of Terps supporting Terps.
Terrapins Connect
Whether you're a recent graduate or lifetime member, alumni all have something in common: a desire to connect and help each other. Unique job opportunities, career support, a chance to mentor or seek mentorship, and countless resources are all available to you here, in one place.
Launch Resources for Community Startups and Ventures
Maryland Entrepreneur Hub
Find Resources. Connect with Businesses. Navigate the Ecosystem. From funding to talent sources and everything in between, explore over 2,000 resources to build your business in Maryland
Maryland Small Business Development Center
The Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network has provided sound advice, consulting and support to entrepreneurs and small businesses across the state.
Maryland Innovation Extension
The Maryland Innovation Extension is an Economic Development Administration (EDA) University Center that brings entrepreneurial resources to the entire state of Maryland, with a particular focus on underrepresented groups in entrepreneurship.
Mtech Ventures
Mtech Ventures is a University of Maryland incubator for technology-based innovations commercialized at the university that helps early-stage startups survive the critical period in their development between conducting customer discovery and raising their first round of venture capital.
TEDCO
TEDCO provides funding, resources and connections that early-stage technology and life sciences companies need to thrive in Maryland.