TENx UMD
The University of Maryland Alumni Association is capturing the journeys of EnTERPreneurs. Hear from them as they share why they launched their ventures, the challenges they experienced and what advice they have for current founders and aspiring EnTERPreneurs.
Pawsible is a women-led nonprofit by and for volunteer puppy raisers. Pawsible was founded by a small group of university students passionate about helping others and forwarding change in the assistance dog community. The vast majority of our team members are also volunteering in other ways, most often as puppy raisers. We have also recruited non-puppy-raising team members who have fallen in love with our community through their experience with Pawsible.
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UMD has actually been extremely crucial in making this transition into a career entrepreneur. I have really enjoyed working with UMD in different capacities.
SAUKHYAM MEANS HAPPINESS AND WELL BEING
Saukhyam Resuable Pads is the first in the world to make reusable menstrual pads from banana fibre, which comes from agro-waste. This social enterprise provides high quality affordable menstrual pads to women and girls everywhere including in rural areas of India.
Follow Saukhyam:
- https://www.instagram.com/saukhyam_pads/
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP_eM9o-i-HWixf-OB5lHpg
- https://www.facebook.com/SaukhyamReusablePads/
It was one of the best times of my life...The University of Maryland is such a diverse class and we had folks from all over.
beehiiv is the publishing and newsletter platform built by creators for creators.
Follow beehiiv:
- https://www.instagram.com/beehiiv/
- https://www.facebook.com/trybeehiiv/
- https://twitter.com/beehiiv
Obviously being on campus surrounded by a bunch of other students found a lot of opportunities to meet different people and explore different ideas.
Omega 3 exists to support your health with quality, brain-boosting ingredients in every bite.
Follow Omega 3 online at:
- https://www.tiktok.com/@eatomega3
- https://www.instagram.com/eatomega3/
- https://www.facebook.com/eatomega3
[Omega 3] would not be around if not for the University of Maryland... the community at large really helped it get notoriety. Becoming popular at the University of Maryland is not a small thing.
Storyline produces powerful video storytelling that connects with targeted audiences to effect change.
Follow Storyline:
- https://www.twitter.com/frates
- https://www.facebook.com/chris.frates.39
The University of Maryland, in particular, the Merrill College of Journalism, has played a huge role in my becoming an entrepreneur, because the foundational pieces that I learned at the J School, I still use everyday.
At Mapistry, we are passionate about driving intelligent environmental and safety decisions. Mapistry’s cloud-based platform and mobile app gives the world’s leading industrial, manufacturing and transportation companies full visibility into their environmental and safety operations to make smarter decisions and effectively oversee risk.
Follow Mapistry:
- https://www.facebook.com/mapistry/
- https://twitter.com/mapistry
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/mapistry/
The foundation of everything I learned (at Maryland) was core when we were getting Mapistry started. I was doing all of the coding and having to learn a lot of new technologies that I didn't necessarily have the experience in and so having that sort of core educational foundation was really important.
Mobtown Fermentation is the maker of Wild Bay kombucha. The mission of Mobtown Fermentation is to make approachable and affordable kombucha for their community to enjoy. They believe everyone should enjoy the benefits of kombucha and have access to healthy options.
Follow Mobtown Fermentation:
- https://www.instagram.com/wildbaykombucha/
- https://www.facebook.com/WILDBAYKOMBUCHA/
- https://twitter.com/wildbaykombucha
The role that the Terp Entrepreneur Network and Terp Business (are) playing now is fantastic and is a huge part of tying (Mobtown Fermentation) to the University of Maryland, with me being an alumni."
Slay Naturals is a skin care line. Their goal is to make you feel happy about taking care of yourself. You are their focus. More importantly, they want to see you take pride and joy in being comfortable in your own skin. They are committed to creating all natural high quality products that are accessible and inclusive to diverse groups of people.
Follow Slay Naturals:
- https://www.instagram.com/slaynaturals/
I'm very thankful for being a Terp and having that name when I go places and being able to make connections because I am a Terp.
Ecocrumb provides a single platform that brings together non-financial (ESG data) and financial data so that business leaders can understand and predict the true impacts of their everyday business decisions, and take actions that are profitable and responsible.
Follow Ecocrumb:
- https://twitter.com/ecocrumb
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/ecocrumb
I came to the U.S. to become an entrepreneur; that way my dream, and I think the University gave me a solid foundation both in terms of technical and personal skills.
Words Beats & Life uses a holistic approach to youth, and community development that involves hip-hop artists, scholars, educators, activists, and allies. WBL began as a conference at the University of Maryland in the fall of 2000; the founders worked to create a vehicle to transform individual lives and communities through Hip-Hop.
Read more about Mazi and Words, Beats & Life in this University of Maryland Alumni Association Blog post.
Follow Words, Beats & Life:
- http://instagram.com/wordsbeatsandlife
- http://facebook.com/wordsbeatslife
- http://twitter.com/wordsbeatslife
- https://www.youtube.com/wordsbeatsandlife
- https://www.twitch.tv/wordsbeatsandlife
- http://medium.com/@wbl
I mean I think the University of Maryland is central to not just my venture but to my identity. The reality is I wouldn't be the person I am had I gone to another school for a range of reasons including the mentors I had, the classes I took, the extracurricular activities.
Aurora creates an inclusive space for all athletes to perform in color. The name Aurora is a play on the Aurora Lights. An aurora, sometimes referred to as northern lights, is a dynamic natural light of brilliant lights that appear as curtains, rays, spirals or dynamic flickers covering the entire sky. Since its inception, Aurora has empowered performers to bring their own dynamic color and light to the stage.
Follow Aurora:
- https://www.instagram.com/auroratights/?hl=en
- https://www.facebook.com/auroratights/
No matter if I came in there (the Dingman Center) with like a crazy idea at the start or coming here now as a operating business and need more consulting or strategy or just even some support to kind of call on, so we know that they've been here throughout the journey.
No Anxiety Prep provides premium one-on-one and small group test preparation services as well as academic and occupational counseling services, both domestically and internationally. With over a decade of experience and thousands of success stories, N.A.P. l has the dedication, experience, and proven track record to help you achieve your goals in a setting that values each unique student.
Follow No Anxiety Prep:
- https://www.facebook.com/noanxietyprep/
- https://www.instagram.com/noanxietyprep/
Attending the EnTERPreneur Conference was really wonderful. I was able to network with just so many entrepreneurs in varied industries, and I would say making those connections inspired me to continue growing No Anxiety Prep.
HOPE Hydration is a technology company designing and deploying solutions to transform how the world hydrates.
Read more about Jorge Richardson in this Smith School article, Making the World a Better Place, One Sip at a Time.
Follow HOPE Hydration:
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/hope-hydration
- https://twitter.com/hopehydration
As cliché as it sounds, this fighting spirit where you're always moving forward, there's a community to help you do that and you know by tapping into the right groups within Smith (School of Business) and within the University of Maryland there is so much support that you always keep moving and be an entrepreneur.
Evolving Minds is a 501c3 charitable non-profit which has the mission to create a culture of care.
Follow Evolving Minds:
- https://www.instagram.com/ourevolvingminds/
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_wd81dfcNeXw9_CRtACv9w
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/ourevolving-minds/?viewAsMember=true
- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ourevolvingminds/id1504155295
- https://open.spotify.com/show/58AbslSAzqdhCiE5FEOneK
It's okay to approach things with a beginner's mind. In a beginner's mind in mindfulness, each and every moment you can begin again, which I think is critical for social entrepreneurs when thinking about what is the need, how do we fill that need with gaps, ideas and initiatives.
Embodied Labs is the immersive training platform for companies committed to providing excellent care and service. Embodied Labs believe that virtual reality (VR) experiences can enable those providing care to embody the perspectives and conditions of other people, gaining an understanding they can’t get from traditional training tools. These insights empower Embodied Labs users to provide more effective care.
Follow Embodied Labs:
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/embodiedlabs
- https://www.facebook.com/embodiedlabs/
- http://instagram.com/embodiedlabs
- http://twitter.com/embodiedLabs
The University of Maryland was definitely integral to my being able to grow into an entrepreneur.
Seize is a marketplace app that provides an in-the-moment photo taking service with photo takers that are readily available in scenic spots.
Follow Embodied Labs:
- https://instagram.com/seizetheapp
- https://twitter.com/seizetheapp
- https://www.tiktok.com/@seizetheapp
- https://facebook.com/seizetheapp
I now have the tools to be able to solve various problems with technology, and so that really led me to entrepreneurship, because now I not only know what the problems are, but I can solve them using technology and create businesses from it.
Fancy & Spicy is an educational platform that provides virtual video cooking classes taught by talented home chefs from around the world. Our mission is to share authentic cooking techniques, delve into culinary history, and foster human connections through the joy of food.
Follow Fancy & Spicy:
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/fancy-and-spicy/
- https://www.instagram.com/fancyandspicy/
- https://www.facebook.com/fancyandspicy/
I think the University of Maryland definitely played a very critical role in the whole journey. It is where I started to grow and learn to do business.
Burlap & Barrel is a Public Benefit Corporation building new international spice supply chains that are equitable, transparent and traceable. Burlap & Barrel sources our spices directly from farmer cooperatives and small farms, bypassing brokers and middlemen who drive prices up and quality down.
Follow Burlap and Barrel:
- https://instagram.com/burlapandbarrel/
- https://facebook.com/Burlapandbarrel
You don't have to wait for the crazy light bulb opportunity where like the ocean parts, like life turns into Technicolor. Instead, just try to follow some ideas that you have to keep doing and with every single entrepreneurial project that you do, you end up getting better at it.