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NewsMARY L AN D TECH N O LOGY E NTE R PR I S E I N STITUTEMTECH

A. JAMES CLARK SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

Hinman CEOs Alumni: Changing the World

One Person at a Time

Continued on page 2

They are CEOs of companies, investment bankers, technology

creators, award-winning filmmakers, attorneys, and researchers. They’reinGreatBritain,SouthAfrica,NewYork,andSiliconValley.Theirreach

extendsasfarasJapan,Thailand,Mexico,andPortugal.

Theyareleadinganewwaveofwiselyplanneddot.coms,solvingtheemergency

responsechallengesofsociety,andarestudyinghowthepurestlevelsofdemocracy

canbeeffectivelyapplied.TheyarestretchingtheboundariesofartwithSundance-

boundfilms,andaredevelopingnext-generationtechnologies.

Someareworking80-hourworkweeks,whileothersareearningdualadvanced

degrees.Someareburninglongweeksatstart-ups,whileothersaregaining

Winter2007|Vol.4,No.1

MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU�

Continured from page 1

knowledgeatlargecorporationsand

consultingfirms.

Butonethingtiesthe181alumniof

theHinmanCEOsProgramtogether—an

insatiabledesiretomaketheirmark.

“Thereissomuchenergywiththese

students,”saidKarenThornton,program

directorforHinmanCEOs.“Thecommon

threadI’veseeninallofourstudentsisthat

theywanttobeempoweredandusethat

powertochangetheworldaroundthem.

Theywanttocreatevalueineverything

theydo,andtheydosofrommanydifferent

referencesandacademicdisciplines.”

ThatpotentialiswhatalumnusBrian

Hinman,(’82,electricalengineering)asuccessful

entrepreneur,envisionedwhenhecommissionedthe

programwitha$2.5milliongiftinin1999.

“Tosomeextent,theprogramisself-selectingthat

way,”saidHinman.“ItattractstheType-Apersonality,

thosewiththe‘worldismyoyster’attitudeeagerto

maketheirmark

intheworld.”

Themagic

oftheprogram,

accordingto

severalalumni,

liesinliving

with100orso

studentswho

havethesame

ambitions.Teams

andlifelong

friendshipsare

formed.

“TheHinman

programwas

fantastic,”

saidalumnus

NickAdasi.“It

surroundedmewithhighlymotivated,hungry,young

entrepreneurs—theguysoncampusbouncingideas

offeachotherat3a.m.Ittaughtmehowtothinkout

ofthebox,andthatentrepreneurshipisn’tsomething

thathappensovernight.Overtimeyoudevelopideas

throughexperiences.”

AlumnaSarahVogelworkedwithalumnusLee

FinkeltolaunchtheWebsiteforherproduct.Jason

VolkandBlakeRobertsonarepartnersatAlertus.

Acrosstheboard,studentsstayintouch—sharing

dreamsandideas,andmakingplans.

“Whenyouconnectwithpeoplewhoshareyour

visionandenthusiasm,therelationshipscanrunpretty

deep,”saidHinman.“It’saverypowerfulexperience.

Althoughgraduatesoftheprogrammightnotstart

companiesrightoutofschool,they’vealreadyformed

long-lastingorlifetimerelationships.They’llreconnect.”

Theydo.“Westillkeepintouchandsharecareer

ideasandtopicsandtalkabouthowandwhenwe’re

goingtobecomeentrepreneurs,andwhatinvestment

opportunitiesthereare,”saidAdasi.“Atsomepointin

ourlives,I’msurewe’regoingtohelpeachotherina

millionways.”

Lefttoright,toprow:MarcAnolik,DavidMarquart,AnarMikailov,Samuel

Arumala,JessieLeikin,CindyGilbertLefttoright,bottomrow:Diana

Bernstein,PamelaKalmus,LindseyBernstein,RebekahFinch,AlexBeuchler.

DianaBernstein,ErikaRichardson,

BornaGhavam

Award-winning, living-learning entrepreneurship program for undergraduates

MTECH VenturesHinman CEOs

Hinman Campus Entrepreneurship Opportunities

A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND �

“The common thread I’ve seen in all of our students is that they want to be empowered and use that power to change the world around them. They want to create value in everything they do, and they do so from many different references and academic disciplines.”

—KarenThornton,HinmanProgramDirector

Nick Adasi: four Years, Three Continents, and Helping Raise $60 Million for the first Television Network to Cover all of AfricaNick Adasi wanted to work on Wall Street. Little

did he know he’d be so successful that five short

years after graduating, he’d help raise $60 million

for a new television broadcast network that could

be the first to span the entire continent of Africa.

Itstartswithtenacity.The2001financealumnus

workedatfivemajorinvestmentbanksbeforehe

graduated:Prudential,FannieMae,LeggMason,Bank

ofAmerica,andGoldmanSachs.

“AnytimeIwasoutofschoolItriedtoworkata

bankbecauseIknewitwastoughtogetintoatop-tier

WallStreetinvestmentbank,”saidAdasi.

AftergraduatinghejoinedGoldmanSachs,where

hespent16monthsinNewYorkbeforetransferring

toLondontodoconsumerretail,healthcare,and

investmentbanking.

“IwantedtogotoEuropebecauseinvestment

bankingisconsideredacareerthere,”saidAdasi.“In

theU.S.,theyexpectyoutogobacktobusinessschool

toadvance.”

Accordingly,AdasiwaspromotedtoAssociateat

GoldmanandtransferredtoSouthAfricaforoneyear.

“OneofthereasonsIwantedtomovetoAfrica

wasI’dgettoworkwithatop-tierinvestmentbankin

anemergingmarket,”saidAdasi,whoseparentsare

Nigerian.

“InfouryearsI’velivedonthreedifferent

continents,workingonmergersandacquisitionsof

large,multi-nationalcompanies,”saidAdasi.“Thiswas

agreatwaytolearnbusinessfromaglobalperspective,

whichissomethingalotofpeopledon’thavean

opportunitytodorightoutofcollege.Manypeople

stayfocusedontheU.S.

“EverytimeItraveled,IfoundthatinAmerica

thingsarebuiltupanddeveloped.Whenyougoto

placeslikeEasternEuropeandAfricaandtheMiddle

East,youseethepotentialofsimpletechnologies

andideascomingtothatmarket.Ithelpsmekeepmy

globalglasseson,applyingtheAmericanmindsetto

globalmarkets.”

BeinginSouthAfricahelpedAdasiraisemoney

forhisfamily’snewcompany,FoisiBroadcasting

NetworkInc.(www.fbnafrica.com),apan-African

commercialbroadcastingandproductioncorporation

thatplanstoorganizeandbroadcastAfrica’spremier

intercontinentalradio,television,andInternetsignalsin

andoutofall53Africancountries—promotingpeace,

unity,andprosperityacrossthecontinent.

Thenetworkwillbroadcastoversatelliteand

HinmanCEOsalumnusNickAdasi





throughterrestrialdatalinestoreachover250million

viewers.

why You Like what You’re Doing

“Financeisagreatwaytomeetalotofpeoplewith

accesstocapital,”saidAdasi.“Itgivesyouasound

understandingofhowtoanalyzeandmanagethe

financesofacompany.”

How the Hinman Program Helped You

“TheHinmanProgramwasfantastic.It

surroundedmewithhighlymotivated,hungry,young

entrepreneurs—theguysoncampusbouncingideasoff

eachotherat3a.m.Ittaughtmehowtothink‘outside

ofthebox,’andthatentrepreneurshipisn’tsomething

thathappensovernight.Overtimeyoudevelopideas

throughexperiences.Morethananything,itwasa

mindsetitgaveme.Thepeoplethatsurroundedme

werehelpful.Westillkeepintouchandshare

careerideasandtopics.Wetalkabouthowand

whenwe’regoingtobecomeentrepreneurs,and

whatinvestmentopportunitiesthereare.Atsome

pointinourlives,I’msurewe’regoingtohelp

eachotherinamillionways.”

Advice for Current Hinman Students

“Morethananything,youwanttofocuson

developingyourself.Alotofpeoplefocuson

developingaproductoridea,butifyoucan

spendtimeonyourfinancialskills,yourbusiness

planningskills,yourmarketingskills—allthe

thingsittakestobeagoodentrepreneur—over

timeyoubegintotakeaviewoftheworldasan

investment;youanalyzeandseewhysomethings

workandhowothersdon’t.Youbecomeastute

Anthony Casalena: fixing His way to SuccessSitting in his new office in New York City’s Tribeca

district, Anthony Casalena sums up his success

this way: when he doesn’t like the way something

works, he creates a product to fix it.

Squarespace(www.squarespace.com),a

publishingsystemformanagingwebsitesandblogs

Casalenalaunchedwhileincollege,startedthatway.

Squarespacenowhasover100,000trialregistrations

andover50millionmonthlypageviews.

Mentionedinthesamebreathbythemediaas

Google’sBlogger,Squarespaceevolvedsimply:“Ididn’t

likemakingawebsite,soImademyownproduct,”

Casalenaexplained.

“Peoplesometimesinventbusinessesbasedon

someveryelaborateconnectionsbetweenmarkets,”

saidCasalena.“Therearepeopleproducingvideo

contentformobilephones.Idon’tunderstandhow

“The Hinman Program was fantastic. It surrounded me with highly motivated, hungry, young entrepreneurs—the guys on campus bouncing ideas off each other at � a.m. It taught me how to think outside of the box.”

—NickAdasi,HinmanCEOsalumnus

inentrepreneurship.Entrepreneursarejacks-of-all-

trades.Focusevenonthingsyoudon’tlike.Makeyour

weaknessesintostrengths,becausedownthelineitwill

makeyouabetterentrepreneur.”

HinmanCEOsalumnusAnthonyCasalena





astartupcanengageinthatsortofthing.Notto

saythat’sabadbusiness,butitmustbereallyhard

asastartuptodothatkindofthing.Thereareother

startupsthatarereallyeasy—andthosearetheones

wherethevaluepropositionisreallyclear.”

Squarespace’svaluepropositionisclear.“Doyou

needtobuildawebsite?Hereyougo.It’shardtobuild

awebsite.Squarespacemakesiteasy.”

Casalenadoesn’tlikeonlinechatprograms,sohe’s

workingononeofthoseaswell.Afterthat,hemay

buildpersonalinformationproducts.

That’snottosaySquarespaceisstagnating.Ten

minutesatwww.casalena.orgmakesyouwonderifhe

sleeps.Casalenaisconstantlyandthoughtfullyadding

newfeaturesandimprovinghissystem.

Squarespacehasattractedtheinterestofmajor

investors,includingsomemajorwestcoastVCs,which

flewCasalenatoSiliconValleytotalk.

“Itwasagreatexperience,”saidCasalena.

“It[Squarespace]justdoesn’tfitthemodelofall

firms.Squarespaceisn’tlikeYouTubeinthatitwon’t

experienceescalatedgrowth.Weleftonreallygood

terms.”

what Do You Like About what You’re Doing?

“It’sbeenreallyexcitingformetoactuallygotoan

office.It’sbeenre-energizing.Ilovecomingouttowork

anditputsareallygoodspinonthings(asopposedto

beinginadormroom).Beinginthesameplaceallthe

timeputsadrainonyou.Tribecaisaphenomenalarea.

It’salandmarkitself.TherearelotsofpeopleinNew

Yorkjusttryingtogetstarted.It’stough,butthere’s

lotsofenthusiasm.Oneincrediblethingthathelps

bringthetechcommunitytogetherinNewYorkisthat

everyoneisafive-minutecabridefromoneanother.”

How Did the Hinman CEOs Program Help You?

“TheHinmanProgramisagreatfacilitatorofideas.

Ifyou’resomeonelookingtostartacompany,Hinman

willbeverygoodforyou.TheProgramcanconnect

youwithpeopleyouneedtomeet.Itfostersamore

professionalwayofthinkingaboutabusiness,exposes

youtothingsyouwouldn’tseeotherwise,suchas

venturecapitalistsorevaluatingbusinessplans.It’s

valuableforyoutoseehowallthesethingsworkinthe

realworld.”


“Fixproblems.Peoplewillpayyoutohavetheir

problemsfixed.Don’tletinvestorsdiscourageyou

fromdevelopingagoodidea.Imagineyouhavethe

bestideaintheworldforaproduct—butnotraction.

Asanewentrepreneur,youdefinitelywon’tbeable

togetfundingforthatidea.Thatdoesn’tmeanthe

idea—alongwithyourexecution—won’tgetfunding

insixmonthsafteryouprovethatitworks.Investors

areevaluatinganopportunity,ratherthansimplyyour

ideas.Don’tworryaboutinvestors’decisionsabout

reallyearlystagetechnology.”

kavita khurana and Google: The Perfect MatchKavita Khurana (’05,

Computer Science) is not

the type of computer

scientist who would

be content coding all

day. She’s outgoing,

inquisitive, and rarely sits

still.

Google,acompany

thatopenlyadvertises

“youwon’tfindanybored

engineershere,”and

workingatGoogleisan

“opportunitytotestthe

limitsofyourintellectual

abilities,”wastheperfect

matchforher.

“Peoplehere[atGoogle]

areverymotivatedand

“fix problems. People will pay you to have their problems fixed.”

—AnthonyCasalena,HinmanCEOsalumnus




HinmanCEOsalumnaKavitaKhurana

MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU6

It’sveryexciting.Wearethegluethatsticksallthese

elementstogether.

“Googleisreallygreataboutmakingsure

employeesarehappy,”Khuranaadded.“Happy

employeesdoagreatjob.”

How Did the Hinman Program Help You?

“WhenIcameintotheHinmanProgram,Iwasa

CSmajorandknewthatifyoucode,yougetresults.

Hinmantrainedmetothinkofaworldbeyondjust

coding.Duringspeakersessionssomeonewouldtalk

aboutpatentsandintellectualproperty;Ihadnever

beenexposedtothem.Knowingthere’sanotherworld

youhavetoconsiderwhenyoudevelopsomething—a

classwon’tteachyouthat,butit’simportanttoknow

whenyou’reatacompany.

“Then,therewerethepeopleandtheresources.

Beinginaliving-learningenvironmentwherepeople

werehighlymotivated,inspired,andentrepreneurial

ensuredIwouldcontinuouslygrowandthrive.IknewI

wouldn’tgetthatelsewhere.”

what Advice would You Give a Current Hinman

Student?

“Makeuseofalltheresources.Thereweretimes

I’donlyfillclassrequirements.Wehadallthosegreat

peopleavailabletous.Makesureyoubuildyour

relationshipswithpeople.They’relasting.You’llrealize

itlateron.Makesureyoukeepintouchwiththepeople

youmeetandinteractwith.Youneverknowwhatyou’ll

learnfromthem.ThebestfriendsIhavearetheHinman

CEOsIlivedwithfortwoyears.We’relikeafamily.”

passionateandexcited,”saidKhurana,“andtheworkis

verychallenging.Everybodyhastokeepupandkeep

aheadofthecompetitors.Thepaceisincredible.I’m

busybutreallyhappy.”

AnassociateproductmanageratGoogle,Khurana

isjointlyresponsibleforthedesign,development,

deploymentandimprovementofmanyofthe

company’sproducts.

She’sworkedonGoogleAlerts,Personalized

SearchandSearchHistory.Nowshe’sworkingon

improvingGoogleAdWords.

“It’sexcitingbecauseit’salmostlikebeinga

jack-of-all-trades,butyouknoweverythingwell.You

analyzewhatauserneeds.Youworkcloselywith

themarketingteam;theycomeupwithmarketsand

competitors.Youworkwithengineers,partners,and

usersupport—askingdoesitmakesense,whatarethe

featureswecaninclude,whatistheroadmaptolaunch,

whatarethemilestones,andwhatarethedeliverables?

“Lastweekoneofmyprojectswasselectedfor

demonstrationtoGoogle’sboardofdirectors.Can

youimaginebeingtwenty-threeyearsoldandhaving

yourprojectgetselectedforademototheboard

ofdirectors?Youdon’tgetthatvisibilityatalotof

companies.”

why Do You Like what You’re Doing?

“Googlebelievesinlaunchearly,launchoften,and

getfeedback.There’slessopinionhere.Theybelieve

in‘let’sgetfacts,

let’sgetdata.’We’re

constantlyhaving

strategysessionsto

talkaboutGoogle’s

futureandwhatwe

shouldworkon.You

learnsomuchmore

aboutthecompany.

Youlearnaboutthe

bigbusinesspicture;

it’snotlikesomeone

tellsyou‘godoit.’In

theendyoulaunch.

“Make sure you build your relationships with people. They’re lasting. You’ll realize it later on. Make sure you keep in touch with the people you meet and interact with. You never know what you’ll learn from them. The best friends I have are the Hinman CEOs I lived with for two years. we’re like a family.”

—KavitaKhurana,HinmanCEOsalumna

HinmanProgramDirectorKaren

ThorntonandKavitaKhurana





Anik Singal: from Lifestyle Business to Industry LeaderAnik Singal (’05, finance) started Affiliate

Classroom, a step-by-step training program to

help people launch and grow affiliate Internet

businesses, as a lifestyle business in October,

2004. Anik was a senior in the Hinman CEOs

Program.

Twoshortyearslater,70,000peoplesubscribe

toAC’saffiliatemarketing

newsletter.Over12,000people

havecompletedAC’saffiliate

marketingtrainingprogram.

Thecompanyhasgrown

tosevenemployees.They’ve

releasedanentireboxed

courseonaffiliatemarketing,

withtwoDVDs,12CDsof

audiointerviews,aworkbook

splitintotenmodules,eight

checklists,andaCDwithsix

templatesanaffiliatemanager

wouldneedtouse.

Thecompany’smonthly

AffiliateClassroommagazine,

nowovertwoyearsold,

alsohasa70,000-person

subscriberbase.

ThecompanyranksfirstonYahoo!whensearching

for“affiliatemarketing,”andconsistentlyranksinthe

topthreeonGoogle.

SingalrecentlymetwitheBay’sdirectorofaffiliate

marketingtodiscusscontributingcontenttoAC’s

magazine.

“IfIlookbacktowhenIfirststartedthistwoyears

ago,I’mmesmerizedbythegrowthofthecompany,”

saidSingal.“Thiswasnotsupposedtobeabig

company.NowthatIhavethebigpictureandknow

whatthecompanyiscapableofdoing,though,Iam

notassurprised.”

AftergraduatinginMay2005,Singalwasworking

HinmanCEOsalumnusAnikSingal

fromhomeandrealizedACwasgrowingtoofast.

HecalledKarenThorntonandJamesGreenfor

advice.TheyreferredhimtoMTECHVentures’new

VentureAcceleratorProgram,aselectiveinitiative

designedtohelpfacultyandstudentscommitted

tocreatingnewcompaniesbasedontechnology

innovations.

“Itwasperfecttimingformetogetmyselfsituated

andconstructedproperly,”saidSingal.“Thatreferral

itselfwasworthgold.

“VAhasbeenincredible,”

Singalexplained.“Scott

Laughlin[DirectorofVA]

expandedourvision.He

taughtmehowabigbusiness

getsbuilt.He’straveled

coast-to-coastwithmeand

introducedmetoeveryone

Ineedtoknow.Wejustgot

backfromSanFransisco,

wherewemetBrianHinman.

Duringthesametrip,wehad

coffeewiththedirectorof

eBay’saffiliateprogramin

PaloAlto.”

Morethananything,

Singalsaid,VAhelpedhim

refineAC’sbusinessmodel.

“Weknowexactlywhatwe

wanttogoafter,”Singalexplained.“We’vesolidified

ourprocessforapproachingthemarket.We’re

expandingourbrandandmeetingnewpeople.We’re

constantlybuilding.”

ForresterResearchreportedlastyearthataffiliate

marketingisa$95billionindustry.

“Weseeaffiliateclassroombecomingthecenter

oftheindustry—thesoleresourceforaffiliatemanager

trainingprovidingallthetrainingresourcessomeone

wouldneed,”saidSingal.“Wearethetrustedthird

party.”

AffiliateMarketing,accordingtoWikipedia,isa

“widespreadmethodofpromotingawebsite,inwhich





anaffiliateisrewardedforeveryvisitor,subscriberand/

orcustomerprovidedthroughhisefforts.”


“TheHinmanprogramwasincrediblyhelpful

becauseIhadsomeonetositdownandtalkto.I’d

meetJamesonalmostadailybasissometimes.He’d

walkmethroughideas,helpingmeshapethemsothey

madesense.Theentrepreneurshipcoursehelpedwith

networkingandconnections,aswellasenablingmeto

talktosomeone[theninstructorScottLaughlin]who

alreadyknewhowtobeasuccessfulentrepreneur.

Advice for a Current Hinman Student

“Don’ttaketheprogramlightly.Useresources.Talk

topeople;askquestions.WhenKarenandJamestell

youtocontactsomeone,gothroughwithit.James

isalwaysavailable.It’stheperfectopportunityto

brainstormandrunideasbyhim.Usetheprogramand

networkasmuchasyoucan.”

Zachary Bookman: Thinking Big—Democracy and Law for a Better worldZachary Bookman (’02, government and politics)

does not think small.

Duringhisvaledictoryspeechin2002,heoffered

hisvisionofhowtheUniversityofMarylandcouldbe

oneofthefivetoppublicinstitutionsinthecountry,

andhowstudentsfitintothatidea.

Nexthewantedtostudybothlawandpoliticsat

IvyLeagueschools,sohedid—bothatthesametime.

Bookmanisearningjointdegreesinlawandpublic

policy—aJDatYaleUniversity,andaMaster’satthe

HinmanCEOsalumnusZacharyBookman

HarvardUniversityKennedySchoolofGovernment.

HeplanstopursueaFublrightfellowshipnextyear

tostudythenewfreedomofinformationactpassedby

theMexicangovernment,believingitcanhelpboththe

countryandtheworld.Inpreparation,Bookmanhas

learnedSpanish.

“Thenewandsweepingtransparencylawpassed

bytheFoxadministrationhasgreatpotentialto

promotehumanrights,fightcorruption,andstrengthen

Mexico’sdemocracy,”saidBookman.

BookmanvisitedMexico’sFederalInstitutefor

AccesstoPublicInformationlastmarchthrougha

smallgrantfromtheKennedySchool.Thereheforged

relationships,garneringsupportfromthecommissioner

oftheagency.

“Mexicoisanexcitingandtumultuousplace,and

ofstrategicimportancetotheU.S.inwayswedon’t

recognize,”saidBookman.“Thisissueisofcentral

importancetoMexicorightnow.Itcouldalsoserveasa

globalmodelforemergingdemocracies.”


“Beingabletoworkinourlegalandpolitical

systemisprobablythebestchanceforproducinggreat

changes.Allroads,ifyouhavethemotivationand

desiretomakeabetterworld,leadtothesameplace.

Iwanttomakeanimpact.Iwanttochangepeoples’

lives—aswellasoursociety—forthebetter,inasbiga

wayaspossible.”


“All roads, if you have the motivation and desire to make a better world, lead to the same place. I want to make an impact. I want to change peoples’ lives as well as our society for the better, in as big a way as possible.”

—ZacharyBookman,HinmanCEOsalumnus





“Twothingsinfluencedmethemost.Thefirst

wasthecontinualpresenceofreallyinteresting,

motivationalandinspiringspeakerswhotalkedabout

theirlives,businesses,andsuccesses.Ilovedhearing

entrepreneurstellusabouttheirqueststodowellfor

themselves,whichdoeswellforthepeoplethatwork

forthemandtheeconomy.They’rereallyinterestedin

buildingwealthy,strong,andinnovativesocieties.The

secondthingIenjoyedwasthepresenceofabunch

ofreallysmart,andsavvyyoungentrepreneurs—other

students.Gettingtoknowthem,andtoheartheirideas

anddreamsreinforcedwhatweheardinclassandfrom

otherswhoachievedsuccessalready.”


Student?

“Startthinkingdeeplyaboutwhatkindofcareer

youwanttohave,whatindustriesyoumightwantto

workin,andwhatkindofpersonyouwanttobe.”

Young Lee: Artistic Entrepreneur has film in SundanceFilmmaker Young Lee (’03, Computer Science)

has a movie in the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

JustayearintotheNewYorkUniversityMasterof

SciencePrograminDigitalImagingandDesign,Lee

wasaskedtocreatea60-90secondshortfilmfora

contestsponsoredbyKrupsInternationalCoffee&

EspressoMachines.

ThefilmLeeproduced,“EspressoNinjas,”was

selectedasthewinningentry;thefilmisnowfeatured

onanewWebsite:www.espressoshorts.com.

Dubbed“brandedentertainment”byThe New York

TimesinaSeptember6articlethatalsospotlighted

Lee,thefilmwillappearinthe2007SundanceFilm

FestivalthroughasponsorshipbyKrups.

“Krupsinvitedalotofcelebtritiestothe

competition,”saidLee,“includingAMC’sRichard

Brown,JoanAllen(Face-Off),andF.MurrayAbraham

(Amadeus).“TheeventwasattheTribecaHotel;they

announcedthewinnerandIwentuponstage.”

WhileintheHinmanProgram,Leeworkedasa

freelanceFlashanimationandWebdesigner.

Aftergraduating,hewenttoTaiwanfortwo

months,whereheworkedatamuseumdoing

promotionaldocumentariesandshortfilms.

Shortlyafter,heenrolledatNYU.

Youngiscurrentlydevelopingaspecshortfilm

aboutninjasthataimstoseamlesslyblendvisual

effects,liveactionfootageandastrongstoryintoa

debutfeaturefilmhehopestopitchtostudios.

what Do You Like About what You Are Doing?

“I’vebeenmakingfilmsandwritingandfocusing

oneveryaspectofthefilmmakingprocess,”saidLee.

“Ijustfinisheda30-minuteshortfilmandhavebeen

sendingittofestivals.It’sagang-war,actiondrama

Left:HinmanCEOsalumnusYoungLeefilmingSundance-

bound“EspressoNinjas.”





withastrongstoryattheheartofit.UltimatelyIwant

tocreatestrong,dramaticstorieswithhighconcepts

thatrequirevisualeffects.Specialeffectsareameans

totellbetterstories.”


TheHinmanProgramwasoneofthoserareand

valuableopportunitiesthathadalife-longeffectupon

mycareer.Itgavemeanentrepreneurialmindset.It’s

especiallyusefulasanindependentfilmmaker,asyou

havetomarketyourselfincreativeways.Ithelpedme

developamindsettothinkaboutthemarket;inmy

casethatinvolvesthinkingaboutthetypesofstories

peopleareinterestedin.”


Student?

“I’dchallengeanyyoungstudenttoreallyutilize

alltheresourcestheyhaveavailabletothemthrough

theprogramtothefullestextent.It’sagreattime

tolearnandyouhavesomanypeopleyoucantalk

andnetworkwith.Ifyouhavedreamsandideas,it’s

veryefficienttobouncethemoffotherstudentsand

advisorsintheprogram.Beforeyouknowit,collegeis

gone,sostretchyourself,stretchyourmind.Ifthere’s

somethingthatyouwanttodo,don’twait—don’thold

back—thesky’sthelimit!”

Lee finkel: Big Moves in the Big Apple

Lee Finkel’s

(‘05, marketing)

clients include

AXE, makers

of deodorant

body spray, and

Viacom. His firm

has developed

e-vites for the TV

show “South of Nowhere” on the N Network, as

well as for an “AXE Hit Your Numbers Party.” He

has provided web, print, and multimedia services

to hundreds of clients across the country, and

still manages to plan and entertain at events for

thousands every year.

Finkel’scompany,whichhestartedasaHinman

studentasOptimumProductions,hasgrownintotwo

branches:OPDigital,specializinginwebdesignand

marketing;andOPEvents,aneventservicescompany.

“OptimumProductionsstartedasanevent

planningandservicescompany,”saidFinkel.“Itsroots

arestillgoingstrong.It’sfindingthebalancebetween

theeventssideandthemarketingsidethat’sthehard

part.Bothcompaniesaregrowingatsucharapidpace,

it’shardtokeepup,”hesays.

OPEventsisanentertainmentcompanyproviding

music,photography,video,andmultimediaservicesto

awideanddiverseclientele.ThoughmuchofFinkel’s

businessisinNewYork,wherehenowlives,hestill

hasmanyclientsinMarylandthroughasmallbaseof

employeeslocatedthere.

OPDigitalstartedin2004,whenFinkelwas

strugglingtofindahigh-qualityWebdesignerforhis

firstventure.AfterCarnegieMellonUniversitystudent

JordanDeVriesdesignedOP’sfirstWebsite,Finkel

proposedteamingtooffer

designservicesthrougha

companysubdivisioncalledOP

Digital.Therestishistory.

“It’sexpandedfasterthanI

everimagined,”saidFinkel.“It’s

nowalargepartofmyday-to-

dayoperations,bothintermsof

thetimeIspendandtheclients

Ihave.”

OPDigitaljustlaunched

anew,Flash-basedwebsite.

They’vedesignedwebsites

forAffiliateClassroom,I-

Receipts.com,andBabyfones—

companiesstartedbyother

Hinmanalumni.

“Withtheexpansion,we’re

busy.We’retargetingsmall

companieslookingforquality

work,”saidFinkel.“Lately,




A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND 11

however,biggernameclientsarenoticingour

workandaregettingintouchwithus.”

AXEandViacomweretwo.

“Whenyoudeliveraproductthatwows

people,they’rewillingtolisten,”saidFinkel.

“Whetherprovidingentertainmentfora

groupofteenagersordeliveringaWebsite

toagroupofcorporatebusinesspeople,the

sameconceptholdstrue.Peoplewillpaya

premiumforaqualityproduct.”

what Do You Like About what You’re

Doing?

“WhatDON’TIlikeaboutwhatI’mdoing

now?I’mdoingwhatIlove.

“Attimesitcanbestressful,buttheindependence

makeseverythingworthwhile.Plus,Isetmyownhours,

althoughthatoftenmeans80hoursintheofficeevery

week.It’samazingtosee,though,thedirectcorrelation

betweenthetimeIputinandthebenefitsthatcomeas

aresultofhardwork.”


“Theentrepreneurialspiritiseverwhere.You’re

livingwithstudentswhoarealllookingtogetinvolved

somehow;somehavetheirownideasforabusiness,

whilesomearelookingtogetinvolvedwithothers.

Therearedifferentspeakerseachweekwhoshare

theirlifestoriesandlessons;theseweekly‘classes’are

notonlymotivating,butinspiringaswell.Thementors

availableareinvaluable.PeoplelikeKarenThorntonare

alwaystheretolendahelpinghand.”

Advice to Current Hinman Students

“Takeadvantageofeverythingthatisofferedto

you.Therearesomanyresourcesavailable—mentors,

weeklyspeakers—evenyourfellowstudents.Network.

Don’tbeshy!Althoughstudentsintheprogramcome

fromdiversebackground,everyonearoundyouhasan

interestinentrepreneurship.Connectwithyourpeers

whilethey’restilldownthehall.Beforeyouknowit,

they’llbeacrossthecountry,makingmillions!”

Adam Ostrow: Two Start-Ups: One by Day, One by NightAdam Ostrow (’04, journalism) founded his

first company MindSay (www.mindsay.com), a

platform for sharing user-generated content and

social networking, with fellow student Brian Klug

(’04, computer science) while he was a Hinman

CEO.

AlthoughMindSayisnowhispart-timejobonthe

side,theplatformhasover125,000usersand5million

pageviewsamonth.Newfeaturessuchasvideoand

photosharingareplannedsoon,asistheroll-outof

standalonesoftwareforbuildingsocialnetworks.

Ostrow’sfull-timejobisproductmanagerforthe

Hawaii-basedInternetstart-upChipIn(www.chipin.

com).ChipInisaWeb-availableservicethatsecurely

managestheprocessof“chippingin”andcollecting

moneyforgifts,personalcauses,orforcommunity

fundraising.

Ostrowwasintroducedtothecompanythrougha

friend—whoalsohappenedtobetheleaddeveloper

forChipIn.

“ItisakintoasocialPayPal,”saidOstrow.“It

automatestheprocessofchippingin,whetherfora

groupgift,atravelexpense,orfornon-profitsand

individuals.”

HinmanCEOsalumnusAdamOstrow




MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU1�

PriortojoiningChipIn,AdamworkedforVirginia-

basedmobilecontentcompanyOperaTelecom,which

soldringtonesandapplications.Ostrowhelpedthe

companyaddcommunityfeaturestoitsproduct.


“Weworklonghours,buteveryoneownsapieceof

thecompany,soifwe’resuccessful,everyoneisgoing

tobenefit.”

Benefit of the Hinman CEOs Program

“TheBusinessPlanCompetitionwasterrific;we

wonanawardandit’snicetoputthatonmyresume.

IalsowontheHinmanCEOsMostOutstandingSenior

Award,whichhelpswheninterviewingforjobs.Istill

keepintouchwithalotofpeoplefromtheprogram.

Wesharewhatwe’redoingandbounceideasoffeach

other.”

Advice for Current Students

“ParticipateintheBusinessPlanCompetition.It

gotmealotofone-on-onetimewithpeopleinthe

program,andintroducedustoknowledgeablepeople

suchasScottLaughlin,whogaveusgreatbusiness

advice.Meetasmanypeopleasyoucan.Iwasonly

thereoneyear,butIwishIhadbeentherelongerand

metmorepeople.”

Sarah vogel: Babyfones: Headphones for Your BabyExperts have long thought that exposure to music

while in the womb might aid in a child’s cognitive

development. But getting babies that exposure in

today’s world can be difficult. Sarah Vogel (‘04,

business major) thinks she has the answer.

Vogel’scompany,Babyfones,islaunchingabelt

madeespeciallyforpregnantwomen,withbuilt-in

speakerstoprojectsoundintothewombfromanmp3

player.BabyfoneswillbesoldonAmazonanddirectly

throughthecompany’swebsite,atwww.babyfones.

com.

“Babyfonesisdesignedforbusy,modern-day

womenwhoareconstantly‘on-the-go’andwantto

playmusictotheirbabies,”saidVogel.“Researchhas

shownthatlisteningtorhythmicmusichelpschildren

developlinguisticskillsevenbeforethey’reborn!”

VogelwroteabusinessplanforBabyfones

whileshewasintheHinmanProgram.Sherealized

themarketpotentialwhenshewitnessedpregnant

womenplacinguncomfortableheadphonesontotheir

abdomenstoplaymusicfortheirbabies.

Currentproductsarelimitedinbothformand

function,accordingtoVogel.“Whilethereareproducts

thatcanplayCDs,therearecurrentlynoproducts

availablethatcanaccommodateyourownmusicfrom

anmp3player,”shesaid.

AftergraduatinginDecember2004,Vogeljoined

BoozAllenHamiltonasaConsultant.Sheisnowa

SeniorConsultant.Vogelattributesthereal-world

businessknowledgesheacquiredatBoozAllentothe

successfullaunchofBabyfones.

VogelwontheRobertH.SmithSchoolofBusiness’s

UndergraduateBusinessPlanCompetitiontwice—once

in2003aspartoftheCyprusPrecisionteam,which

HinmanCEOsalumnuSarahVogel

“Spend the time to come up with lots of great ideas. write business plans and try to implement them while you’re in school and still have the time and resources to do it. Learn from anyone who is willing to help you...”

—SarahVogel,HinmanCEOsalumna




A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND 1�

includedtwootherHinmanstudents,andin

2004withBabyfones,teamingwithanother

studentfromtheEntrepreneurshipCitation

program.

why Do You Like what You’re Doing

Now?

Vogellovesbeingabletouseher

entrepreneurialskillstocomeupwithcreative

solutionstocomplexproblems.“Iamvery

luckytoworkforacompanythatvalues

entrepreneurshipsohighly,”saidVogel.“My

managershavebeenextremelysupportiveof

myventures,andtheentrepreneurialskillsI

continuetohoneoutsideofworkalsobenefit

BoozAllen.”

what Did the Hinman Program Do for You?

“IlearnedagreatdealintheHinmanProgram:how

towriteathoroughbusinessplan,createanintegrated

marketingstrategy,andplanarealisticbudget.Butthe

mostimportantthingIlearnedwashowtomanage

mytime.Whenyougetoutintotherealworld,you’re

mostlikelygoingtobeworkingfull-time.Tryingto

startacompanywhenyougethomeatnightisnot

easy.However,withcarefultimemanagementitcanbe

done.”

Vogelalsolearnedagreatdealabout

intrapreneurship,orhowtoapplyentrepreneurialskills

toalargecorporation.“Ihavebeenabletoapplythe

entrepreneurshipskillsIlearnedintheHinmanprogram

toalargefirm.”


Student?

“Whileyou’reincollege,youaresurroundedby

knowledgeandresources.LivingintheHinmandorm

givesyouopportunitiestobounceideasoffeachother.

Youcaneasilyschedulemeetingswithprofessors,then

walkovertotheirofficestomeet.

“Spendthetimetocomeupwithlotsofgreat

ideas.Writebusinessplansandtrytoimplement

themwhileyou’reinschoolandstillhavethetimeand

resourcestodoit.Learnfromanyonewhoiswillingto

Terrence Hines: vision for AthletesTerrence Hines (’03, neurobiology/physiology)

launched Invision Sports Network (www.

isnsports.com), a service that creates custom

Web sites and media for athletes, in 2003.

Fouryearslater,theservicehasservedhundreds

ofhighschool,college,andyouthathletes.Invisionhas

contractswithseveralminorleaguebasketballteams

forcreatingWeb-basedcontentandstreamingvideo.

Thecompanyemploys12people,withoffices

justoutsideofAtlanta,Ga.,HamptonRoads,Va.,and

Lanham,Md.

“We’vedevelopedastrongleadershipteam,and

we’vedevelopedandtestedmanyproductsand

serviceswe’reoffering,”saidHines.“Ourgoalistobein

12citiesacrossthecountrybythistimenextyear.”

InvisionhostsindividualWebsitesforathletes.

Thosesitescontainprofiles,statistics,awards,photos,

andvideoofgamehighlights.

InvisionhasalsolaunchedaWebdevelopment

HinmanCEOsalumnusTerrenceHines

helpyou—yourfellowstudentswhomaybestartingup

theirownbusinesses,professorswhowillreviewyour

businessplan—andanyonewho’swillingtotellyou

abouttheirmistakessoyoudon’tmakethemyourself!”





branch,www.ipraiseonline.

com,whichcreatesWebsites

andoffersvideostreamingfor

churchesandsmallbusinesses.

“It’sapeoplebusiness,”

saidHines.“I’velearnedthat

Packard’slawisareality—Ican

onlygrowrevenuesthroughthe

peopleIattracttoworkforthe

company.”

why Do You Like what

You’re Doing Now?

“We’vehelpedkidswho

typicallyflyundertheradarget

scholarshipsintosmallerDivision

I-AA,DivisionIIandDivision

IIIschoolssuchasNorfolk

StateandElizabethCityState

University,”saidHines.


“TheHinmanprogramwasagoodplatformfor

metolaunchfrom.SinceIwasnotabusinessmajor,it

providedmeastrongfoundationofknowledgeabout

howtostartabusiness.IlearnedtheareasIneededto

focusupon.”


“Takeadvantageoftheresourcesavailabletoyou,

andtalktoeveryoneyouhaveaccesstoatMaryland.

ReallygettoknowthegreatpeoplearoundtheHinman

Program,whetherinMIPSorinTAP,thathavealot

ofexperienceandyoucanhavearelationshipwith,

bounceideasoffof,andlearnfrom.”

Borna Ghavam: Shaping Next-Gen video in Silicon valleyBorna Ghavam (’06,

electrical engineering) is

helping pioneer the next

generation of video chips

for both consumer and

professional electronics.

Justafewmonthsout

ofschool,he’sdeveloping

compressionalgorithmsfor

SiliconValley-basedQpixel

Technology,aprivatelyheld

fablesssemiconductorstart-

updevelopinglow-power-

consumption,low-latency,high-quality,H.264-based

audioandvideoencoder/decodersolutionsfor

thedigitalconsumerelectronicsanddigitalvideo

communicationindustries.

“Iamanalgorithmengineer,”saidGhavam.“Iam

deepintodesigningexactlyhowourchipfunctions

ontheprocesslevel.Themainfocusiscreatingbetter

qualityvideooutofourchip.”

WhileintheHinmanProgram,Ghavamstarted

MenuTeaser™,aCollegePark-wideadvertising

bookletforrestaurants.Thefirstedition,distributed

toover70,000CollegeParkresidents,included

advertisementsandmenusfromJungleGrille,

Franklin’s,MarathonDeli,SantaFe,andCalvertHouse

Inn.

Ghavamlearnedmostaboutdeliveringonpromises

fromMenuTeaser™.

”Whenyou’restartingabusiness,buildinga

productanddeliveringonit,youlearnresponsibility

andhowtodeliveronyourcommitments,”said

Ghavam.“Youlearnrealfasthowtodealwithpeople

andmulti-task.”

HinmanCEOsProgrambenefactorBrianHinman

HinmanCEOsalumnusBornaGhavam

“The Hinman program was a good platform for me to launch from. Since I was not a business major, it provided me a strong foundation of knowledge about how to start a business. I learned the areas I needed to focus upon.”

—TerrenceHines,HinmanCEOsalumnus





invitedGhavamtoSiliconValleyandintroduced

thetalentedengineertoQpixelTechnology.

why Do You Like what You Are Doing?

“Ifyouareinterestedinlaunchinga

technology-basedstart-upinthefuturebutwant

togetsomeexperienceunderyourbelt,then

workingforastart-upisagreatwaytogo.Ihave

seenalotofgrowthinthiscompany.Itforcesyouto

thinkhardandteachyourselfalotofthings.

“Everyoneatthisstageissoimportanttothe

livelihoodofthiscompanyandthere’sonlysomany

peoplehere,soeveryone’sjobcounts.There’san

urgencytocompleteyourtasks.Overall,I’msoakingup

alotofwhatittakestobeinvolvedatatechstartupat

anearlystage.”


“ThementoringfromJamesandKarenwastop-

notch.Theyreallyhelpedmethinkaboutproblems

andsolutions.TheotherthingtheHinmanProgram

providedwasconfidencebuilding.Tobeapartofa

start-up,youneedtohaveenoughconfidencetotake

theriskandjumpintoit.”

Gary Yang: Learning then Doing—from Consulting to Start-UpGary Yang (’02, Computer Engineering and

Finance) is the anchor of London-based start-up

viagogo (www.viagogo.com), an online ticket

exchange that allows people to buy and sell

tickets to live events in a safe and guaranteed

way.

Asviagogo’sthird-

hiredemployee,hehas

helpedbuildthecompany

fromthegroundup.

“Ilaidthefoundation

forseveralfunctions,

includingoperations,

humanresources,

marketing,andfinance,”saidYang.“Asourcompany

hasgrown,we’vebeenabletohiremoreexperienced

peopletotakeoverseveralofthoseresponsibilities.

Overthepastyear,I’vedoneeverythingfromnegotiate

contractstodeterminehowtoscaleourbusiness,

whichhastaughtmeatremendousamount.OurCEO

hiredmeonthepremisethatIwasn’tanexpertin

everything,butthatIcouldlearnquicklyenoughtodo

agoodjobacrosstheboard.”

Yanghas.ThecompanysigneddealsinAugust

withChelseaFCandManchesterUnitedtooffera

ticketexchangesystemwhichpromisesseats“atnear

face-valueforticketlessbutdedicatedfans,”according

toacompanypressrelease.

“Thehardestthing

aboutworkinginastart-

upisittakespersistence

andtenacitytoget

anythingdone,”explained

Yang.“Vendors,potential

partners,recruits—they

don’tgiveyouanycredit

becausetheydon’tknow

“The Hinman Program opened me up to the idea of starting companies. Before joining the program, I had always planned on joining a corporation like Microsoft and working my way up, which wouldn’t have been nearly as exciting as what I’m doing now.”

—GaryYang,HinmanCEOsalumnus

HinmanCEOsalumnusGaryYang





whoyouare.Theadagethatsuccessis99percent

perspiration—there’struthbehindthatstatement,

especiallyforstart-ups.Successonlycomesafter

pushingthroughobstaclestoachieveyourgoals.”

Outofschool,YangjoinedBoozAllenHamilton,

wherehespentoneyearbeforejoiningtheBoston

ConsultingGroup,wherehespenttwoyears.

YangmetaninvestorforviagogowhileatBCG,

whichledhimtojointhecompany.Heengagedin

fundraisingforviagogooutofNewYorkforseveral

months,thenhelpedthecompanyrelocatetothe

UnitedKingdom.

Buttheconsultingwork,hemaintains,laidthe

foundationforwhathe’sdoingnow.

“Ilearnedhowtogetthingsdoneinreal

environments,”saidYang.“IfIhadcometoviagogo

straightoutofschool,Iwouldnothavebeenableto

contributeasmuchasIdonow.

“Peoplestartcompaniesundermany

circumstances,”Yangexplained.“Forme,having

relevantindustryexperiencewasvaluableinteaching

mehowtostructuremythoughtsandhowtodeal

withpeopleinaprofessionalenvironmenttogetthings

done.”

why Do You Like what You’re Doing Now?

“Helpingthecompanygrowhasbeenfantastic.

We’verecentlylaunchedourproductwithkey

partnershipsinplace.Also,seeingrevenuecomeinthe

doorhasbeenprettyexciting—seeingthefruitsofour

labor.”


“TheHinmanProgramopenedmeuptoideaof

startingcompanies.Beforejoiningtheprogram,Ihad

alwaysplannedonjoiningacorporationlikeMicrosoft

andworkingmywayup,whichwouldn’thavebeen

nearlyasexcitingaswhatI’mdoingnow.”


Student?

“Makethemostofyouropportunitiesandnever

stoplearning.”

Blake Robertson and Jason volk: Emergency Alert System for All HazardsFollowing the

attacks on 9/11

and the tornado

that struck

the University

of Maryland,

Jason Volk (’03

accounting, ’05

MBA) recognized

the need for a

better way to

notify people of an emergency.

In2002,VolkstartedAlertusTechnologies(www.

alertustech.com),acompanythathassincedeveloped

anall-hazardsemergencyalertsystem.

Alertus’ssystemenablessafetyleadersto

disseminatelocalized,customtextalertstowall-

mountedbeacons.Similartoafirealarm,eachbeacon

containsstrobelightsandasiren,butalsocontainsa

textLCDdisplay.Alertsaretransmittedinsecondsto

allbeaconsorspecificareas,buildingsorroomsusinga

reliableradiofrequencycommunication.

Forapproximatelythecostofconventionalsiren

towers,theAlertussolutionoffersaudibleandvisual

signaling,coupledwithtextinformation,empowering

everyonetorespondduringanyemergency.The

Alertussystemhasalowcostofownershipwithno

recurringservicefees.

Withcustomerssuchascollegecampusesand

schoolsystems,Alertusisalreadymakingeducational

institutionssafer

placestobe.

BlakeRobertson

(’05computer

engineering)

joinedAlertusin

2003toprovide

engineeringexpertise.

HinmanCEOsalumnusJasonVolk





Robertsondevelopedboththehardwareandsoftware

componentsofAlertus’swall-mountedemergencyalert

system.Sincethen,hewasnamedchieftechnology

officerforthecompany,providingvisionforproduct

developmentandworkingwithmanufacturerstobuild

theAlertussystemtocustomers’specifications.

In2003,VolkandRobertsonwon$15,000inthe

UniversityofMarylandBusinessPlanCompetition.

AlertusalsoreceivedfundingfromboththeMaryland

IndustrialPartnershipsProgramandtheNational

CollegiateInventorsandInnovatorsAlliance.The

companyreceivedbothaC-E-OTechnology

EntrepreneurshipAwardandaSeniorSummerScholars

ResearchGrant.

why Do You Like what You’re Doing Now?

Volk:“Helpingcustomerstoensurethesafety

oftheirstudents,employees,andvisitorsishighly

rewarding.”

Robertson:“Ilikebeinginvolvedatthevarious

levelsoftheproductdevelopmentlifecycle.Atalarger

companyyoumighttypicallyspecializeinonearea,

buthereIgettoswitchgearsandworkonsomething

differenteverytwoweeks.

“AlthoughI’mheavilyinvolvedinthetechnical

deploymentaspectsofourcompany,therewere

weeksofmarketingwherewewereontheroadtalking

tocustomers,goingtoconferences,anddesigning

marketingliterature.OnthetechnicalsideofthingsI’ve

beeninvolvedinelectricaldesign,mechanicaldesign,

firmwaredevelopment,webservices,protocoldrafting,

andtesting.I’mconstantlylearningnewthings.”


Volk:“HinmanCEOsofferedaninvaluable

opportunitytomeetandlearnfromotheraspiring

entrepreneurs.”

Robertson:“TheHinmanProgramtransformed

mefromaninventorintoanentrepreneur.Itprovided

mewiththeresourcestotakemyinventionstothe

nextlevel.Oneofthemostnotableexperienceswas

beingplacedinDr.NeilGoldsman’sresearchlaboratory

forasummerinternship.ThereIlearnedthetoolsfor

prototypingandfabricatingelectroniccircuitboards.

Whenmyinternshipwasover,Iwasofferedaresearch

position,whichIretaineduntilIgraduated.TheHinman

Programopenedthatdoorforme.Thenetworking

aspectoftheprogramenabledmetomeetJason.As

anengineeringmajor,thatopportunitymightnever

havearisenifnotfortheHinmanCEOsProgram.”


Student?

Volk:“Themostcriticaldecisioninstartinganew

ventureiswhoyourecruittotheteam.”

Robertson:“Don’tgetboggeddownbythe

seeminglyendlesschecklistofrequirementsfor

startingabusiness.That’sthe“Catch22”ofthe

program.Whileitteachesyouthedetailsforstarting

abusiness,thosedetailscanbeoverwhelming.It’s

importantforyoutoactuallystartimplementing

somepartofyourbusiness—evenifyoucan’tanswer

everydifficultquestionthrownatyoubyyourfellow

entrepreneurs.’”

HinmanCEOsalumnusBlakeRobertson

“The Hinman Program

transformed me from an

inventor into an entrepreneur. It

provided me with the resources

to take my inventions to the next

level. ”

—BlakeRobertson,HinmanCEOsalumnus





Additional Hinman Alumni UpdatesPavalli Agarwal:Accenture

Jordan Baker:U.S.PatentOffice;www.Pastepunk.com

Adam Banes:CooleyGodwardKronishLLP

Nitesh Batra:FreddieMac

Namrata (Pinki) Boveja:earnedMBAfromSmithSchool;currentlyatU.S.PatentandTrademarkOffice;pursuinglawdegreeatUniversityoftheDistrictofColumbia

Gregory H. Chambers:KPMGLLP

Dennis Cinelli:GeneralElectric

Mikaela Rossman Clark:DavisUptonandPalumbo

Kushi Desai:UniversityofMarylandLawSchool

Obianuju Enendu:ColumbiaLawSchool

Alex Frey:T.RowePrice

Alsace-Lorraine Gallop:UniversityofNorthCarolina,ChapelHillhealthpolicymaster’sprogram

Lee Gong:Microsoft

Rushi Gupta:Accenture

Rena Hahn:NBC(Universal)

Manny Herrmann:AmericanCivilLibertiesUnion

Sam John:BoozAllenHamilton;woncompany’sawardfor“entrepreneurialenergy”

Leah Jones:3yearswithJPMorgan;recentlymovedtosmallprivatewealthmanagementfirminChicago

Jeff Kayce:BozzutoDevelopmentCompany

Joseph Koicim:Marcus&Millichap

Ben Krefting:Accenture

Manisha Kumar:BankofAmerica

Joy Limpawuchara:T.RowePrice

Adam Lutz:DCEnergy

Matt Meneffe:Accenture

Geetika Nagpal:Microsoft

Masato Nakagawa:FreddieMac

Chris Newman:co-foundedTFGTechnologySolutions

Bernard Ng:JPMorganChase

Tuan Nguyen-Viet:JohnsHopkinsUniversity;completedMSinTelecommunicationsatUM

Ryan Ockuly:AVAYA;realestate

Kapil Pandit:HowardLawSchool

Rashida Petersen:DepartmentofCommerce

Jason Repac:graduateprograminchemicalengineering,UniversityofMaryland

Ari Resekh:SapientCorporation

Dan Roffman:computerforensicesconsultingfirm

Christian Rotter:Black&Decker

Rob Sherman:CovingtonandBurlingLLP

Joey Soleiman:realestatedevelopment

David Thaw:earnedamaster’sinPoliticalSciencefromBerkeley;pursuingaPh.D.inInformationSystems

Steven Tom:completedMBAfromMIT;joinedDeloitte&Touche

Lisa Vora:BoozeAllenHamilton

Matt Weinstein:AmericanUniversitylawschool

James White:mathematicsdoctoralprogram,UniversityofMaryland

Ilya Zusin:realestatedevelopment

Connect with other Hinman alumni at

www.hinmanportal.umd.edu!








About the Hinman CEOs Program

As the nation’s first living-learning entrepreneurship program, Hinman CEOs is a

groundbreaking program placing entrepreneurially-minded students from all technical and

non-technical academic disciplines in a unique community. Students live together, learn

about entrepreneurship, and can launch new ventures. The mission of Hinman CEOs is to

foster an entrepreneurial spirit, create a sense of community and cooperation, and develop

ethical leaders. All undergraduates from the University of Maryland, College Park are invited

to apply for this competitive program.

LIvE with student entrepreneursEngage in a dynamic community to develop your entrepreneurial mindsets and

knowledge

Grow your ideas with our aspiring & active student entrepreneurs

Experience on-site coaching & mentoring from experienced staff

Become an entrepreneurial thinker sought by investors & employers

Enjoy our business center, conference room & social room in South Campus Commons

LEARN in a vibrant experiential environmentEngage with entrepreneurial leaders in our exclusive speaker series

Develop leadership, confidence & strategic skills to build a company today or later in your

career

Brainstorm in an open, diverse & ethical community

Earn internship opportunities with companies recruiting Hinman CEOs

Expand your network by making life-long connections to today’s leaders & tomorrow’s

CEOs

LAUNCH real companies 25% of Hinman CEOs develop & launch companies as undergraduates, while others attend

top graduate schools and join leading corporations

Students have won grants & awards exceeding $260,000

Student companies generate significant revenues

visit hinmanceos.umd.edu!

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MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU�0

Brian Hinman: The Original CEO“I never regarded myself as an entrepreneur,”

Brian Hinman says, even after starting three

companies. “In the last couple of years I think I’m

finally coming to the conclusion that that’s what I

am.”

ButeveninhisundergraduatedaysatMaryland

heknewthathewantedtoownhisowntechnology

company.Onhisgraduateschoolapplication,he

wrotethatthereasonhehopedtoattendMITwasto

findsomeotherpeoplewhowouldeventuallywantto

startabusinesswithhim(agoalachieved).Sowhen

BillDestler,formerdeanoftheA.JamesClarkSchool

ofEngineeringandnowseniorvicepresidentfor

academicaffairsandprovost,firstapproachedHinman

withan“out-of-the-box”notiontoencouragestudents

withentrepreneurialaspirations,hefoundanotheridea

hecouldrunwith.

TheHinmanCEOsProgramwascreatedthrough

agenerous$2.5millioncommitment,establishingthe

nation’sfirstliving-learningentrepreneurshipprogram

attheUniversityofMaryland.

HinmanexpectedtheHinmanCEOsProgramto

attractstudentswitha“worldismyoyster”attitude,

creatingasenseofcommunityandcooperation

amonglike-mindedpeople.Thesestudentshave

auniqueopportunitytosharetheexperienceof

finishingtheirundergraduateeducationswithinthe

programthatwillimpactthewaytheythinkabouttheir

careersanddestiniesandencouragethemtopursue

entrepreneurialcareers.

HinmanhopesthattheWashington,D.C.,areawill

becomeamorefertilegroundforhigh-techgrowth

companiesasaresultoftheprogram.Hehadalways

feltthattheuniversityshouldbeacatalystforchange

inthearea,encouragingthegrowthofindustrialand

consumertechcompanies.Infact,beforemovingto

SiliconValleyinJanuary1991,Hinman,whowasraised

inWheaton,Md.,lookedatreturningtotheWashington

area,whichheconsidershome.Buthedidn’tseethe

infrastructureinthe

regiontosupport

thetypesofhigh-

techproductshe

plannedtomarket

tobusinessesand

consumers.

“Theultimate

measureofthe

program’ssuccess

willbethestartof

newcompaniesthat

createasubstantial

numberofjobs

intheD.C.area,”

Hinmansaid.

Biography

BrianL.HinmanjoinedOakInvestmentPartnersas

aVenturePartnerin2006.Hinmanistheco-founder,

andformerlythePresidentandCEO,of2Wire,a

providerofbroadbandserviceplatformsfortheDSL

market.Heisalsotheco-founder,andformerlythe

CEO,ofPolycom,Inc.,(NASDAQ:PLCM)theworld’s

leadingteleconferencingcompany.Hinmanwas

theco-founderofPictureTelCorporation(formerly

NASDAQ:PCTL)attheageof22,pioneeringthe

videocompressiontechnologythathasenduredinto

thestandardsoftoday.Heisanengineerbytraining,

aspecialistindigitalsignalprocessing,andholds

twelveU.S.patents.Hinmanhasreceivedseveral

awardsforentrepreneurship,includingbeingnamedan

EntrepreneuroftheYearbyErnst&Youngin2005.He

currentlyservesontheboardofdirectorsoftwoOak

portfoliocompanies,QpixelTechnologyand2Wire.

Hinmanhaspreviouslyservedonthenationalboard

oftheAmericanElectronicAssociation,andwasco-

founderanddirectoroftheInternationalMultimedia

TeleconferencingConsortium(IMTC).Heholdsa

B.S.E.E.SummaCumLaudefromtheUniversityof

Maryland,andanS.M.E.E.fromM.I.T.

BrianHinman




A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND �1




Entrepreneurship Starts YoungSecond-Year Summer, High School Entrepreneurship Course Draws 27 Students from Across the CountryMTECH Ventures’ James V. Green taught the

second year of the Washington Metropolitan

Region’s first entrepreneurship course for high

school students offered by a major university.

Entitled“ENES140:DiscoveringNewVentures—

FoundationsofEntrepreneurship,”thecourse,offeredthrough

theUniversityofMaryland’sYoungScholarsProgram,giveshigh

schoolstudentstheopportunitytoexploredynamicbusinessand

technologytopicsbyworkinginteamstodesignnewbusinesses.

Theclassof27studentscamefromBethesda,Md.(2);Boyds,

Md.;Germantown,Md.;Olney,Md.;Potomac,Md.;Rockville,Md.;

SilverSpring,Md.;IndianHead,Md.;Columbia,Md.(2);College

Park,Md.;Mclean,Va.;Malvern,Pa.;BaskingRidge,N.J.;Cherry

Hill,N.J.(3);Morganville,N.J.;Plainsboro,N.J.;Scarsdale,N.Y.;

Melville,N.Y.;BriarcliffManor,N.Y.;Uniondale,N.Y.;Lighthouse

Point,Fla.;Lawrence,Kan.;andCorpusChristi,Texas.

Sevenstudentteamspresentedplansforcompanies:

Bluetooth-basedcanalheadphonesenablinguserstoconnect

wirelesslytomusicdevicesandphones,withmusicauto-

pausingforphonecalls

New,two-in-onewasher-dryercombowithretractable

ventingforbetterheatdisbursement,improvedshock

absorbersandweldsforreducednoise,decreasedsize,and

shorterloadcompletiontimes

eBaycounterfeitmonitoringforpurchasesofdesigner

clothingandaccessories

Health-foodstoreandcaféwithin-housenutritionistsand

product-expertstaffabletocustomizenutritionforallpatrons

Graphicdesignservicescateringtosmallbusinesseswhofeel

currentmarketingoptionsaren’tinclusiveenoughforthem

Neighborhood-basedmovierentalchainusingmonthlyfees

andnolatecharges

Instantaneous,Web-basedmovieandgamedownloadswith

monthlyorone-timefees

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MARYLAND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE • www.MTECH.UMD.EDU��

A nucleus for innovation-based entrepreneurship

MTECH Ventureswww.mtechventures.umd.edu

Entrepreneurship Education: Big ImpactJust six years after launching its first

entrepreneurship education intitiative,

MTECH Ventures now offers eight

distinct programs designed to

encourage entrepreneurship through

education.

Thoseprogramsincludefourcourses

(withtwomorecominginthespring),

theUniversityofMarylandBusinessPlan

Competition,theUniversityofMaryland

TechnologyStart-UpBootCamp,Hinman

CEOs,HillmanEntrepreneurs,andthe

MTECHVentureForum.

In2006,MTECHVenturesoffered11

coursesections,reaching373students.

Overall,MTECHVentures’education

activitiesreachedover1,000facultyand

studentsin2006.

MTECHVenturetransforms

technologycreatorsinto21stCentury

InnovationLeaders.Webelieve

technologystudents,faculty,and

researchersbenefitsignificantlyfroma

graspofentrepreneurialpracticesand

tactics.Entrepreneurialtechnologists,

whetherinsideauniversity,government

lab,establishedcompany,orstartup,

arewell-positionedtodevelopand

commercializeinnovationsthatcontribute

toeconomicexpansion.

Discrete entrepreneurship education programs 8

Course sections offered (2006) 11

Course enrollment (2006) 373

Technology Start-Up Boot Camp registrants (‘06) 404

Business Plan Competition submissions 300

Hinman CEOs, students since inception 280

MTECH Ventures Forum registrants (2006) 185

Encouraging entrepreneurship through education:

MTECH ventures Courses

ENES 140 – Discovering New Ventures:freshman-levelcourse

designedtoattractrisinghigh-schooljuniorsandseniors.In

apartnershipwiththeUniversity’ssummerYoungScholars

Program,highschoolstudentsearncollegecreditina

residentialacademicprogram.

ENES 460 – Fundamentals of Technology Start-Up Ventures:

studentslearntheprocessesandskillsneededtolaunch

andmanagenewventures.Studentslearnhowtoassess

thefeasibilityofastartupventure,aswellashowtoapply

bestpracticesforplanning,launching,andmanagingnew

companies.

ENES 489B – VentureCatalyst Entrepreneurship Lab:places

studentsonteamstocommercializeUniversity-developed

technology.Ideasaresourcedfromfacultyandgraduate

studentsworkingwithinnovativetechnologies.

ENES 498 – Special Topics in Entrepreneurship: Real-Life

Cases in Technology Venturing:seminarandcasestudy-based

courseexploringtechnologyentrepreneurshipwithafocuson

leadership,productdesignanddevelopment,andstrategiesto

launchandmanagetechnologyventures.

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New for �00�!Honors course in entrepreneurship (Spring)

freshmen Connection course in entrepreneurship (fall)

BIOE 6�� graduate course in tech entrepreneurship (Spring)

˛

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SteveFredrick,GrotechCapitalGroup,speaksattheMTECHVentureForum

A. JAMES CLARk SCHOOL Of ENGINEERING • UNIvERSITY Of MARYLAND ��



Entrepreneurs Go to Boot CampMTECH Ventures-Hosted University of Maryland Technology Start-Up Boot Camp Attracts 404 from 23 UniversitiesAspiring entrepreneurs packed the Stamp Student

Union in November for the MTECH Ventures-hosted

University of Maryland Technology Start-Up Boot

Camp.

Acomprehensive,one-dayworkshopandnetworking

eventabouthowtosuccessfullylaunchatechnology-

basedcompany,theeventdrew404participantsfrom

23universities,federallaboratories,andthebusiness

community.

Topicsfortheworkshopincluded:“ShouldYouTaketheLeap,”by

BrownellChalstrom,VenturePartner,AvansisVentures;“WhatisTechnology

Entrepreneurship,”byJonathanAberman,ManagingDirector,AmplifierVenture

Partners;“IncredibleIdeaorRealBusiness?”byAndrewScherer,CEO,Scherer

CybrarianServices;“Teams,theMostImportantAssetinaNewBusiness,”by

MartinKnott,ManagingDirector,TheShepherdGroup;“FinancingYourVenture,”

byChristopherFoster,DeputySecretary,MarylandDepartmentofBusinessand

EconomicDevelopmentandJohnP.(Jack)Hollerbach,President,HarVestBank

ofMaryland;and“KeystoSuccess,”byMarkKass,Member,Mintz,Levin,Cohn,

Ferris,GlovskyandPopeoP.C.;SrinivasMirmira,Associate,RedShiftVentures;

andAnikSingal,CEO,AffiliateClassroom.

AspeciallydesignednetworkinglunchfeaturedaBootCampspeakerat

eachstandingtable.

Theafternoonfeaturedbreakoutsessionsonintellectualpropertyand

authoringabusinessplan,byFish&RichardsonandtheMarylandTechnology

DevelopmentCorporation,respectively.

Participantsalsotookadvantageofone-to-onementoringduringthe

afternoon.

SponsorsfortheBootCampincludedFish&RichardsonP.C.;Mintz,Levin,

Cohn,Ferris,GlovskyandPopeoP.C.;theMarylandDepartmentofBusinessand

EconomicDevelopment;andAdministaff.Supportingorganizationsincluded

theGreaterBaltimoreTechnologyCouncil,theMarylandTechnologyCouncil,

theConsortiumofUniversitiesoftheWashingtonMetropolitanArea,andthe

EntrepreneurCenter@NorthernVirginiaTechnologyCouncil.


Business Plan Competition winners Offer �-D Barcodes, Electronic Receipts, Affiliate Marketing TrainingUM $50K Business Plan Competition Yields Promising Start-Ups

MTECHVentureshosteditssixthannualUniversity

ofMaryland$50KBusinessPlanCompetitionlast

spring.

Sixfinalistteampresentedtheirbusinessplansto

adistinguishedpanelofjudges.Winnerswereselected

inthreecategories:undergraduatestudents,young

alumni,andfacultyandgraduatestudents.

Faculty & Graduate Student Category

First Place—Winner of the Maryland Department

of Business and Economic Development Award and

$15,000: Advanced Magneto-Optical Systemswill

providetechnologycompatiblewithcurrentoptical

scannersthatwillenabletheuseoftwo-dimensional

hiddenmagneticbarcodesandotherauthenticity

markstoenhancethesecurityofcriticalidentity

productssuchascreditcards,checks,banknotes,

drivers’licenses,medicationpackagesandother

manufacturedcomponents.

Mr.IulianNistor,researchassistant,Departmentof

ElectricalandComputerEngineering

Dr.IsaakD.Mayergoyz,professor,Departmentof

ElectricalandComputerEngineering

Dr.CarstenHolthaus,researchassociate,

DepartmentofElectricalandComputer

Engineering

Runner-Up—$3,000 Winner: Metatropihas

developedapatent-pendingmetabolomicstechnology

thatenableshighlyaccurateandsimultaneous

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measurementofhundredsofmetabolites(e.g.glucose,

aminoacids)inbiologicalsystems,forusessuch

asearlydiseasediagnosis,personalizednutrition

andmedicine,functionalgenomics,andsafeuseof

geneticallymodifiedfood.

HarinKanani,founder,Ph.D.candidate,Department

ofChemicalandBiomolecularEngineering,

expectedgraduationDecember2006

Dr.MariaKlapa,founder,adjunctassistant

professor,DepartmentofChemicaland

BiomolecularEngineering

Undergraduate Student Category

First Place—$12,000 Winner: I-Receiptsis

planningaservicethateliminatespaperreceipts

forconsumersandbusinessesbyprovidinginstant

databaseandInternetaccesstopurchaseinformation.

MichaelAltman,senior,DepartmentofElectrical

andComputerEngineering,HinmanCEO

SamFine,senior,DepartmentofFinance,Hinman

CEO

Runner-Up, $2,000 Winner: ORBSolution.com

(Online Realty Business Solutions)aimstobethe

firstnationwidelistingdatabaseforrealestateagents,

offeringeasy-to-useagentwebhosting,a“RealEstate

inabox”packageforcompanies,andanational

propertydatabase.

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AdvancedMagneto-OpticalSystemsteam,fromlefttoright:Dr.

IsaakMayergoyz,CharlesKrafft,Dr.CarstenHolthaus,andIulian

Nistor,alongwithElizabethGoodMazhariandKarenThornton.




JohnKarvounis,DepartmentofElectricaland

ComputerEngineering,HinmanCEO,expected

graduationMay2007

JohnWyrwas,departmentsofElectricaland

ComputerEngineeringandPhysics,HinmanCEO,

expectedgraduationMay2007

WilliamLai,departmentsofComputerScienceand

Mathematics,HinmanCEO,expectedgraduation

May2007

PeterOrlicki,departmentsofFinanceandElectrical

andComputerEngineering,HinmanCEO,expected

graduationMay2007

Young Alumni Category

First Place—$15,000 Winner: Affiliate Classroom

providesanonlinetrainingfacilityforweb-based

affiliatemarketing,arisk-freeformofadvertising

throughwhichanonlinemerchantrewardsanaffiliate

siteforeveryvisitor,subscriber,and/orcustomer

referredtothemerchant—muchlikeafinder’sfee.

AnikSingal,Founder&CEO,UniversityofMaryland

alumnus,May2005,FinancemajorandHinman

CEO

Runner-Up, $3,000 Winner: Vforeisdeveloping

acontent-basedimageorganizerandsearchengine

capableoffindingimagesbasedontheircontent—the

objectsorpeopleintheimages—firstasadesktop-

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basedimageorganizer,andthenasanInternet-based

searchengine.

GauravAgarwal,alumnus,master’sdegree,

DepartmentofElectricalandComputer

Engineering,2005

SameerShirdhonkar,Ph.D.candidate,Department

ofComputerScience,expectedgraduation2008

Finalistswereselectedfrom16semifinalistsand58

initialentries.

Judgesfortheeventwere:HenryAhn,Program

Manager,TechnologyFundingPrograms,Maryland

TechnologyDevelopmentCorporation;ElizabethGood

Mazhari,ManagingDirector,MarylandVentureFund;

RichHarris,ManagingDirector,SpaceVest;KarlRenner,

Principal,Fish&RichardsonP.C.;andSteveMcVearry,

MemberoftheBusinessandFinanceSection,Mintz,

Levin,Cohn,Ferris,GlovskyandPopeo.

TheUM$50KBusinessPlanCompetitionis

sponsoredbytheMarylandDepartmentofBusiness

andEconomicDevelopment,Mintz,Levin,Cohn,Ferris,

GlovskyandPopeo,andFish&RichardsonP.C.

Thecompetition,nowinitssixthyear,has

historicallyawardedatotalof$285,000inprizesto

faculty,studentsandalumniwiththebestplansfor

innovativeventures.Previouswinnershavegenerated

millionsinrevenues,grantsandawards.

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I-Receiptsteam,fromlefttoright:MichaelAltmanandSam

Fine,alongwithKarenThorntonandKarlRenner.

AffiliateClassroomteam,fromlefttoright:HelenMontgomery

andAnikSingal,alongwithKarenThorntonandSteveMcVearry.




MTECH ventures, Prince George’s Community College Partner for New, four-Year Entrepreneurship Program$1.7 Million Gift from David H. and Suzanne D. Hillman Family Foundation Creates New InitiativeDavid Hillman believes the future leaders of

Maryland should hunger to find better ways

to do things. By founding the new Hillman

Entrepreneurs Program, Hillman plans to find

those leaders, and prepare them to think in ways

that effect positive change.

“Tomeanentrepreneurisnotnecessarilyaperson

whoownsabusiness,”saidHillman.“Heorshethinks

out-of-the-box,questionsthestatusquo,andtriesto

findnewandbetterwaystodothings.We’retryingto

helpeducatethefutureleadersofourcountry.”

TheHillmanEntrepreneursProgram,officially

launchedthisfall,offersscholarshipsand

entrepreneurshipcoursesforselectstudentswho

begintheireducationatPrinceGeorge’sCommunity

Collegeandcompletetheirbachelor’sdegreeatthe

UniversityofMaryland.MTECHVentureswillmanage

theHillmanProgramattheuniversity.

Thefour-yearHillmanEntrepreneursProgramis

offeredtostudentswhowanttostartabusiness,but

mightnotbeabletopursueacollegecareerwithout

assistance.

“Wehavetwovisionsfortheprogram,”said

Hillman.“First,westartedinPGCounty.Wefeela

strongobligationtosupportthecommunity.Second,

webelieveentrepreneurialthinkingisonewayto

influencethefutureofPGCounty,Marylandandour

regioninapositiveway.

“That’sthe

waywerunour

business[Southern

Management

Corporation].We’re

alearningcompany

thatoffersgoal-

orientedtechnical

training,aswell

asprofessional

andmanagement

development

experiencestoour

employees.We

teachpeopletothink

entrepreneurially,and

tocraveandthrive

onresponsibility.

Peoplerespondtothewaythey’retreated.Ifyou

givethemthetoolstoexcel,theywillexcel.”

StudentsintheHillmanEntrepreneurProgram

maypursueanycourseofstudyexceptpre-law.

HillmanEntrepreneursreceivespecialcoursework

andprogramstonurturetheirentrepreneurialskills

andspirit;intensivementoring;businessinternship

opportunities;meritscholarshipsof$500atPGCCand

$1,000atMaryland;andneed-basedscholarshipsto

coverupto100percentoftheannualcostfortuition

andbooks.

Twentysecond-yearPrinceGeorge’sCommunity

Collegestudentsenteredtheprogramthisfall;new

first-yearstudentswillalsobeselectedinspring2007

forthenextcohort.Thefirstclasswilltransferto

Marylandinfall2007.

Duringthesubsequentthreeyearsofthepilot

program,upto30studentswillentertheHillman

EntrepreneursProgrameachfallasfirst-yearPGCC

students.Thesestudentswillbeselectedfromapool

ofhighlyqualifiedstudentsacceptedforenrollmentat

PrinceGeorge’sCommunityCollege.

“Thisnewprogrammeansalottome,”saidHillman

EntrepreneursstudentChaeClark,whoisamemberof

HillmanEntrepreneursstudent

TrevorYoung.




theScience,Technology,Engineering,andMath(STEM)

CollegianCenteratPrinceGeorge’sCommunity

Collegeanddirectoroffinanceandbudgetforthe

school’sStudentProgramBoard.

“Ilovebusinessandalwayshaveideasfornew

businesses,”Clarkexplained.“However,peopledon’t

alwayshaveanopportunitytocarryouttheirideas.

BeforeIgotintotheHillmanEntrepreneursProgram,

Iwasn’tsureifIwouldbeabletorealizemygoalsand

transfertoafour-yearschool.TheHillmansarethe

reasonI’mgettingintoMaryland,”saidClark,whosent

DavidHillmananotethankinghimforhis“generosity”

and“forcreatingsuchaworthwhileprogram.”

Hillmanbelievestheworthoftheprogramisa

combinationofthevalueofafour-yeardegreeandthe

characteritwillbuild.

“Wewanttotakepeopleinthisprogram,who

maynothaveanotheropportunity,andgettheman

education,”saidHillman.“Wealsowanttogivethem

theconfidencetofail,totry,towalkdifferentthan

anybodyelse.

“Wewanttocreatewell-roundedpeoplewhocan

changetheworld,”hecontinued.“We’renotjustwriting

acheckandwalkingaway.Wehopeit’ssosuccessful

thateveryotherlocalcompanywillwanttoemulateit.”

www.hillman.umd.edu

DavidHillman,right,LisaRawlings,programdirectorfortheHillmanProgramatPGCC,andtheinauguralprogramclass.

HillmanstudentChaeClark,MTECHDirectorHerbRabin,

UniversityofMarylandHillmanProgramDirectorKaren

Thornton,andHillmanstudentKizzahKnight.

HillmanEntrepreneursinauguralclass.

Photosb

yM

ikeM

organ


Trufina Expands, Builds Product, PartnershipsTrufinaInc.,anonlineIdentityVerificationand

managementservicecompanyjoiningtheMTECH

Venturesportfolioin2004,hasprogressedsignificantly

inthepastninemonths.

Trufinaallowsconsumerstoselfverifytheir

personalinformation,aswellasmanyotherattributes

oftheiridentity,andhavecompletecontroloverwho

hasaccesstotheirinformation.Byputtingusersin

controloftheirowninformation,Trufinaprovidesa

uniquewaytoestablishtrustonlineandbuildtrusted

communities.

RecentTrufinahighlightsinclude:

New Hires to Executive Team

KurtBaumann,GaigePaulsen,DonnaHemmert,and

NickKovacichavejoinedTrufina,enablingthecompany

toexpanditsefforts,specificallyintheareaofsales

andmarketing.

Product ExpansionAdded new ID management capabilities.

Trufinamemberscannowcreatevarious‘ID

Cards’andsharethemwithanyonetheywish.

Completed and launched an affiliate program

(affiliate.trufina.com).Trufinasignedupits

firstseveralaffiliatepartners.Thisprogram

utilizesbannerads,trackingoforiginating

URLs,andpaymenttoaffiliates.Thecompany

alsooptimizeditssiteforGooglesearches,is

usingGoogleAdwords,andisintheprocessof

joiningseveralotheraffiliateprograms(suchas

CommissionJunctionandAzoogle).

Relaunched Trufina Web site in August.The

siteisnowmoretailoredtotheendconsumer.

TrufinahasalsobuiltoutitsPartnersection,

andiscontinuingtoimproveandenhance

uponit.

Working on implementations of OpenID

and Cardspace.Thesetwopotentiallygreat

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•

technologies

willallowTrufina

membersto

sharetheirID’s

withmoresites.

Themorethey

areadopted,the

moreTrufinawill

benefit.

Developing

custodial

accounts,

allowing

parents them to

set up Trufina accounts for their children.This

functionalitywillalsohavebusinessapplications

(i.e,aCEOcangetverifiedandthencreate

accountsforallhis/hercolleagues).Trufina

planstousethisfeaturetocreatemarketing

campaignsdirectedatparents,aswellas

teenagersatMyspace.com.

Trufina is implementing a renewal process for

users;thiswillbethebasisforthecompany’s

periodicre-verificationofusers’identitydata.

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•

NewTrufinaWebsite:

www.trufina.com

Trufina featured on CBS Early Show, in Wall Street Journal

TrufinaInc.wasfeaturedontheCBS Early Showon

Saturday,August19.

ReginaLewis,AOLConsumerAdvisor,talkedabout

thechallengesoftrustontheInternetasitrelates

toonlinedating,socialnetworks(suchasmyspace.

com),andontheInternetingeneral.Reginaexplained

howservicessuchasTrufinacanvalidatetheidentity

Leading venture incubator for early-stage technology companies

MTECH VenturesTAP

Technology Advancement Program


CapturesoftheCBSandWall

StreetJournalstoriesabout

Trufina

Innovative Biosensors Receives The Daily Record’s �006 Innovator of the Year AwardInnovativeBiosensorsInc.(IBI),

anMTECHVenturesportfolio

companydevelopingrapid,

ultra-sensitiveteststodetect

harmfulpathogens,announced

thatitisoneofseveral

recipientsofThe Daily Record’s

InnovatoroftheYear2006Award.

DuringaSeptember27reception,IBI’sPresident

andCEO,JoeHernandez,andIBI’sscientificteamwere

recognizedforcontributionstopathogendetection.

IBI’sversatileCANARY™technologywasdevelopedby

scientistsatMIT;IBI’sscientistsnowworkcloselywith

MITtoadaptthetechnologytotheneedsofvarious

industriesinneedofrapiddetection.

“ItisanhonorforthedevelopmenteffortsofMIT

ofpersonsyouare

interactingwithonthe

Internet.

WithTrufina,

identityinformationis

verifiedsouserscan

trustthataTrufinauser

iswhotheysaythey

are.

Trufinawasalso

featuredinThe Wall

Street Journalearlier

thisfall;thearticleis

linkedfromtheTrufina

Website.

www.trufina.com

andIBIscientiststoberecognizedbyThe Daily Record,

anaward-winningpaperwithadistinguishedhistory,”

saidJoeHernandez,IBI’sFounderandCEO.“Our

rapid,ultra-sensitiveCANARY™technologywillenable

ustorevolutionizepathogentestingintheindustries

weserve,suchashumanclinicaldiagnosticsand

biodefense.”

InnovativeBiosensorsisaalsoaMarylandIndustrial

Partnerships(MIPS)Programfundingrecipient.

Innovative Biosesors Expands A Round financing to Total of $6.�� MillionInnovativeBiosensors

Inc.(IBI),anMTECH

Venturesportfolio

companydeveloping

rapid,ultra-sensitive

teststodetectharmful

pathogens,today

announcedthatithas

expandeditsARound

to$6.25millionintotal

financingwithadditionalinvestors,includingChart

VenturePartnersandCNFInvestments,LLC,anaffiliate

ofClarkEnterprises,Inc.(CEI).

InMay2005,IBIcloseditsfirstroundofSeriesA

financing,whichwasledbyHarbertVenturePartners.

OtherinvestorsinthatroundincludedtheNewMarkets

GrowthFundandtheMarylandVentureFund.

Thecompanywillusetheadditionalfinancingto

fundthedevelopmentofhumanclinicalassaysand

commercializationofbiodefensetestingproducts.

Inconjunctionwiththeadditionalfinancing,IBIwill

welcomeJosephDelGuercioofCNFInvestments,LLC,

andColeVanNice,ofChartVenturePartners,tothe

BoardofDirectors.

www.innovativebiosensors.com


MTECH VenturesTAP



DataStream Content Solutions Grows from TAPCompany is Second to Join MTECH Technology Ventures BuildingWhen DataStream Content Solutions LLC joined

the Technology Advancement Program in 2000,

few imagined it would increase its revenue more

than ten fold in five years, as well as create 20

new high-tech jobs.

Thatgrowthhasdriventhecompanytoacquire

newofficespaceintheMTECHTechnologyVentures

Building,thefirstcorporatespaceofferedinthe

UniversityofMaryland’sMSquareresearchpark.

“Thisisfantastic,permanentspacewithroom

forustodoubleourstaffagain,”saidDataStream

PresidentMarkAnstey.“Theresearchparkisaperfect

location—withexcellentaccesstoroadandrail

transportation,aswellasitsproximitytotheUniversity

fortechnologyandstaffingpurposes.”

Thenewoffices,occupyingtheentiretopfloorof

theTechnologyVenturesBuilding,featureacapacious

5,500squarefeetofmeetingrooms,workspaces,and

administrativeoffices,repletewithpanoramicviewsof

thehistoricCollegeParkAirport.

DataStreamspecializesinapplyingeXtensible

MarkupLanguage,orXML,tomanytypesofdata,

helpingmanageorrepurposethatdataforWeb

publishing,hardcopydistribution,reportgeneration,

orforpopulatingdatabases.XMLtaggingmakesdata

accessibleacrossawiderangeofmachineplatforms,

accordingtoAnstey.

DataStream’ssuccessstemsfromthecompany’s

abilitytodelivercriticalinformationquicklyand

accurately.Overthepastfiveyears,thecompany

hasplayedanimportantroleinbuildingadvanced

legislativedatasystemsfortheboththeU.S.House

ofRepresentativesandSenate.DataStreamhaswon

moreXML-basedcontractswiththelegislativebranch

thananyothercompanyintheWashingtonarea,

accordingtoAnstey.

DataStream’scustomersalsoincludeLexis-Nexis,

GuideStar,andCongressionalQuarterly.

In2004,DataStreamacquiredPotomacPublishing,

enablingtheparentcompanytobecomeanelectronic

publisherinitsownright.DataStreamthentook

PotomacPublishing’soriginalasset,anelectronic

databaseoffederalstatutesdatingbacktothefirst

U.S.Congressin1789,andexpandeditintoanonline

servicewithexpansiveadditionalcontent,including

agroundbreakinglegislativeimpacttoolthatoffers

real-timeanalysisofhowproposedfederallegislation

impactsexistinglaw.

CongressionalQuarterly,oneofthecountry’s

oldestnewsorganizationsspecializingincovering

federallegislation,licensedPotomacPublishing’s

legislativeimpactproductandlauncheditonCQ.com

inJuly,2006.

“2007isshapinguptobeanexcitingyear,”said

Anstey.Wehavenewopportunitiesinthefinancial

servicesandlegalpublishingindustries.We’re

expectingrevenueandemploymenttodoubleagain

overthenextyear.”

www.dscs.com

www.potomacpublishing.com


MTECH VenturesTAP


DataStreamPresidentMarkAnsteyandChiefInformation

OfficerEdSchulke

PhotobyRonSolomon


Applied Media Analysis Inc. Joins TAPCompany’s Technology Enables Smart Vision in Mobile DevicesBy Lindsay Mize

Applied Media Analysis Inc., a company

developing advanced mobile vision technologies

for handheld devices, joined the Technology

Advancement Program (TAP), a leading venture

incubator partnering with entrepreneurs to build

early-stage companies, this fall.

“TAPhasanexcellenttrackrecordofassisting

companieswithbusinessdevelopmentandfund-

raising,”saidDr.DavidDoermann,co-founderand

presidentofAMA,andco-directoroftheLaboratory

forLanguageandMediaProcessingintheUniversityof

Maryland’sInstituteforAdvancedComputerStudies.

“Welookforwardtogrowingourbusinessalongwith

TAP’stalentedteam.”

AMA’spatent-pendingtechnologygivescamera-

enabledhandhelddevicessmartvision—enablingthem

totranslatedocuments,enlargetextforthevisually

impaired,readandtranslatesigns,scanbusiness

cards,readandprocessbarcodes,andbothreadand

interpretmedicationinstructions.

“Peoplehavetraditionallyusedcameraphones

tosnaplow-qualitypicturesande-mailthemto

friends,”saidScottLaughlin,directoroftheuniversity’s

VentureAcceleratorProgram.“WithAMA’sapplications,

youcannowuseyourcamera-enabledphoneorPDA

todonewandusefulthings,suchasreadingbarcodes

andtranslatingforeigntext.Thecompanyisopeninga

newrealmforinexpensive,consumermobiledevices.”

Whenimagesneedtobeanalyzedorused,they

aretypicallysenttoacomputertodotheprocessing,

accordingtoLaughlin.AMA’ssoftwaremakesthis

possibleonresource-limiteddevices.

“It’sveryeasytoperformcomputervisionifyou

havesubstantialprocessingpower,consistentlightfor

imaging,andaknownsymbology,”saidLaughlin.“AMA

isworkingonthe

veryhardendofthe

spectrum—using

bothlowprocessor

powerandacamera

functioningwithout

aconsistentlight

beam.AnAMA-

enabledmobile

devicecaninterpret

anythingit’slookingat,aslongasyoutellitwhatit’s

lookingfor.”

AMAhasreceived$1.5millioningrantandresearch

fundingtomoveitstechnologyforward.Funding

agencies,throughSmallBusinessInnovativeResearch

(SBIR)programgrants,includetheU.S.Army,Defense

AdvancedResearchProjectsAgency,NationalScience

Foundation,DepartmentofEducation,andNational

InstitutesofHealth.

AMArecentlyunveileditsnewV-Code(video

code)product.V-Codeenablesbothbusinessesand

consumerstousecamera-enabledmobiledevices

forrapidlyextractingandviewinginformationfrom

two-dimensionalproductbarcodes—includingreviews,

coupons,pricesandsalesinformation.Video2D

barcodesalsogivecommercialvendorstheabilityto

packmoreinformationintoaproduct’sbarcode.

ThesecondproductAMAplanstolaunchisa

commerciallanguagetranslator,whichwillinstantly

translatethetextofanythingphotographedbya

mobiledevice.Theproductisslatedforamid-January

release.

AMAenteredtheuniversity’sVentureAccelerator

Program,whichoffersfacultyandstudentinventors

intense,hands-onbusinessassistance,lastyear.The

companyrecentlygraduatedintoTAP.

“TAPiscommittedtohelpingAMAexecute

itsbusinessplan,”saidSarahDjamshidi,associate

directorforTAP.“Ourgoalsaretospecificallyfocus

onincrementalfund-raisingandaugmentingthe

company’smanagementteam.”

www.appliedmediaanalysis.com

RenderingofAMA’sV-Code

technologyforcamera-enabled

devices


MTECH VenturesTAP




MTECH VenturesTAP


Guardian Angel for firefightersCompany Developing Advanced Tracking and Monitoring Technology Joins TAPBy Megan Hartley

TRX Systems Inc., a company developing

technology to monitor firefighters, joined the

Technology Advancement Program’s portfolio in

November.

Onceafirefighterbursts

throughthecharredframe

ofaburningbuilding,each

secondspentlookingfor

victimscouldbedeadly.With

thehelpofTRXSystems’

FireSentinelSystem,fellow

fightersfromtheoutside

canmonitorthepositionand

movementoftheirembedded

co-workers.

“TheTRXSentinelBaseStationcanseenotonly

wherefirefightersare,butalsotheirphysicalstatus,

includingwhetherthey’vebeenhitbysomething,or

havefallenthroughafloorandarelyingontheirback,”

saidBenFunk,vicepresidentofdevelopmentforTRX

Systems.

TAPwillgivetheemergingcompanythespace

andmentorshipneededtoevolveintoasuccessful

venture.

“Ourduediligenceindicatestheirtechnology

exceedsanyproductcurrentlyofferedonthemarket,”

saidSarahDjamshidi,associatedirectorofTAP.“Our

initialfocuswillbetohelpTRXSystemsraisecapital

andexpanditsbusinessdevelopmentteam—bothwith

thegoalofenablingthecompanytorapidlybringits

producttomarket.”

Approximately100firefightersdieeach

yearinthelineofduty,accordingtotheU.S.Fire

Administration.TheterroristattacksofSeptember

11,whichclaimedthelivesof343paramedicsand

firefighters,spurredtheDepartmentofHomeland

Securitytorequestdevicesthattrackrescue

professionalsindoors.

AccurateindoortrackingmakestheTRXFire

Sentinelunique.ThesystemcombinesGPS—which

onlyworksoutdoors—withaninertialnavigation

unit—whichworksindoorsandoutdoors—tocreatean

integratedtrackingsystemforallenvironments.

“Inertialnavigationwasoriginallyusedon

missilesandairplanes,butwiththehelpofMEMS

technologyweareableto

compactitintothesize

ofapager,”saidGilmer

Blankenship,chairman

ofTRXSystemsanda

professorintheDepartment

ofElectricalandComputer

Engineering.

WhentheTRXFire

Sentinelbasestationdetects

thatafirefighterisaboutto

walkintoadangerousarea,

itcansendanevacuationsignal.Firefighterscanalso

sendalarmswhentheygetintotrouble.

“Wehavedevelopedtechnologytodirectly

communicatewiththefirefighters,butourtoppriorities

aretrackingandlocating,”saidBlankenship.

TRXSystemshasreceivedcontractsfrom

theNationalSecurityAgency,theNationalScience

Foundation,TEDCO,andTechno-Sciences,Inc.fora

totalsumofmorethan$700,000.

“WorkingwithTAPestablishesusasalegitimate

start-upcompany,sowedon’tlooklikeguys

workingoutofagaragetopotentialinvestors,”said

Blankenship.“Alotofpeopleareanxioustoacquire

thislifesavingtechnology;Ihavehadcallsfrom

SingaporeandtheUKrequestingit.”

TRX’smanagementteamalsoincludesPresident

NeilGoldsman,aprofessorintheDepartmentof

ElectricalandComputerEngineering,andVice

PresidentCaroleTeolis.

www.trxsystems.com


Pixelligent wins �006 Maryland Incubator Company of the Year AwardPixelligent Technologies LLC,

an MTECH Ventures portfolio

company developing nano-

materials for semiconductor

lithography, received the 2006

New Incubator Company of

the Year Award.

Theawardwasoneofsix

presentedattheannualMaryland

IncubatorCompaniesoftheYearAwardsinJune.

Judgesconsideredeachcompany’stechnology

orproductdevelopment;increaseinemployee

numbers;growthinrevenueorearnings;engagement

ofsignificantcustomersandstrategicpartners;

technologytransfer;receiptofawardsorgrants;

attractionofoutsideinvestors;innovation;

selfsufficiency;impactontheregion;andabilitytouse

anincubator’sservices.toitsinformation.

TheawardsweresponsoredbytheMaryland

DepartmentofBusinessandEconomicDevelopment

(DBED),theMarylandTechnologyDevelopment

Corporation,RSMMcGladrey,Inc.,andSaulEwingLLP

Pixelligenthasdevelopedproprietarynano-

materialswhichdramaticallyextendtheusefullife

ofsemiconductoropticallithographyinfrastructure

withoutsignificantcapitalexpenditures.

StartedbyGregoryCooper,aUniversityof

Marylandalumnus(Ph.D.,physics),Pixelligenthas

raisedover$2millioninfundingandcompleted

multiplestrategicpartnershipswithleading

semiconductormaterialsfirms.

Pixelligentwasalsoselectedasasummer2006

MIPSfundingrecipient.

www.pixelligent.com

AnthroTronix to be Mentored by Lockheed MartinMTECH Ventures

portfolio graduate

AnthroTronix Inc.

will be mentored by

Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) for three years in

developing a robot control system through a $1.9-

million, three-year contract awarded by the U.S.

Department of Defense Joint Robotics Office.

Undertheagreement,LockheedMartinAdvanced

TechnologyLaboratories(ATL)willhelpAnthroTronix,

asmall,privatelyheld,woman-ownedbusinessin

SilverSpring,Md.,developaJointArchitecturefor

UnmannedSystems(JAUS)-compliantrobotcontrol

system.CalledtheMulti-PurposeAutonomousTeaming

ControlofHeterogeneousRobots(MATCH),thesystem

willcontrolheterogeneousteamsofrobotsperforming

diversesetsofforce-protectiontasksforAirForce

ResearchLaboratory.

SponsoredbytheDoD’sofficeofsmallbusiness

programs,theMentor-ProtegeProgramprovides

incentivesforlargedefensecontractorstoshare

knowledgewithsmallanddisadvantagedbusinesses,

organizationsthathirepeoplewithseveredisabilities,

andminority-ownedsmallbusinesses.Theprogram

enhancestheabilityofprotegecompaniestowin

contractsandhelpthearmedforcestransformintoa

moreagile,versatile,survivableandsustainableforce.

Theprogramalsohelpseligibleprotegestransition

fromsubcontractorstoprimecontractors.

“TheentireteamatAnthroTronixisexcitedabout

workingwithoneofthenation’spremierdefense

contractorstosupportthechallengingandimportant

needsoftheJointRoboticsProgram,”saidDr.Corinna

Lathan,AnthroTronixpresident,co-founderandchief

executiveofficer.“Welookforwardtoasuccessfuland

prosperouspartnership.”

www.anthrotronix.com


MTECH VenturesTAP



ventureAccelerator: A Tale of Two Burgeoning CompaniesJust one year after joining the VentureAccelerator

Program, Affiliate Classroom is positioned to earn

more than $1 million in revenue this year. The

company has expanded its product line and is

well-positioned to lead its industry.

AppliedMedia

AnalysisInc.haswon

three,phase-oneSmall

BusinessInnovation

Researchgrants,hired

fiveemployees(including

adirectorofbusiness

development),released

asoftwaredevelopment

kit,focuseditsbusiness

model,andwasaccepted

intotheTechnology

AdvancementProgram.

Intense, hands-on assistance for faculty and students launching new technology ventures

MTECH VenturesVentureAccelerator

VentureAccelerator Program

Affiliate Classroom

Founded

2004;joinedVAin2005

Who’s in charge

AnikSingal,Founder&CEO,UniversityofMaryland

alumnus,May2005,financemajorandHinmanCEO

Web site

www.affiliateclassroom.com

Big Idea

“Theideawastoprovideatrainingcommunityforone

ofthefastestgrowingmarketingchannelsintheworld.

Wewantedtobuildaprofessionalcommunitywhere

everyonecouldhelpeachothergrow,”saidAnikSingal,

presidentandfounderofAffiliateClassroom.

How it works

AffiliateClassroomprovidesanonlinetrainingfacility

forweb-basedaffiliatemarketing,arisk-freeformof

advertisingthroughwhichanonlinemerchantrewards

anaffiliatesiteforeveryvisitor,subscriber,and/or

customerreferredtothemerchant—muchlikeafinder’s

fee.

“Wekeepourmembersup-to-datewithallthelatest

changesintheindustryandteachthemhowtheycan

increaseproductionthroughbetterconversationsand

moretrafficgeneration,”saidSingal.

Where you see yourself

in five years?

“Weseeourselvesatthe

centeroftheindustry

helpingbringtogether

thevariousplayers

andcreatingprofitable

relationships,”saidSingal.

Funding

“Wearecompletelyboot-

strappedfroma$100

investmentImadeyears

ago,”saidSingal.

Customers

“Sofarwehavehadwell

over10,000customersandareservicingnearly2,000

customersatanypointintime,”saidSingal.

Partnerships

Thecompanyisnegotiatingpotentialcollaborations

withkeyindustrypartners.

How did VentureAccelerator help you?

“VentureAcceleratorvastlyincreasedmyvisionfor

boththebusinessandthemarketopportunity,”said

Singal.“ScottLaughlinhasbeenanimmensehelpin

establishingthecorporatestructureofthecompany

andgettingusreadyforfundinginthenearfuture.”

What’s Next?

“Wearepreparingthecompanyforequityfunding

andalsonetworkingtobringintherightmanagement

group,”saidSingal.

AnikSingal,founderandCEOofAffiliateClassroom,andScott

Laughlin,directorofVentureAccelerator


Intense, hands-on assistance for faculty and students launching new technology ventures

MTECH VenturesVentureAccelerator

VentureAccelerator Program

Applied Media Analysis (AMA)

Founded

2000;incorporatedin2004,joinedVAin2005

Who’s in charge

DavidDoerman,co-founderandpresidentofAMA,

co-directoroftheLaboratoryforLanguageandMedia

ProcessingintheUniversityofMaryland’sInstitutefor

AdvancedComputerStudies;HuipingLi,Ph.D:co-

founderandchieftechnologyofficer;AndyBucholz,

directorofbusinessdevelopment.

Web site

www.appliedmediaanalysis.com

Big idea

AMA’spatent-pendingtechnologygivescamera-

enabledhandhelddevicessmartvision—enablingthem

totranslatedocuments,enlargetextforthevisually

impaired,readandtranslatesigns,scanbusiness

cards,readandprocessbarcodes,andbothreadand

interpretmedicationinstructions.

How it works

AMA’ssoftwareenablesresource-constraineddevices,

suchascellphonesandPDAs,toperformcomplex

computervisionanalysis—analyzingimagesand

translatingtextorotherinformation—actionsthat

usuallyrequireapowerfulcomputer.

Funding

AMAhasreceived$1.5millioningrantandresearch

fundingtomoveitstechnologyforward.Funding

agencies,throughSmallBusinessInnovativeResearch

(SBIR)programgrants,includetheU.S.Army,Defense

AdvancedResearchProjectsAgency,NationalScience

Foundation,DepartmentofEducation,andNational

InstitutesofHealth.

How did VentureAccelerator help you?

“VAprimarilyfocusedourbusinessopportunitiesand

allowedustoexplorespecificareasofthemarket,”said

Doerman.“Scotthelpeduslookintoboththeconsumer

andbusiness-to-busines-to-consumermarkets,so

wecanintegrateourproductintoothergroupswho

haveexistingworkflowsolutions.”AMAhasalsofiled

AMA

language

translator

prototype

forprovisionalpatents,hiredfive

employees,wonSBIRs,releasedits

SDKfordevelopers,andenteredTAP.

What’s Next?

IntheFall2006,AMAlauncheda

commercializationarm,MobileAMA,

todrivematureproductstothe

marketplace.Thecompanyalso

releaseditspatent-pendingV-Code

(Video-Code)technologyinearly

December,whichallowscameraphone

userstodownloadcontentdirectly

fromvideo2Dbarcodes.Userswill

beabletopointtheircameraphonesatV-codeto

downloadfileswithoutcables,networks,orpaying

serviceproviders.AMA’ssecondproduct,slatedfor

aJanuraryrelease,willbeacommerciallanguage

translator,whichcaninstantlytranslatethetextof

anythingphotographedbyamobiledevice.

About ventureAcceleratorVentureAcceleratorisaventurecreationassistance

programthatsystematicallyguidestechnical

entrepreneursfrominventiontoventure.Throughits

methodology,VentureAcceleratorhelpsinventors

significantlyreducetheriskoffailureinthecreationof

anewbusinessanditsfirstyearofoperation.

VentureAcceleratordeliversriskreductionbyusing

apowerfulcombinationofbestpractices,mentorship,

networking,leveragedUniversityresourcesandthe

investmentofsocialcapital.

Foundersgenerallytravelthroughtheprogram

within18months.Afterthisperiod,thenewcompany

isexpectedto“graduate”fromtheProgramandeither

competeforfurtherresourcesfromotherMTECH

programssuchTAP,orcommenceoperationsina

commercialenvironment.

www.va.umd.edu


Faculty-led research projects to help Maryland companies develop technology-based products

MTECH PartnershipsMIPS

Maryland Industrial Partnerships

MIPS Projects with Hughes Network Systems, John Baras Create New, Multi-Billion Dollar Internet-Over Satellite IndustryIt seems like yesterday to John Baras. It was 1993.

Though the Internet was known to researchers,

no AOL disks had yet slipped their way into

households. PCs and the Internet had yet to be

married.

ButGermantown-basedHughesNetworkSystems

contributed$20,000incashtoa$43,000project

withBaras,aprofessorintheDepartmentofElectrical

andComputerEngineeringandInstituteforSystems

Research,whichwouldonedaymakebroadband-over-

satelliteInternetpossible.

“NoonethoughttheInternetwouldworkover

satellite,”saidBaras.Theprotocolsjustweren’tmade

forthatmedium.

Fourshortyearslater,in1997,Hugheslaunched

DirecPC(nowcalledHughesNet),thefirstconsumer

product/servicetoofferInternetaccessviasatellite.

Fastforwardto2006.Internet-by-satelliteisnow

anindustryuntoitself.Over2millionbroadbandover

satelliteterminalsareinstalledworldwide,accordingto

JohnKenyon,SeniorVicePresidentforEngineeringat

Hughes.TheprotocolsdevelopedbyBarasandHughes

arenowcalledTIA-1008,astandardadoptedintactby

theEuropeanTelecommunicationsStandardsInstitute.

“Moreterminalsoperateunderthisstandardthan

anyother,”saidKenyon.“We’veshippedoverone

millionterminalsunderthoseprotocols.Ourbusiness

representsabout55percentofthetotalworldwide

businessinbroadbandsatelliteterminals.

“MIPShelpeddevelopnotjustanewproduct,but

anewindustry,”saidKenyon.“Tenyearsagoasatellite

terminalwas$5,000.Todaywe’rebelow$1,000.We’re

ontheroadto$500.”

That’snottomentionHughes’growth.

“Overtime,we’veprobablygeneratedwithinthe

stateofMaryland,alargeshareofourrevenue”said

Kenyon.Severalbillionofthatcanbedirectlycredited

totheworkdonethroughMIPS.Weemploy1,500

peoplehereinthestate.Manyofthemareworking

onbusinessesrelatedtothis

technology.

“IfAnnapolislooksatthe

valueoftheMIPSprogramto

Marylandcompaniesandthe

Marylandeconomy,they’ve

donealot,”saidKenyon.

Buteconomicimpactisn’t

thewholestory,saidBaras.

“VincentCerfwasjusthere[at

theUniversity]talkingabout

theInternetcoveringthe

planet.That’swhatwewere

doing.Satellitesarethekey.

“MIPS helped develop not just a new product, but a new industry.”

—JohnKenyon,seniorvicepresidentfor

engineering,HughesNetwoorkSystems


“Over time, we’ve probably generated within the state of Maryland, a large share of our revenue” said kenyon. Several billion of that can be directly credited to the work done through MIPS. we employ 1,�00 people here in the state. Many of them are working on businesses related to this technology.”

—JohnKenyon,seniorvicepresidentfor

engineering,HughesNetwoorkSystems

Theycanprovidestrongsupportfordisasterrelief,e-

government,e-health,e-commerce,ande-education.”

HughesrecentlypartneredwithMicrosofttobring

5,000broadband-enabledkioskstoruralpartsofIndia.

HughesisalsorollingoutbroadbandInternetaccessin

800schoolsinBrazil.

Formerelectricalengineeringgraduatestudent

AaronFalkworkedwithBarasandHughes’DougDillon

toturnconventionalwisdomonitsheadanddevelop

asymmetricInternetprotocols—whichsenddatato

thesatelliteat

onespeed,and

downtoamodem

atanother—for

useoversatellite.

Prevailingtheory

atthetimeheld

thatlonglatency

wouldmakethis

impossible.

“Inonesense

youcouldsaythat

thebreakthrough

ontheprotocols

basicallycreated

thiswhole

industry,”said

Kenyon.

“WeopenedupInternetoversatellite,”saidBaras.

“Itwaspioneeringatthetime.Peoplewerethinkingof

satellitesforlong-haulvoicecallsandtelevision.We

basicallyusedthesatellitesasanodeovertheInternet.”

TheworkalsogaveBarasthechancetowork

onsomethingthatwentstraightintoacommercial

product.

“ItwastremendoustoworkwithHughesbecause

wecouldtakeourtheoriesandimplementandtest

themrightaway,”saidBaras.“Wegottoinnovateand

gostraighttoindustry.

“Theprojectgaveusthetraditionalacademic

rewardsofpapersandresearch,butweweresolvinga

problempeoplethoughtcouldnotbedone.”

Over30paperswerepublishedasaresultof

theMIPSworkwithHughes,accordingtoBaras.

Hugheshasconducted15totalMIPSprojectswiththe

university.

FalknowchairstheInternetResearchTask

Force,whichpromotesresearchofimportanceto

theevolutionofthefutureInternet.Hehaschaired

theInternetEngineeringTaskForce(IETF)’sworking

groupsonTCPoverSatellite,PerformanceImplications

ofLinkCharacteristics,andDatagramCongestion

ControlProtocol.

www.hns.com

Other Successful Products MIPS Projects Have Contributed To

Company ProductRevenue/Sales

Martek

Biosciences

DHAandARA

nutritionaloils

$784.5million

MedImmune Synagis® $6billion

Black&Decker Bullet®Speed

TipMasonry

DrillBit

$21billion

(total2001-2005

PowerTools

andAccessories

sales)

ProfessorJohnBaras








MIPS Receives $1 Million funding IncreaseUp to 22 More Md. Companies, Faculty Could Benefit AnnuallyThe state of Maryland backed a high-

yield economic development initiative, the

Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS)

program, in 2006 with a $1 million funding

increase.

Theincreaseextendsthereachofaprogram

witha$12.1billioneconomicimpactonthe

Marylandeconomybyalmosttwofold.

MIPSselectsabout32researchprojectseach

yearteaminguniversityfacultywithMaryland

companiestodevelopcommercialproducts.The

approvedincreasenearlydoublestheprogram’s

$1.3millionannualbudget,enablingthesupport

ofupto22additionalprojectsyearly.

MIPShasasuccessfultrackrecordof

leveraginguniversityexpertisetohelpMaryland

companiesinnovateandbringtechnologiesto

market.

MartekBiosciences,HughesNetwork

Systems,MedImmuneInc.,andBlack&Decker—

eachhaveproductsthatbenefitedfromMIPS

projectswithMarylandfaculty.

MIPSsupportedMartekduringitsearly

stages,beforethecompanygeneratedover

$500millioninrevenuefromitspatented

Omega-3oils,whichappearinnearlyevery

majorinfantformulaproductintheU.S.

“Whenweweredevelopingtheorganism

thatmadeourprimaryproduct,wedidn’tknow

anythingaboutfermentation,andwedidn’t

havethenecessaryequipment,”saidHenry

LinsertJr.,Martek’sformerchairmanandchief

executiveofficer.“ThroughMIPS,wewere

abletoworkwiththeuniversity’sBioprocessScale-Up

Facilityanddeveloptheearly,small-scalefermentation

thatwelaterscaledupformakinghundredsand

millionsofdollarsofthisstuff.”

MIPS-developedtechnologieshavecontributed

toproductsgeneratingover$9.8billioninrevenue,

includingHughes’andMartek’sproducts,MedImmune’s

Synagis,alineofBlack&Decker’smasonrydrillbits,

andNavmarAppliedSciences’unmannedaerial

vehicles.

Annapolis-basedQuantumSailDesignGroup,

thenumbertwosailmakerintheworld,usesMIPS-

developedtechnologiesinnearlyallofitssails.

MIPShassupported512differentresearchprojects

teamingfacultywith345differentMarylandcompanies

since1987.Theprogramhasfundedjustunderhalfof

allproposalssubmitted.

MIPS’$26millioninfundingoverthattimeperiod

wasmatchedby$110millionincashandin-kind

contributionsfromMarylandcompanies—leveraging

theprogram’sresourcesbya5.2:1ratio.

Companiesofallsizesfrommanypartsofthestate

haveparticipated,ashavefacultyfromnearlyallofthe

UniversitySystemofMaryland’s13institutions.

MIPSprojectsarefundedtwiceyearly.

ProductscontainingMartek’sDHAomega-3fattyacid





Round �� MIPS ProjectsProjectscommencinginAugust,2006arelistedbelow.

University key:UMCP=UniversityofMaryland,College

Park;UMB=UniversityofMaryland,Baltimore;UMBC=

UniversityofMaryland,BaltimoreCounty;UMBI=University

ofMarylandBiotechnologyInstitute;UMCES=University

ofMarylandCenterforEnvironmentalScience;UMES=

UniversityofMarylandEasternShore.

�CLogic Inc. (Rockville):developingenterprise-level

productstomonitorandmanagethepeer-to-peer

(P2P)trafficusedbyInternettelephonyandSkypeon

computernetworks.

UniversityPI:Dr.NeilSpring,AssistantProfessor,

ComputerScience,UMCP.

ACAGI Inc. (frederick):buildingaportablevideo

camerasystemwithreal-timefacerecognition,aswell

aslivemarkingandindexingforimmediatearchival.

UniversityPI:Dr.RamaChellappa,Professor,UMIACS

andElectrical&ComputerEngineering,UMCP.

Alba Therapeutics Inc. (Baltimore):examining

approachesforenhancingoral,nasal,andpulmonary

drugdeliveryusingAlba’stight-junctiontechnology.

UniversityPI:Dr.JamesNataro,Professor,Pediatrics,

UMB.

Ariavax, Inc. (Gaithersburg):developinganovel

vaccineagainsturinarytractinfection,oneofthemost

commonbacterialinfectionsintheU.S.,affecting

nearlyoneinthreewomenbytheageof24.

UniversityPI:Dr.JamesNataro,Professor,Pediatrics,

UMB.

AviHome LLC (Hebron):engineeringaventilatedfloor

system,retrofittedtoexistingpoultryhouses,thatwill:

controlmoisturelevelsinthebedding;reduceammonia

emissions;inhibitbacteriagrowth,fungusandinsects;

andpreventnutrientseepageintogroundwater.More

than88,000poultryhousesoperateintheU.S.,with

5,430growerhousesintheDelmarvaPeninsulaalone.

UniversityPI:Dr.JeannieHarter-Dennis,Associate

Professor,Agriculture,UMES.

axonX LLC (Sparks):testinganew,video-based

smoke,flame,andmotiondetectionsystemtoprovide

earlywarningforfiresandfewerfalsealarms.

UniversityPI:Dr.JamesMilke,AssociateProfessor,Fire

ProtectionEngineering,UMCP.

BioAssessments LLC (Elkton):developingasystemto

monitoraperson’ssaltsensitivity,whichcanindicatean

increasedriskofcardiacproblemsandstroke.

UniversityPI:Dr.MandeepMehra,Professor,Medicine,

UMB.

Cardinal Scientific Inc. (Clinton):designingaWeb-

basedinterfaceformanufacturingpartsusingawater-

jetcuttingmachine.

UniersityPI:Dr.SatyandraK.Gupta,Associate

Professor,MechanicalEngineering,UMCP.

Green Eyes LLC (Easton):creatingadevicetoprotect

mooredwaterqualitysensorsfromtheimpairmentand

degradationcausedbythegrowthandactivityofliving

organisms(biofouling).

UniversityPI:Dr.LouisA.Codispoti,Research

Professor,UMCES.

InvisiTrack (Annapolis):buildingasystemfor

thepredictionandearlydetectionoflandslides.

InvisiTrack’swirelesssensingtechnology,whichisalso

applicabletoothermarkets,worksthroughconcrete

walls,foliage,anddensefogatover2,000feet,giving

itdistinctadvantagesoverGPSandRFID.

UniversityPI:Dr.TonyFarquhar,AssociateProfessor,

MechanicalEngineering,UMBC.

In vitro Technologies (Baltimore):optimizing

methodsforisolatingandpreservingfishlivercells

(hepatocytes),whichcanbeusedcommerciallytotest

theenvironmentaltoxicityofindustrialcompounds

suchasfertilizers,herbicides,andinsecticides.

UniversityPI:Dr.AndrewKane,Director,Aquatic

PathobiologyCenter,Epidemiology&Preventive

Medicine,UMB.

Lentigen Corporation (Baltimore):creatingnew

modelstotreatlung-baseddiseasessuchaslung

cancer,pneumonia,asthma,fibrosisandemphysema

usinglentiviralvectors,powerfulsystemsfordelivering

genesintomammaliancells.

UniversityPI:Dr.RicardoA.Feldman,Associate





axonX’svideo-basedsmoke,flame,andmotion

detectionsystem.

Professor,MicrobiologyandImmunology,UMB.

Neocera Inc. (Beltsville):prototypingtechniquesfor

fabricatingsuper-hard,hydrogen-free,diamond-like

carboncoatings.Thehigh-wear-resistant,low-friction,

corrosion-resistantcoatings

couldbeusedforengineand

machineparts,medicaland

opticaldevices,bearingsand

electronics.

UniversityPI:Dr.R.D.Vispute,

ResearchScientist,Centerfor

SuperconductivityResearch,

Physics,UMCP.

Nora LLC (Baltimore):

developingmanufacturing

andpurificationprotocolsfor

Nora’spatent-pendingtherapy

forrecurrentmiscarriagesand

repeatedinvitrofertilization

failures.

UniversityPI:Dr.JulienneMullaney,ResearchAssociate,

Biochemistry&MolecularBiology,UMB

Pervasive Technology Engineering, LLC (Greenbelt):

testingthecompany’snewlylaunchedfiberoptic

sensor,whichmeasuresminutechangesinacoustic

pressure.Thesensorscangaugethestructuralhealth

oflongbridges,tallandhistoricbuildings,oilandgas

pipes,andotherstructureswheresensordatahasto

travellongdistanceswithoutlosingsignalintegrityand

precision.

UniversityPI:Dr.AbhijitDasgupta,Professor,

MechanicalEngineering,UMCP.

Pharad LLC (Glen Burnie):optimizingPharad’s

portablesystemfordetectingconcealedweapons

onindividualsfromadistance.Thesystemcanbe

usedinavarietyofindoorandoutdoorenvironments,

includingairportconcoursesandpassengertrain

terminals,publicbuildings,stadiums,andretailcenters.

UniversityPI:Dr.K.J.RayLiu,Professor,Electrical&

ComputerEngineering,UMCP.

Prime Circuits Inc. (Potomac):developingfast,three-

dimensionalx-raybaggagescreeningsystemsto

detectexplosives.

UniversityPI:Dr.MartinPeckerar,Professor,Electrical&

ComputerEngineering,UMCP

Profectus BioSciences

Inc. (Baltimore):support

foraclinicalstudy

investigatingthepotentialof

immunomodulatingagentsin

earlyHIVtherapy.

UniversityPI:Dr.GeorgeLewis,

DivisionDirector,Vaccines,

UMBI/IHV,UMBI.

Promogen Inc.

(Gaithersburg):optimizing

Promogen’stechnologyto

producecancer-targeting

genepromoterstotreat

neuroblastomaandprostate

cancer.Cancer-targetinggenepromoterscanswitchon

genesincancercellstokillthem,whileleavinghealthy

cellsalone.

UniversityPI:Dr.DeanMann,Professor,Pathology,

UMB.

Quantum Molecular Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Bethesda):

developinganewradiationsensorthatcould

significantlyreducethesizeandcostofpositron

emissiontomography(PET)scanners.PETisanuclear

medicinemedicalimagingtechniquethatproducesa

three-dimensionalimageoffunctionalprocessesinthe

body.

UniversityPI:Dr.PamelaAbshire,Director,Integrated

BiomorphicInformationSystemsLab,Departmentof

ElectricalandComputerEngineeringandInstitutefor

SystemsResearch,UMCP.

vivaLac Inc. (Brookeville):evaluatingthelowcaloric

valueandglycemicindexroleofVivaLac’snatural,

alternativesweetener,WheyLow®.

UniversityPI:Dr.ThomasW.Castonguay,Professor,

Nutrition&FoodScience,UMCP.





K.J.RayLiu,professorintheDepartmentof

ElectricalandComputerEngineeringand

InstituteforSystemsResearch.

Security: It’s Still There…You Just Can’t See It UM, Pharad Developing System to Detect Weapons in Open Spaces Through MIPSBy Megan Hartley

Sick of leaving four hours before your flight

departs just to stand in a single-file security line?

PharadLLCisteamingwithClarkSchool

researchersinaMIPSprojecttofurtherdevelopits

weaponsdetectionsystem,whichscanspeoplefor

weaponsinopenspaces—suchasairport,train,or

subwayterminals—astheywalkby.

“Itisanalogoustoavideocamerainthesensethat

itconstantlyseesandmonitors

ascene,”saidPharadPresident

AustinFarnham.“Exceptits

eyesarewide-band,millimeter

wavesignals.”

Thesystememploysceiling

orwall-mountedsensors

thatsendoutradio-wave-

likesignalstoanalyzetheir

surroundings.Thesensorssend

datatoacomputersystem,

whichusesalgorithmstodetect

weapon“fingerprints”onthe

signals.

Whenguns,knives—oreventuallybombsand

explosives—aredetected,thesystemsendsanalertand

avideofeedtosecurity.

Dr.K.J.RayLiu,professorandassociatechairof

graduatestudiesandresearchintheDepartmentof

ElectricalandComputerEngineeringandInstitutefor

SystemsResearch,isworkingwithPharadtodevelop

thealgorithm.

“Thisisastate-of-the-artsignalprocessing

algorithmthatfirstdetectsifaweaponispresent,then

classifieswhatkindofweaponitis,”saidLiu.

Eachweapon

hasaunique

signaturedefined

byasetof

electromagnetic

resonancesthat

reflectdifferently

dependingonits

physicalmakeup.

Pharadistesting

variousweapons

todevelopa

signaturelibrary.

“Rightnowwearestillinthedevelopmentphases;

westillhavemorethanayearofdevelopmentwork

beforeitwillbeonthemarket,”saidFarnham.

Whiletheinitialsystemwilldetectconcealed

weapons,Pharadplanstoadd

signaturestofinddisguised

weapons,aswellasbombsand

explosives.

“Wecouldevendetect

somethinglikeagunintheshape

ofacellphone,”saidDr.Dalma

Novak,vice-presidentofPharad.

Theconcealedweapons

detectionequipmentmarketwill

benearly$10billionby2010,

accordingtotheHomeland

SecurityResearchCorp.The

DepartmentofHomelandSecurityrecentlygave

thecompanya$750,000PhaseTwoSmallBusiness

InnovationResearchGrant.BusinessWeekreportsthat

thereare300,000to400,000travelgatewaysinthe

U.S.andEuropealone,anumberthatcoulddoubleby

2010.

Pharadhopestoinstallitssysteminvenuessuchas

train,airportandbusstations,aswellasconvenience

storesandmalls.

Foundedin2003,Pharadsellsvariouswireless

sensors,communications,andantennaproducts.

www.pharad.com

ScreencaptureofPharad’sweapondetectionsoftware





Look Out fire...You’re on Camera axonX, University of Maryland to Validate Advanced Video Fire Detection SystemBy Megan Hartley

A hidden electrical wire shorts in an art gallery.

Smoke smolders and

a fire erupts under the

brushstrokes of Monet

and Manet. Before

the smoke can reach

the vaulted ceiling

to signal the smoke

detectors, countless

sensitive, irreplaceable

works are destroyed.

Thisisthefateof

manybuildingswhere

smokedetectorsfailto

senseafireandnotify

thefiredepartment

beforesignificant

damageoccurs.axonX

LLC,aSparks,Md.-based

company,planstoputanendtoravagingfiresby

teamingwiththeUniversityofMarylandtovalidateits

intelligentvideo-camerasystem,whichcanspotasmall

fireinlessthanfiveseconds.

axonX’sSigniFire™systemcandetectfire,smoke

andintrusioninstructuressuchaswarehouses,energy

plants,artgalleriesandhomes.Thecameraassesses

minutepixelchangeswithinitsthreedimensionalfield

ofview-occasionallyusingreflectionstogetaround

largeobjectsblockingthelineofsight-todetectfire

fasterandmoreaccuratelythananycurrentlyavailable

commercialproduct.

“It’stheonlyvideodetectionsystemthat

recognizesthebigthreedangers:smoke,fireand

intrusion,”saidGeorgePrivalov,chieftechnology

officerandfounder.“Iteliminatesmostnuisancealarms

becauseitactuallyseesthefireballandcoronaofa

blaze.Thecameraknowsit’safireratherthanalightor

hotsurface.”

ThecompanycametotheUniversityofMaryland

toworkwithJimMilke,associatechairandprofessorof

thedepartmentoffireprotectionengineering,through

aMarylandIndustrialPartnerships(MIPS)project.

ThiscollaborationwillhelpaxonXgetclassifiedasa

life-savingdevicebyUnderwritersLaboratories,as

wellasbyFactoryMutual,

aninsurancecompany

thattestsfireprotection

equipment.

Milkewillprovethe

camerasystem’sversatility

andprecisealgorithms

throughtestsinsimulated

dormrooms,aswellasa

possibletestinColeField

House,whichseats12,125.

“Thisisaleadingedge

technologyandasignificant

advancementinfire

detection,”saidMilke.“They

developedthedevice,and

wewillhelpthemproveits

capabilities.”

Thecamera’sfeedscanbesenttoanyremote

locationthathasinstalledaxonX’sSpyderGuard™

software,mostlikelyasecuritycompanysuchasADT,

who--whenafireoccurs--willgetanotificationofthe

fireaswellasastructuralplanofthebuilding.

TheNationalFireProtectionAssociationrecently

approvedvideosurveillancesystemsasaneffective

waytodetectfire,markingasignificantchangetoits

detectorcode.

AlthoughaxonXhasyettobeapprovedbyUL

andFM,variouscustomersarealreadyinstalling

SigniFire™’sgeneraleight-camerasystem,which

costsaround$20,000-halfasmuchassomeoftheir

competitors.Thesystemisscalabletofitanysizeand/

axonX’sSigniFireTMcameraforitsvideo-basedsmoke,flame,

andmotiondetectionsystem





orshapeofbuilding.

TheU.S.Navytested

SigniFire™withother

videoimageandspot-

typedetectionsystems,

andfoundthataxonX’s

technologywasfarmore

accurate.

Accordingtothe

concludingreportfrom

theNavalResearch

Laboratory’sAdvanced

DamageCountermeasures

VolumeSensorProject,

SigniFire™responded

fasterandtomorefires

thanalloftheothervideo

orspot-typedetection

systems.

“WehopetheU.S.NavyinstallsSigniFire™on

itsnewDestroyers,andGreatBritain’sRoyalNavyis

testingourproductrightnow,”saidLynch.

axonXisalsocollaboratingwith:Cameco,a

uraniumprocessingplant;aFamilyFunCenterin

Aberdeen,Md.;theMarylandGolfandCountryClub;

andChicago’sChildren’sHospital.

ThecompanyhasreceivedfundingfromJohnson

Controls,TEDCO,andangelinvestors.

AxonXreceivedtheWallStreetJournal2006

TechnologyInnovationAwardforSecurity(Facilities)

inSeptember.Thecompanywasselectedfrom

among600awardapplications.Winnerswerejudged

basedonwhetherthetechnologytrulyrepresentsa

breakthroughfromconventionalmethods,ratherthan

justanincrementalimprovement.

TheA.JamesClarkSchoolofEngineering’s

DepartmentofFireProtectionEngineeringistheonly

accreditedundergraduateprogram,andoneofonly

twograduateprogramsofitskindinthecountry.The

departmentcelebratedits50thanniversaryinOctober.

www.axonx.com

AssociateProfessorand

AssociateChairofFire

ProtectionEngineeringJim

Milke

Highlighted Current MIPS ProjectsFace Recognition

Frederick-basedACAGI

Inc.andRama Chellappa,a



Engineeringand

directoroftheCenterfor

AutomationResearch,arebuildingaportable

videocamerasystemwithreal-timeface

recognition,aswellaslivemarkingandindexing

forimmediatearchival.

Explosives DetectionPotomac-basedPrime Circuits

Inc.andMartin Peckerar,a



Engineering,aredevelopinga

fast,advanced,x-rayscreening

systemtodetectexplosivesin

baggageandlargecontainers.

Cleaner Poultry HousesHebron-basedAviHome LLC

andJeannie Harter-Dennis,

associateprofessorinthe

DepartmentofAgricultureat

theUniversityofMaryland,

EasternShore,areengineering

aventilatedfloorsystem,

retrofittedtoexistingpoultryhouses,thatwill

controlmoisturelevelsinthebedding,reduce

ammoniaemissions,inhibitbacteriagrowth,

fungusandinsects,andpreventnutrientseepage

intogroundwater.Over88,000poultryhouses

operateintheU.S.,with5,430growerhousesin

theDelmarvaPeninsulaalone.


Joint MTES/State Program wins National Pollution Prevention AwardMTESandtheMarylandDepartmentofthe

Environment(MDE)reveivedaMostValuable

PollutionPrevention(MVP2)Project/Program

AwardfromtheNationalPollutionPrevention

RoundtableinSeptember.

Theawardrecognizesthetwoentities’joint

EnvironmentalManagementSystem(EMS)

ImplementationAssistanceProgram,whichhas

assisted30MarylandcompaniesinadoptingEMS

programs.

Criteriafortheawardincludedprograminnovation,

measurableresults,transferability,commitment,

andoptimizationofavailableprojectresources.The

NationalPollutionPreventionRoundtablepresented

theawardaspartofNationalPollutionPrevention

Week.

TheMDE/MTESprogram,subsidizedbygrant

fundsfromtheU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency,

takesgroupsof3-5businessesatatimethroughEMS

implementation,fromstarttofinish,insixmonthsor

less.Whilesuchaservicecostscompanies$15,000

ormorethroughtheprivatesector,theMDE/MTES

programisfree.

“Maryland’sprogramwasatremendoushelp

forus,”saidReggiePrime,directorofenvironmental

affairsatCocaColaEnterprises.“We’renowina

positiontoprepareanEMStemplateforourother

bottlingfacilities,andwecouldn’thavedoneitwithout

thisprogram.IencourageotherMarylandbusinesses

totakeadvantageofthisvaluableservice.”

AnEMSprogramoffersasystematicapproachfor

organizationstobringenvironmentalconsiderations

intodecision-makingandday-to-dayoperations.Italso

establishesaframeworkfortracking,evaluatingand

communicatingenvironmentalperformance,aswellas

helpingtoensurethatmajorenvironmentalrisksand

liabilitiesareidentified,minimizedandmanaged.

TheMDE/MTESprogramworkswitheachgroup

ofcompaniesthroughfourworkshops,meetingwith

companieson-site8-12times,andofferingtechnical

assistancerangingfromidentifyingenvironmental

aspectsandpollutionpreventionopportunities

toestablishingreliablemeansofmonitoringand

measurement.Attheconclusion,thefacilityisoffered

afree,informalEMSaudit.

TheMDE/MTESprogramspendsan

averageof150hoursonsitewitheach

participatingcompany.

Manycompaniescompletingthe

MDE/MTESprogramelecttoapply

forISO14001certification,astandard

thathelpsorganizationsminimizehow

theiroperationsnegativelyaffectthe

environmentandcomplywithvarious

environmentalrequirements.

Fivecompaniesparticipatinginthe

programhavesincewonBusinessesfor

theBayAwards,giventocompaniesin

theChesapeakeBaywatershedachieving

pollutionpreventionsuccess.

PaulGietka,managerofthe

EnvironmentalEngineeringProgram

atMTES,providestechnicalassistance

Knowledge-based engineering, technical and management solutions for manufacturers

MTECH PartnershipsMTES

Maryland Technology Extension Service

Lefttoright,withtheMVP2award:MTES’JimSchaarsmith,MDE’sLaura

Armstrong,andMTES’PaulGietka.


toprogramcompaniesthroughpollutionprevention

assessments,measuringandmonitoring,and

environmentalcomplianceassistance—allofwhichhelp

companiesimprovethequalityoftheirEMS.

“Newgroupsarealwaysformingforcompanies

ofallsizes,”saidGietka.“Interestedcompaniesshould

contactMDEorMTEStoreserveaspotinthisfree,

provenprogram.”

P�’s Proactive Approach

EMSshelpfacilitiesbothstrengthentheir

environmentalcomplianceprogramandinstitutionalize

theconceptofpollutionpreventionthroughcompany

policiesandprocedures.P2offersaproactiveapproach

toenvironmentalmanagement,wherewasteisreduced

oreliminatedatthesource—ratherthanthrough

controlandtreatmenttechnology.Forinstance,

companieswithEMSsmusthaveenvironmentalpolicy

statementsthatincludeacommitmenttopreventing

pollution.Companiesarealsorequiredtoidentify

allenvironmentalimpacts,bothregulatedandnon-

regulated,andidentifyprojectsthataddressthese

impacts.

TheEMSprograminvolvesworkshops,on-site

meetingsandtechnicalassistance.Attheconclusion

ofthissix-monthprogram,anauditteamisavailable

tohelpassessthecompany’sEMS.Thereisnocostto

participateinthisvaluableprogram.

Formoreinformation,contactMTES’environmental

programmanager,PaulGietka,at410-706-3445,or

[email protected].

EMS Program Results30 Companies, Five Years

30Marylandcompanieshavemetthe

requirementsoftheglobalISO14001standard

forenvironmentalmanagementsystems

throughtheEMSProgram.

Cement manufacturer: undertookasuccessful

water-recyclingpilot,potentiallysaving17

milliongallonsperyearinwateruseand

discharge,saving$10,000-12,000/year

statewide.

Aerospace company:achieveda200-ton

reductionofsolidwastewithanassociated

annualcostsavingsof$90,000peryear,and

a600,000kilowattperyearenergyreduction,

saving$50,000peryear.Thisreduced1,200

poundsofcarbondioxideandotherair

emissionsfromenteringtheenvironment.

Bottling company:reducedelectricenergy

consumptionby7.5percent,reducedwater

consumptionby7.5percent,andsolidwaste

by10percent.

Automotive supplier: saved$150permonth

onhazardouswastereductionfrompaint

mixing,reducedsolidwasteby10percentand

saved$470onmonthlyenergycosts.

Aerospace manufacturer:increasedelectric

poweruseefficiencyandeliminatedtheuseof

chromatesbyreformulatngitsprimercoat.

food manufacturer:achieveda20percent

reductioninwastewater,5-10percent

reductioninwateruse,25percentreduction

(2,000lbs)inhazardouswaste,100,000

poundsinsolidwaste,anda10percent

reductioninenergyusage.MTES’JimSchaarsmithleadinganenvironmental

managementsystemtraining.





MTES Launches Continuous Innovation InitiativeNew Program Brings Innovation Processes to Small, Mid-Sized Manufacturing CompaniesToyota, Google and 3M don’t just get lucky with

market-shattering products. Instead, each of

these companies employs a vigorous business

model to stimulate constant innovation.

TheUniversityofMarylandaimstobringthese

typesofmodelstosmallandmid-sizedMaryland

manufacturersthroughanewprogramannouncedthis

summer.

TheContinuousInnovation

Initiative,partoftheA.JamesClark

SchoolofEngineering’sMaryland

TechnologyExtensionService,guides

companiesinestablishingrobust,

in-houseprocessestogenerate

perpetualinnovation.

“Acompany’ssuccessintoday’s

markethingesonitsabilityto

innovate,”saidDr.HerbertRabin,

associatedeanoftheClarkSchooland

directoroftheMarylandTechnology

EnterpriseInstitute.“Pointinnovation

isnotenough.Highlycompetitive

businessesintegrateprocesses

forcreatingideas—todelivernew

products,enternewmarkets,add

valueforcustomers,forgenew

partnerships,orincreaseproductivity.”

Meeting a NeedWithnearly40,000Maryland

manufacturingjobslostsince

2000,accordingtotheNational

AssociationofManufacturers—to

internationalcompetition,highcosts,

productivityimprovements,andthe

recentrecession—manyofthe4,300

manufacturingcompaniesinthestateshouldturn

toinnovationforacompetitiveedge,accordingto

AlEtheridge,manageroftheContinuousInnovation

Initiative.

“Ifyouarecompetingoncost,there’sa

goodchanceyou’lllosethebattletooverseas

manufacturing,”saidEtheridge.“Americancompanies

mustinnovatetostayahead.”

Nearly70percentofcompaniesciteglobalization

asamajorreasonfortheirapproachtoinnovation,

accordingtoaBostonConsultingGrouppoll

releasedinarecentissueofBusinessWeek.Thesame

percentageofcompaniesnamedinnovationasoneof

theirtopthreeprioritiesforthisyear.

“Ournationcannotaffordtoloseitsmanufacturing





innovationedgeandthewealththatitgenerates

throughoutoureconomy,”saidJerryJasinowski,

presidentofTheManufacturingInstitute,theresearch

andeducationarmoftheNationalAssociationof

Manufacturers.“Weneedprogramslikethistodevelop

humancapital,revitalizefundamentalresearchand

encourageproductivity-enhancinginvestments

inordertomaintainacriticalmassofproduction

andaviableinnovationprocessinthiscountry,”he

concluded.

How the Program worksCIIworkswithseveralcompaniesatatime,for

3-6months,leadingthemthroughafour-stepmodel

ofassessingcurrentinnovationpractices,aligning

resources,executing,andinstillingapermanentculture

ofinnovationintotheirbusinessenvironments.

“Beinginauniversity,we’reuniquelypositioned

tospreadknowledgeaboutestablishinginnovation

processes,”saidEtheridge.“We’renotguardingthe

secretsauce.We’llworkdiligentlytoshareitwithevery

companywecan.”

Overthepastfiveyears,companiesciting

commitmenttoinnovationhaveincreasedrevenues

byanaverageofalmost350percent,accordingtoa

recentsurveybyPricewaterhouseCoopers.

Thatsamebottomline,Etheridgesaid,isthefocus

ofCII:results.

www.mtes.org/innovation

“If you are competing on cost, there’s a good chance you’ll lose the battle to overseas manufacturing. American companies must innovate to stay ahead.”

—AlEtheridge,Continuous

InnovationInitiativeManager

Continuous Innovation Initiative Pilot

How CII Adds ValueCIIguidescompaniesthroughthefollowingprocess

forestablishingtheirownunique,sustainable

innovationprocesses.

ASSESS

CIIworkswithcompaniestoassesstheirexisting

innovationpracticesandchartsacoursefor

enhancingthem.

ALIGN

CIIleadscompaniesinaligningtheirresources

towardachievingtheirgoalsthroughinnovation.

EXECUTE

CIIguidescompaniesincreatingactionable,

measurablestepsforapplyingcontinuous

innovationthroughouttheirbusinesses.

INSTILL

CII’ssuccesshingesuponinstillingacultureof

innovationintoanorganization,enablingitto

continuouslyassess,alignandexecutetomeetthe

changingdemandsofbusiness.

Work with CII by calling Dr. Barry Frey, Director of

MTES, at 800.245.5810, or e-mail

[email protected].





ISO �000 Certification Helps USA fulfillment Instill Quality Throughout its BusinessQuality pervades nearly every aspect of USA

Fulfillment’s business, thanks in part to the MTES’

Maryland ISO 9000 Consortia, managed by Gene

Ritz.

TheChestertown-basedcompanyprovides

fulfillmentservicestonationalclientssuchasconsumer

goodsmanufacturers,cosmeticmanufacturers,and

otherbusinessesorassociationsthatsellproducts

usingUSAFulfillmentasa“silentpartner.”Those

servicesincludefulfillingcatalogandweb-based

orders,aswellaspremiumsandrebates.USA

Fulfillment’scustomersinclude,amongothers,

EsteèLauder,AffinionGroup,AmericanWellness,

Convergence,andNationalSafeKids.

With80full-timeandtenpart-timeemployees,

family-ownedUSAFulfillmentshippedbetween4-5

millionproductsforitscustomersin2006.

ThecompanycompletedMTES’18-monthISO9001

Consortiumprogram,aseriesofmonthlytrainings,

events,andon-siteconsultationsdesignedtohelp

companiesprepareforISOcertification.StanSanders,

USAFulfillment’sQualityCoordinator,ledtheeffortfor

thecompany.Sandersalsomanagesbothsecurityand

disasterrecoveryfunctionsforthecompany.

ISO9000isafamilyofstandardscreatedbythe

91-nationInternationalOrganizationofStandardization

(ISO),whichestablishesrequirementsforquality

managementsystems.Companiesconformingtothese

standardsqualifyforISO9000certification.Being

ISO9000certifiedmeansacompanyfollowsawell-

defined,process-basedmanagementsystemtoensure

thedeliveryofqualityproductsandservicestoits

customers.

MTES’ISOConsortiumprogramprovidedUSA

Fulfillmentwithdocumentationtemplatesforthe

company’squality

manual.Ritzalsoassisted

USAFulfillmentwith

on-sitesupportfor

documentationreviews,

internalauditingtraining,

andISOrequirements

interpretation.

However,Sanders

andtheentireUSA

Fulfillmentorganization

didtherealwork,

accordingtoRitz.

“HelpingUSAFulfillment

reachtheirgoalof

ISOcertificationwasarewardingexperienceforme

personally.Ican’tsayenoughabouttheleadershipof

Sandersandhisenthusiasmandcommitmenttothe

ISOeffort.”

“Hehelpedusunderstandwhatthebigscopewas

forworkingonourqualitymanagementsystemand

gettingthatintoaqualitymanual,”saidSanders.“He

helpedusrefinethingsthataremoreobscure.Withhis

background,hehelpedusunderstandwhatwasbehind

thestandardandwhatweweretryingtoachieve

throughit.”

USAFulfillmentleverageditsqualitymanagement

systemtoadvanceinmanyareas.

“Thereareinternalandexternalcomponents,”

saidSanders.Theobviousexternalcomponentisthat

becauseISO9000isrecognizedworldwide,it’sa

sellingpointwithclients.Sincewe’reanoutsourcing

agent,theycanmaintaintheirownqualitystandards

becausethey’rehiringapartnerthatisqualifiedand

focusedonquality.Theydon’thavetoauditusbecause

it’salreadybuiltintoourowncertification.It’sabig

benefittothosecompanies.

“Internally,itgivesusdisciplineinfollowingup

sothatwhenwemakeamistake,wecancorrectnot

onlythemistake,butalsoaddressitsrootcauses.

Oneofthewatchwordswehaveisthatwewant

mistakesnevertohappenagain.Butwedidn’thavea

USAFulfillment’swarehouse





formalframeworktodothatuntilweadoptedtheISO

9000standards—thingssuchasregularlyscheduled

managementreviewsandinternalauditing.Now,

whenwedoresearchonissuesthatcomeup,wehave

preventiveorcorrectiveactionplansinplace.There’sa

processtofollow,plusareviewprocessaspartofour

owninternalauditing.”

OnDecember8,2005,QMI,NorthAmerica’s

leadingmanagementsystemsregistrar,recommended

USAFulfillmenttoberegisteredfortheISO9001:2000

standardforquality.

“Everydepartmentinthecompanymadethis

prestigiousaccomplishmentpossible,”saidSanders.

“CompanypresidentandCEOShirleyMoorehaslong

hadadreamthatwewouldmoveintoournewhome[a

facilitythecompanymovedtoinAugust,2006]with

anISO9000bannerflyingproudlyoverthebuilding.”

USAFulfillment’sQualityManagementSystemwas

officiallycertifiedtoISO9001:2000inJanuary,2006.

“ISO9000istheworld’smostpopularand

widelyusedstandardforquality,”saidSanders.“The

certificationcoversallofourbusinessfunctionsand

reflectsourdeepcommitmenttoquality.”

OneofthemanypositiveaspectsofUSA

Fulfillment’sQualityManagementSystemlistedin

QMI’sCertificationAuditReportwas“Effortsat

continualimprovementofservicesandfacilitiesis

noteworthy.”

“Ourchallengenowistobuildonourquality

foundationbymakingmanymoreimprovementsinthe

future,”saidSanders.

USAFulfillment’squalitysystempolicyisto:

Deliverfulfillmentservicesthatexceedthe

expectationsofitsclients

Providetherightproductstotheright

customersattherighttime

Produceapositiveandprofitablefulfillment

experienceforallpartiesbyworkingtogether

Managebusinessfunctionsasprocessesand

continuallyimproveourQualityManagement

System

•

•

•

•

Ina2005report,USAFulfillmentciteda$100,000

increaseinsalesand$150,000inretainedsales,inpart

thankstoacquiringISOcertification.Thecompanyalso

citeda$230,000increaseininvestment.

ThebottomlineofISO9000certificationis

meetingyourcustomers’needsandmanagingyour

ownbusinessmoreeffectively,accordingtoRitz.

“Manycompanieshavenoformalmanagement

systematall,”saidRitz.“ISOrequiresyoutohavea

systemtomonitorandmeasureyourorganization’s

effectivenessandperformanceandfindwaysto

improve.Youevenhavetoshowimprovementto

maintainyourISOcertification—soyou’recontinually

improvingtoserveyourcustomersandgrowyour

business.”

www.usafill.com

USAFulfillmentPresidentandCEOShirleyMoore

USAFulfillmentwarehouse,upper-leftcorner,andnewfacility

inChestertown





SuperArray Offers New Gene Testing format with MTES’ AssistanceCompany, MTES Co-Design New ProductBy Megan Hartley

Frederick-basedSuperArrayBioscience

Corporation,whichdevelopsand

manufacturesgeneexpression

microarraysforbiomedicalresearch,wantedto

makegenetestingeasierandmoreefficientfor

customersusingitsmicroarrays.

Previously,government,universitylaboratory,and

pharmaceuticalcustomerswerelimitedtoasingle

arrayprocessingtubethatrequiredmanytedious

steps.

SuperArraycontactedtheMarylandTechnology

ExtensionService(MTES)—whichpreviouslyhelped

thecompanyexpanditsmanufacturingfacilityand

doubleinsize—forassistance.

MTES’GeneTaylorworkedwithSuperArrayVice

PresidentDr.SeanYu,SeniorScientistRayBlanchard,

andDanAlperofStraussCo.,tocreatetheGEArray

ExpressHybplate—acompartment-sealedchamber

enablingeight,simple,speedy,simultaneousarray

tests.

“Wetookitasachallenge,”saidTaylor.“Whenyou

firstlookatityouthink‘wellthat’ssimple,’butwhen

yougetintoitandseeallthevariablesit’sanything

butsimple.”

TaylorandAlperworkedwithcompanyscientists

onthedesignoftheHybplateandplateseal,

attemptingtocreateaproductsolutionthatwas

technologicallysound,easytouseandrelatively

cheap.YuandBlanchardhelpedwiththebiological

aspectsoftheprototypes,providingknowledgeasto

howreagentsandsolutionswouldreactwithdifferent

materials.

Afteraperiodof2-3monthsandtheevaluation

ofvariousprototypes,theteamsettledonaneight-

compartment,foil-sealedchamber.

Oneofthemostimportantpartsofthenewdevice

istheuser-friendlyseal.Ithasthreelayers—backing,

adhesiveandfoil—thatconsolidateintoonematerial.

Itiseffortlesslypeeledfromthebackingpaperand

placedonarectangularboxwitheightdifferent

sections.Theadhesivemoldsaroundtheouteredgeof

eachsectionpreventingreactionsfromcontaminating

oneanother.

Differentreagentsandsolutionscanbeadded

throughpipettepenetrationofthefoil,aprocess

considerablyeasierthantheopening/closingascrew

caprequiredbytheoldertubes.

ThesealsdevelopedbyTaylorweren’tjust

effective,buttheywerealsocost-efficient—requiring

lessthanonedollarperunit—notincludingthecost

oftooling.“Wecameupwithsomegreatideasbut

ifyou’regoingtopayfivedollarsapieceforit,itjust

doesn’tmakesense,”saidTaylor.

Customerscanpurchaseachamberspecificto

theirareaofstudyfor$60to$300perarray.The

HybPlate’sareequippedforgenetestinginhumans,

SuperArray’sfacilityinFrederick





miceorratsandstudyingailmentsrangingfrom

cancertoheartdisease.

CustomerscouldpurchaseaHybplatewitheight

coordinatingarraysforbetween$480to$2,400

dollars,givingthemconvenienceforlesscost,and

higherrevenueforSuperArray.

SuperArraysellsitsproductstocustomersin20

differentcountriesrangingfromAustraliatoEuropeto

Asia.

“Wearetheonlycompanywhooffersanextensive

listofdifferentapplications,”saidDr.Yu.“Wewill

graduallysellallourproductsinthe[compartment]

Hybplates.”

www.superarray.com

Eight-compartment,foil-sealedchamberforgeneexpression

microarraysdesignedbyMTESforSuperArray.

Thermoshakerwithchamberinstalled.

ChamberbeingplacedintoaThermoshaker,whichcan

processupto32arraysinoneday.

MTES SuperArray Project Results

$200,000in

increasedsales

annually

$200,000inretained

salesannually

$20,000inlaborcost

savingsannually

$3,000increased

equipmentinvestment

Retentionofonefull-

timeemployee

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MTES ASSISTED MANUfACTURES IN:Increasing sales by $�0.� million

Retaining sales of $60.1 million

Saving in costs $6.� million

Saving on investments made by $�.� million

Avoiding unnecessary investments of $�.1 million

Increasing investments, plants or equipment by $1�.1 million

Creating or retaining jobs �16 employees

MTES Six-Year Impact: $11�.6 MillionThefollowingtableshowsMTES’six-yeareconomicimpactonMarylandmanufacturers.Thedataisbasedupon

surveysofMTESclientsfromJanuary2000throughJune2006bytheNationalInstituteofStandardsand

TechnologyManufacturingExtensionPartnership.

�006 MTES ISO 1�001 Consortia MembersMTES,inconjunctionwiththeMarylandDepartment

oftheEnvironment(MDE)throughaU.S.

EnvironmentalProtectionAgencygrant,assistedthe

followingcompaniesinimplementingenvironmental

managementsystemsbasedontheISO14001global

standard.Businessesparticipateingroupsoffour

orfive.Environmentalmanagementsystems(EMSs)

helporganizationssystematicallyidentify,measure,

andmanagetheirregulatedaswellasunregulated

environmentalimpacts.

LorchMicrowaveStandardRegisterL3BAIAero-SystemsWashingtonMetropolitanTransportationAuthorityFreedomElectronicsRecyclingGeneralDynamicsRoboticsSystemsCocaCola–Baltimore

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�006 MTES ISO �000 Consortia MembersTheMarylandISOConsortiumprogramhelpsMaryland

companiesimprovetheirinternaloperations;establish,

maintain,and/orexpandtheirsupplierstatuswithU.S.

companiesandfederalagencies;andimprovetheir

competitivenessindomesticandinternationalmarkets.

EachConsortium,typicallylasting12-14months,

includescomprehensivetrainingeventscoveringall

aspectsofimplementinganISO9000-conforming

systemintoanorganization.Companiesparticipatingin

ISO9000Consortiumtraininigin2006include:

AmericanNursesCredentialingCenterAppliedQualityCommunicationsAscellonCorporationCamtecCOLACrownConsultingDataSolutions&TechnologyDeltaEngineeringDignaMachinesDiversifiedInternationalSciencesEagleSystemsEnergyEnterpriseSolutionsEnvironmentalEng&ConstructionERT,Inc.ExceedCorporationJEMEngineeringJohnsHopkinsAppliedPhysicsLaboratoryJonySolutions

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LivantaM.S.WillettMillenniumEngineeringandIntegrationNetcoGovernmentServicesPlexusComGroupReactiveNanoTechnologiesStrategicApplications&TechnologiesInc.TriTechEnterpriseSystemsWoodConsultingVisionSystems&Technology

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311GarageAAICorp.AdvantEdgeAGNIK,LLCAirProducts&ChemicalsAlcore,Inc.ARCONWelding,LLCATKElkton,LLCAtlanticCoatingsAviHomeLLCBAIAerosystems,Inc.BaltimoreShippingTechnologies,LLCBel-ArtProducts,Inc.BlueSquareEnergyBSCOIncorporatedCambrexBioScienceWalkersville,Inc.CardinalScientific,Inc.CecilCountyDepartmentofHealthCecilCountyPlanning&ZoningCentralPrecision,Inc.ChesapeakeFinishedMetalsChicagoMetallicCorporationCITechnologiesClosetFactoryCocaColaEnterprises,BaltimorePlantColonialMetalsCrabPlaceCreaFillFibersCorp.CustomDirect,LLCDataStreamContentSolutionsDeesFluidPowerDelectableDessertsDenkmeierOptical,Inc.EAICorporationEasternPlatingExceedCorporationFalconSystemsEngineeringCorp.FiltronicComtek,Inc.FreedomElectronicsRecycling,Inc.GamseLithographingCompany,Inc.GeneralDynamicsRoboticsSystemsGoodHumor-Breyer’sIceCream,Inc./UnileverFoodsNorthAmericaGortonMerrick,Inc.GreenEyes,LLCGrizzlyServices,LLCH.R.NicholsonHanoverFoodsCorporationHappyHoppersHeidtmanSteelProducts,IncIcey-TekUSAIlexWoodworkingJEMEngineeringK&LMicrowave,Inc.K.NealInternationalTrucks,IncKopflex

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L.GordonPackagingLaMotteCo.,Inc.LenderKingLifeScienceProducts,Inc.LockeInsulatorLorchMicrowaveM.S.Willett,Inc.MarquipWardUnitedMarylandChemicalCompanyMarylandThermoformMedifastMedimmune,FrederickMidasco,Inc.MillenniumEngineeringandIntegrationNextDayBlindsNovaTech,LLCOptelecom,NKFOrionSafetyProductsRampfMoldsIndustries,Inc.ReactiveNanoTechnologies,Inc.REICOKitchens&BathRocklandMachine,LLCROITechnologiesRubbersetCompanySaftAmerica,Inc.SchoenbauerFurnitureStrippingSchroederIndustries,LLCSEMicroShastaBeverageSolidTops,LLCSpace,Ltd.StandardRegisterCo.StoneIndustrialStressIndicators,Inc.StructuralSystems,Inc.STX,Inc.SuperArrayBioscienceCorporationTanglewoodConservatories,Ltd.TechnigraphicsofMaryland,Inc.TeledyneBrownEngineeringEnergySystemsTruGamerz,LLCTRXSystems,Inc.TulkoffFoodProducts,Inc.U.S.BulletProofingUniversalForestProductsVictorGraphicsVictoryRacingPlateCo.WarnerAir,LLCWashingtonMetroAreaTransitAuthorityWillStandifordWilliamT.Burnett&CompanyYASPhotonics

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�006 MTES Clients (10� Total)





BSf Supports Biofactura in Developing Smallpox TherapeuticByMeganHartley

BioFacturaInc.isdevelopingatherapyforsmallpox

usingtheUniversityofMaryland’sBioprocessScale-Up

Facility(BSF).

TheRockville-basedcompanyiscollaborating

withFortDetrickinthelaboratoriesoftheU.S.Army

MedicalResearchInstituteofInfectiousDiseases,in

hopesofcommercializingaproductwithinfouryears.

BioFacturawillusetheBSFtofindthebestwayto

manufacturethedrugatalargescale.

“TheBSFhasstate-of-the-artequipment,”said

BioFactura’spresidentandCEODarrylSampey.“The

valueforpriceisunsurpassed,whichiscritically

importantforasmallcompanywithlimitedfunds.”

Smallpox,characterizedbyarashoflesions,killed

anestimated300millionpeopleinthetwentieth

centuryalonebeforeitwasdeclaredglobally

eradicatedin1980.Thegovernmenthaslabeledthe

diseasea“CategoryA”agent—presentingthe“greatest

potentialthreatforharmingpublichealth,”accordingto

theCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.

Thevirus,transmittedbycontactorthroughthe

air,cansurviveindust,beddingandclothing,even

travelingthroughairducts.“Althoughanthraxproved

tobeadeadlybioterroragent,asmallpoxattackcould

bedevastating,”saidSampey.

Sinceroutinevaccinationsforchildrenwere

discontinuedin1972andstudieshaveshownthe

vaccineislesseffectiveafterfiveyears,theAmerican

populationishighlyvulnerabletothevirus.Thethreat

ofthisagentinthehandsofterroristshascausedthe

governmenttopourfundsintodevelopingnew,safer

vaccines.Aneffectivetherapywouldbeofgreater

benefit.

BioFacturawasawarded$730,000inPhaseII

fundinginJulyfromtheU.S.DepartmentofDefense

throughitsSBIRprogram,tosupportpre-clinical

efficacystudiesofBioFactura’ssmallpoxtherapeutic.

Thechallengestudieswilldemonstrate

prophylacticandtherapeuticeffectivenessofthis

biodefensecountermeasureandwillleadtoPhaseI

clinicalsafetytrials.Thepre-clinicalstudieswillbe

performedatthebiocontainmentlaboratoriesatFt.

Detrick,Md.,incollaborationwithateamofscientists

fromtheU.S.ArmyMedicalResearchInstituteof

InfectiousDisease(USAMRIID).

“Thissignificantfollow-onawardhighlightsthe

U.S.GovernmentsupportofBioFactura’ssmallpox

biodefenseprogram.ThefundingwillallowBioFactura

tomakeamajorsteptowardsitsgoaltoprovidea

smallpoxtherapeuticforbothmilitaryandcivilian

defense,”saidSampey.

www.biofactura.com

Bioprocess scale-up and research, downstream processing, courses and workforce training

MTECH PartnershipsBREP

Bioprocessing Research and Education Program

“The BSf has state-of-the-art equipment,” said Biofactura’s president and CEO Darryl Sampey. “The value for price is unsurpassed, which is critically important for a small company with limited funds.”

—DarrylSampey,PresidentandCEO,BioFactura



MTECH PartnershipsBREP

Bioprocessing Research and Education Program

�006 Industrial and Academic Research Projects

AdvancedBioNutrition

AdvanceBioscienceLabs

DepartmentofAnimalSciences

AFGBiosolutions

BioFactura

BostonLifeSciences

DepartmentofEntericInfections,WalterReedArmy

InstituteofResearch

Ghandehari,Hamid,CenterforNanomedicine,

DepartmentofPharmaceuticalSciences,UMB

Hutcheson,Steve,Dept.ofCellBiologyandMolecular

Genetics

IntelliTECH

Lo,Martin,Dept.ofNutritionandFoodScience

Meng,Jianghong,Dept.ofNutritionandFoodScience

NIH

NovaBiomedical

OmniaBiologics

ParagonBioservices

ProteinPolymer/NIH

ProteinTherapeutics

Tsai,W.,NAIMS,NIH

Vakharia,VikramN.,CenterforAdvancedResearchin

Biotechnology

�006 BSf ToursAnnapolisMen’sClub

CIAUniversity

CommunityCollegeofBaltimoreCounty

DiscoveringEngineeringattheUniversityofMaryland,

ClarkSchoolofEngineering

ExploringEngineeringattheUniversityofMaryland,

WomeninEngineering

ESTEEMResearchMentoringProgram,Centerfor

MinoritiesinScienceandEngineering

MinkonBiotechnology

PrinceGeorge’sCo.DBED

SAIC

SteppingStonestoYourFutureProgram,Womenin

Engineering

SummerBridgeProgram,CenterforMinoritiesin

ScienceandEngineering

SummerEngineeringOutreachStudents

YoungWomeninEngineeringTour

WashingtonSecurityGroup:Providedathreeday,

hands-onsiteinspectiontrainingforDoDbiochemical

inspectors.TheBSFsimulatedarealinspection

scenario.

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workforce Training/workshops

DownstreamProcessing,Protein

PurificationandFermentation:Five

dayworkshop,includingatwo-day

fermentationworkshopfollowedbyathree-

daydownstreamworkshop.

MedImmunepersonneltraining;130of

MedImmune’semployeeshavecompleted

theBREPtrainingprogram.

“SpecialTopicsinBioengineering—

undergraduateclasswherestudents

workthroughaproductioncampaign,

fromexpressionsystemtovialed

proteinproduct,providingavaluablefor

studentsinterestedinthegrowingfieldof

biopharmaceuticalproduction.

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Downstream Processing, Protein Purification and Fermentation Workhop photos



BREPBioprocessing Research and Education Program

feature BSf Client: Zymetis, Inc.Company’s Technology May Hold Key to Economically Efficient Ethanol ProductionZymetis Inc., a company whose technology

may make inexpensive ethanol production a

reality, is scaling up its product through the

Bioprocess Scale-Up Facility.

FoundedbySteveHutcheson,aprofessor

intheDepartmentofCellBiologyandMolecular

Genetics,Zymetisisdevelopingenzymesand

enzymeproductsthatbreakdownplantmaterial

intoitsconstituentsugars—which,inturn,can

easilybeconvertedintofuel-gradeethanol.

“TheBSFishelpingusestablishinitialgrowth

parametersforourbacterium,aswellasoptimizethe

productionofourenzymes,”saidHutcheson.

TheBSFspecializesinpreparingbench-toporlab-

producedbiologicalsformassproduction.

Abiologicalproduct’scommercialpotentialcan

hinge—bothtechnicallyandeconomically—onthe

abillitytoaccuratelyandefficientlymanufactureitatat

largescale.

“OurgoalistoprepareZymetisforasmooth

transitiontoalarge-scaleproductionfacility,”said

BenWoodard,directoroftheBSF.“This,likemany

ofourprojects,requiresalterationsormodifications

thatproveprincipleandconceptwhileincreasing

productyieldsandefficiencies.Expensesforentering

productioncanexceed$100,000perday,soitis

criticalforustooptimizeZymetis’sprocesseswhilethe

companyisstillhere.”

IfZymetisissuccessful,itcouldrevolutionizethe

fuelindustrywithacompellingalternativetocorn

ethanol.

Thecompany’sinitialproduct,Ethazyme™,isa

proprietarymixtureofenzymesthatbreakscellulose

andothercellpolymersfoundinplantsintoglucose

andotherfermentablesugars.

Zymetisistargettingthe“biomass”marketas

apotentialsourceforethanol.Biomassbroadly

encompassesthevastsupplyofplantmaterialfound

ingrasses,forestryproducts,andagriculturalwaste

productssuchascornstover.

Sugarfermentedfrombiomasssourcesisknown

asBioEthanol.BioEthanolishighlydesirablenot

onlybecauseofitsenergycontent,butalsobecause

itisconsideredtheonlycarbon-neutralformof

transporationfuelonthehorizon.

Zymetisprojectsthattopsourcesofbiomass

couldyieldenoughBioEthanoltomeet100percentof

currentU.S.fuelneeds.

Thecompany’suniqueintellectualpropertywas

developedattheUniversityofMarylandthrough

theeffortsofHutchesonandRonWeiner,professor

emeritusintheCollegeofLifeSciences,andislicensed

exclusivelytoZymetis.

ZymetisrecentlyjoinedMTECH’s

VentureAcceleratorProgram,whichisworkingwith

Hutchesontodefinebusinessprocessesthatwillguide

thecompanytowardssuccessfulcommercialization.

www.zymetis.com

BioprocessScale-UpFacilityDirectorBenWoodard,left,andDr.Steve

Hutcheson,founderofZymetisandprofessorintheDepartmentof

CellBiologyandMolecularGenetics.


Life-Saving Technology Company Joins MTECH’s Technology ventures BuildingBy Megan Hartley

A company with the technology to save 1/4

million lives a year is the first to join the Maryland

Technology Ventures Building (TVB), part of M

Square, the university’s research park for science

and technology companies.

MXFTechnologies,whichmovedintothebuilding

inJanuary,hasdevelopedamulti-energyX-raythat

improvescontrastsignificantly.Thecoretechnologyis

aninexpensivefilterthatcanbeappliedtocurrentX-

raymachinesandpenetratesthedifferenttissuesina

woman’sbreastsimultaneouslywithlowerradiation.

“Thisisanext-generationmedicaltechnology,”

saidDr.YongCho,chiefexecutiveofficerofMXF

Technologies.“Today’stechnologycanbecompared

toaflashlight,nowweareusingalighthouse.”

Thenameofthecompanystemsfromthesingle-

wavelengthMonochromaticx-raysproducedbythe

filter,likeanx-raylaser.Thisstrongyetlessharmful

x-rayisidealforthedensetissueofyoungerwomen,

andtheenergylevelcanbeselectedtomatchbreast

density.

“Thefilterissimilartoacrystalthat’sexposedto

whitelight,itseparatesoutthedifferentcolors,just

liketheenergylevelsintheX-ray.TheseKeVlevels

havedifferenttissuespecificities,”saidMichaelChamp,

executivevicepresident.

Currentmammogramsworkonly40-50percent

ofthetimebecausetheyareunabletopenetrate

thedensebreasttissueofwomenwithleanbreasts,

includingmostwomenunder50.In2003theAmerican

CancerSocietylowereditsagerecommendationto40

forwomentobeginannualmammograms.

“Breastcancerinyoungwomenismore

aggressive,becausethecellsdividefaster,”saidRose

Bechtel,ChairoftheBreastCancerActionNova

Scotia.“Theolderyou

arethebetteryour

chancesofsurviving.”

However,breast

cancerisnotthe

onlyapplicationfor

themonochromatic

x-ray.Eventually,

itcouldreplaceall

polychromaticx-rays,

becomingthenew

industrystandard.The

UniversityofVirginia

MedicalSchooland

theMayoClinicare

alreadyusingMXF’s

technologyformedical

research.MXFis

currentlydesigningand

producinghighX-ray

energylevelMXFFilters

toproducespectral

signaturesofmaterials

forthedetectionandidentificationofliquidandsolid

explosivesatentrycheckpointsinhandcarryon,bags,

backpacks,luggage,etc.

TheTVBmanagedbytheMarylandTechnology

EnterpriseInstitute,isthefirstcommercialspaceto

emergeinMSquare.The49,480-squarefootoffice

building,withtwoclass-1,000cleanrooms,offersakey

locationforMXFTechnologies.

MXFisindiscussionwithSeoulNational

UniversityMedicalSchooltoconductpre-clinical

trialsforusingmulti-spectralX-rayimaginginmedical

applications.MXFalsohasOEMDemonstration

Projectswith:ImagingScienceInternationalin

Pennsylvania(Orthodontal/HeadCT);BoneDensity

inMassachusetts(Hologic,Inc.);NDT(QA/QC)for

ElectricCircuitsinKorea(LGElectronics);andMulti-

spectralDetectors(Hamamatsu)inNewJersey.

www.mxftech.com

MTECH

Accelerating technology entrepreneurship and leveraging university resources for companies

www.mtech.umd.edu

Pictured,top,anormalX-ray.Thesecond

twoshowvariationsofhowMXFtunes

monochromaticX-rayoutputtodifferent

energylevels(keV)tooptimizeX-ray

imagesfortissuespecificitytoproduce

thebestimage—thefishclosesttothe

bottom.


Nine Organizations Apply for �006 Maryland Performance Excellence AwardsNine Maryland organizations have

applied for the 2006 Maryland

Performance Excellence Awards, which

are given each year to honor quality,

productivity and business achievements

as measured through the National

Institute of Standards and Technology’s

Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence.

Applicantsarejudgedby66volunteerexaminers,

whodonateasmanyas100hoursoftimetoassess

eachpotentialwinnerbasedupontheBaldrigeCriteria.

Nineteammentorsarealsovolunteeringtheirtime

tojudgetheninegroupsofexaminersassignedto

eachapplicant,asarenineexaminertrainersand35

newexaminermentors.

Winnerswillbeannouncedatthisyear’sMPEA

ConferenceandAwardsCeremony,tobeheldon

March12,2007,intheStampStudentUnionatthe

UniversityofMaryland.Theconferencewillinclude:

MorningPresentationsbyBaldrigeNational

QualityAwardRecipients

LuncheonwithU.S.Senators,Universityof

MarylandPresident,andStateleaders

Presentationofthe2006MPEAAwards,

includingtheU.S.SenateProductivityAward

andMarylandQualityAwards

AfternoonbreakoutsessionswithBaldrige

AwardRecipients

Lastyear’sawardwinnerswere:Delmarva

FoundationforMedicalCare(U.S.SenateProductivity

Award);ReedersMemorialHome(SilverMaryland

QualityAward);QueenAnne’sCountyPublic

Schools(BronzeMarylandQualityAward),andLorch

Microwave(CertificateofRecognition).

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MTECH Partnerships

U.S. Senate Productivity and Maryland Quality Awards

MPEAMaryland Performance Excellence Awards


�006 ASPIRE ProjectsTheASPIREProgram,shortfor“AScholarsProgram

forIndustry-OrientedResearchinEngineering,”

awardedthefollowingresearchprojectsduring2006.

Eachprojectteamedundergraduatestudentswith

facultyforresearchrelevanttoindustry.Students

receivedastipend,whichwasjointlyfundedbyboth

MTECHandsponsoringfacultymembers.

Spring 2006

Reversed Wormlike Micelles as Particle Dispersion Container;Yi-EnHuang(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).Light Induced Changes in Rheological Properties of Self-Assembled Systems;PatrickElder(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).Small Scale Potential of Biological Water Reclamation;BenMargolis(student);PatrickKangas(faculty).Algorithms for Data Compression and Secret Key Design;ArnabChoudhry(student);PrakashNarayan(faculty).Chitosan Microcapsules for Drug Delivery;RobertJosephBender(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).Robotic Design;WilliamLee(student);GilmerBlankenship(faculty).Osteoprogenitor Cell Attachment to a Novel Material for Palate Reconstruction;DafnaKesselman(student);JohnFisher(faculty).Development of Degradable Polymers for Hernia Repair;EveRubenstein(student);JohnFisher(faculty).Improvement of Suspension System of An Ambulance Stretcher;JessicaSpires(student);YangTao(faculty).Synthesis of Stimuli Responsive Hydrogels;AlexanderNowodazkij(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).Potable Water Filtration System for Rural Areas;NeftalemNegussi,OluwafunkeAdeyemo,SupreetRekhi,andB.Yohannes-Kassahun(students);AdelShirmohammadi(faculty).BioFridge: Self-Sanitizing Portable Hybrid Refrigerator;SarahAhmed,CliveButler,JosephDietrich,TayHua,RoshanKarunamuni(students);HubertMontas(faculty).Personal Flotation Device that Delays Onset of Hypothermia;SuzanneFrentz,DavidHwang,KristinKirk,DarrenLiang,EveRubenstein(students);AdelShirmohammadi(faculty).

Summer 2006

Flow and Fire Retardance Properties of Polymer Nanocomposites;GaryCheng(student);Srinivasa

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Raghavan(faculty).Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Recognition of Biologically Active Substances;MatthewJ.Getz(student);PeterKofinas(faculty).Aerosolization Studies of Vesicles with Applications to Vaccine Delivery;AndreaGray(student);SherylEhrman(faculty).Experimental and Modeling Studies of Oxide Nanoparticles;SicongHou(student);SherylEhrman(faculty).Increasing the Miscibility of EHD with PEGDA Using Lecithin, L-a-Phosphatidylcholine, as a Surfactant;ParthModi(student);JohnFisher(faculty).Characterization of Stimuli Responsive Hydrogels;AlexanderNowodazkij(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).Characterization of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) for BioMEMS Applications; Imran Shamim (student);RezaGhodssi(faculty).Development of Optic Sensor-Based Force Measurement System to Study Kinetics of Human Movements in MEG and fMRI;Seong-JinSeonwoo(student);JaeKunShim(faculty).

Fall 2006

Absorption of Charged Species by Nanocomposite Hydrogels;AlexanderSalimian(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).Virus Traps—Engineering substrates with Polymer Films;TimonWanga(student);HelimAranda-Espinoza(faculty).Neutron Flux Measurement Using Gold Foils;MichaelFigueroa(student);MohammadAl-Sheikly(faculty).Molecularly Imprinted Polymers For Recognition of Biologically Active Substances;MatthewJ.Getz(student);PeterKofinas(faculty).Block Copolymer Nanoarchitectures for Radio Frequency Applications;SamuelJ.Lopez(student);Dr.PeterKofinas(faculty).Metal-Doped Block Copolymer Films for Electromagnetic Applications;JoshuaSilverstein(student);PeterKofinas(faculty).Reverse Aggregates Induced by Multivalent Ions;Yi-EnHuang(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).Optical Measurements for Sensing and Communications;DmitriyFotiyev(student);ChristopherC.Davis(faculty).Hybrid Microcapsules For Targeted Drug Delivery;GabrielleC.Galvez(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).The Self-Assembly of Certain Diacetylene Surfactants Into Helical Tubules;AdeebRaziuddin(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).Light-Induced Changes in Rheological Properties of Self-Assembled Systems;PatrickElder(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).RelationshipBetweentheFlowandFire-RetardantPropertiesofPolymer-ClayNanocomposites;GaryCheng(student);SrinivasaRaghavan(faculty).

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Research teaming faculty with undergraduates for projects with commercial potential

ASPIREA Scholars Program for Industry-Oriented Research in Engineering

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 10

College Park, MD

A. James Clark School of EngineeringUniversity of MarylandCollege Park, MD 20742-3415

www.mtech.umd.edu

MTECH Partnerships (www.partners.umd.edu)MTECHPartnershipsleveragesuniversityresourcestodrivegrowthincompaniescommittedtoadvancingtechnologyinMaryland.TheseresourcesincludeR&Dfunding,manufacturingsolutions,contractbio-processing,andperformanceexcellenceawards.

Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS):AcceleratesthetechnologyeconomyinMarylandbyjointlyfundingcollaborativeR&DprojectsbetweencompaniesandUniversitySystemofMarylandfacultytodevelopcommercialproducts.www.mips.umd.edu

Bioprocessing Research and Education Program:Providesbiotechnologycompaniesandprofessionalswithlow-costbioprocessscale-upandresearch,aswellasdownstreamprocessing,coursesandworkforcetraining.www.bio.umd.edu

Maryland Technology Extension Service (MTES):EnhancesthecompetitivenessofMarylandmanufacturersbyprovidingsolutionsandbestpractices,aswellasoptimization,implementation,andinnovationassistance.www.mtes.org

A Scholars Program for Industry-Oriented Research in Engineering (ASPIRE):Co-fundsresearchteamingfacultywithundergraduatestudentsforprojectswithpotentialcommercialapplications.www.aspire.umd.edu

Maryland Performance Excellence Awards:Measuresandrecognizesquality,productivityandperformanceexcellenceinorganizationsbypresentingtheU.S.SenateProductivityAwardandMarylandQualityAwards.www.mpea.umd.edu

MTECH ventures (www.ventures.umd.edu)MTECHVenturesprovidesentrepreneurshipeducationtotechnologycreatorsanddeliversaportfolioofservicesandresourcestoentrepreneurscommittedtobridgingthegapbetweentechnicalideasandviableventures.

Venture Creation

Technology Advancement Program (TAP):Leadingventureincubatorforearlystagetechnologycompanies.www.tap.umd.edu

ventureAccelerator Program:Intense,hands-onassistancetoguidefacultyandstudentsinlaunchingnewtechnologyventures.www.va.umd.edu

Entrepreneurship Education

Hinman CEOs Program:Award-winning,living-learningentrepreneurshipprogramforundergraduates.www.hinmanceos.umd.edu

University of Maryland $�0k Business Plan Competition:Mentoringandprizesforfaculty,students,andrecentalumni.www.bpc.umd.edu

University of Maryland Technology Start-Up Boot Camp:Comprehensive,one-dayworkshopaboutlaunchingtechnology-basedventures.www.bootcamp.umd.edu

MTECH venture forum:Dynamic,interactivesymposiumseriesforentrepreneurial-mindedstudentsandfaculty.www.ventureforum.umd.edu

Hillman Entrepreneurs Program:EntrepreneurshipprogramfortransferstudentsbeginningstudyatPrinceGeorge’sCommunityCollegeandcompletingtheirbachelor’sdegreeattheUniversityofMaryland.www.hillman.umd.edu

Entrepreneurship Courses

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TheMarylandTechnologyEnterpriseInstitute(MTECH),aunitoftheA.JamesClarkSchoolofEngineeringattheUniversityofMaryland,acceleratestechnologyentrepreneurshipandleveragesuniversityresourcestobenefitMarylandcompaniesthroughitstwounits:MTECHVenturesandMTECHPartnerships.

Director:Dr.HerbertRabin|ExecutiveDirector:Dr.DavidBarbe|301.405.3906|www.mtech.umd.edu

mtech maryland technology enterprise institute news

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