# Dingman-Lamone Center for Entrepreneurship

> A University of Maryland entrepreneurship center within the Robert H. Smith School of Business, offering venture education, mentoring, market-testing opportunities, startup competitions and non-dilutive student funding, alongside a regional angel-investor network.

- **Founded:** 1986
- **Headquarters:** College Park, United States
- **Founders:** Rudolph P. Lamone (Founder; former business school dean), Michael Dingman (Founding benefactor and launch partner)
- **Products:** Dingman Advising, Terp Marketplace, E-Fund, New Venture Practicum, Pitch Dingman Competition
- **Notable:** Terp Startup Accelerator celebrated ten years in 2024., Dingman Center Angels reports over 200 transactions and $26.6 million invested since 2005; figures describe investor activity, not center revenue., The center reports distributing over $220,000 in non-dilutive student seed funding in financial year 2022.

## Products & services

- **Dingman Advising** — Informal one-to-one venture guidance for UMD students, faculty, staff and alumni, including specialist advisors.
- **Terp Marketplace** — Free market-testing and sales events for current UMD student founders.
- **E-Fund** — Non-dilutive grants of $250-$1,000 for early venture expenses.
- **New Venture Practicum** — Permission-only venture course, cross-listed as BMGT468R/ENES498R; its dedicated page lists about 20 fall participants.
- **Pitch Dingman Competition** — Annual venture competition with coaching and startup prizes, with tracks and eligibility varying by year.
- **Terp Startup Accelerator** — Eight-week summer venture program offering mentors, workshops and up to $5,000 in non-dilutive support.
- **Terp Startup Fellows** — Continued venture development following the summer accelerator; the 2019 pilot included seed funding up to $20,000.
- **Dingman Center Angels** — Network of individual investors supporting early-stage mid-Atlantic companies; not a pooled investment fund.
- **Launchpad** — Afterschool entrepreneurship education for high school students; the spring 2025 cohort worked for 11 weeks and each team received $100.
- **Stewart and Dugal Impact Fellowships** — Startup internships for undergraduate students, including social-enterprise opportunities.
- **Bootstrapped** — Founder and investor podcast covering business-building topics.

## Achievements

- Terp Startup Accelerator celebrated ten years in 2024.
- Dingman Center Angels reports over 200 transactions and $26.6 million invested since 2005; figures describe investor activity, not center revenue.
- The center reports distributing over $220,000 in non-dilutive student seed funding in financial year 2022.

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Renaming to Dingman-Lamone announced with Linda Lamone’s $3.8 million gift.
- **2025-04** — Launchpad published high school founder stories and market-testing experiences.
- **2026-04** — Spring competition winners included Renfort in the Quattrone Tech Track and Abiara Skin in Main Street.
- **2026-10** — 2026-27 Idea Track applications opened October 2; the published deadline is October 18.

## Links

- Website: https://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/centers-initiatives/dingman-lamone-center
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dingman-lamone-center-for-entrepreneurship
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/UMD_Dingman
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dingmanlamonecenter
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DingmanCenter

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Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-07