Forward for Tomorrow's Trailblazers

The Entrepreneurship Ecosystem

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Maryland’s entrepreneurship ecosystem supercharges student startups, equipping students with skills, resources and expert mentors on the road to success.

The Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is at the heart of it all, with a goal of tapping the creative problem-solving power in every Terp through courses, competitions, workshops and inspiring spaces.

Nearly one in four undergraduates—more than 7,000 in 92 majors—was enrolled in 2025 in undergraduate entrepreneurship courses at UMD, taught by 60 faculty members across 29 departments. Beyond traditional entrepreneurship, UMD also offers over 100 courses in innovation-related areas like creativity, social value creation, business models and design thinking.

Since 1985, the mission of the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) has been to educate the next generation of technology entrepreneurs, create successful technology ventures and connect Maryland companies with university resources to help them succeed. Mtech's programs arm top students with the knowledge of how to successfully launch companies. They guide aspiring and existing entrepreneurs through the entire lifecycle of founding and maintaining technology-based ventures. One such program—xFoundry@UMD—challenges students through competitions and projects to tackle the world’s most complex problems—with winners earning funds to push their business ventures forward.

The Dingman-Lamone Center for Entrepreneurship supports student entrepreneurs from any major and at any venture stage, whether they have just the germ of an idea or a startup about to blossom. Its annual “Shark Tank”-like Pitch Dingman competition showcases the university’s most talented student and alumni entrepreneurs, awarding seed funding and exclusive access to venture development resources.

Need further proof of UMD’s prowess? In 2025, The Princeton Review and Entrepreneurship magazine ranked UMD in the Top 10 for the 11th year for undergraduate entrepreneurship education.

Terps are also behind some of the brands we use every day: Google, Squarespace, Rocket Money, Under Armour, Sirius XM and more. We can help Terps on campus today bring the next big thing to life tomorrow.

A man standing with his hands in his pockets, wearing a charcoal gray suit and eyeglasses. He is positioned in front of a red backdrop.

Smith alumnus Bill Longbrake, DBA ’76, pledged $1 million to support research and programs, continuing decades of giving. Now an advisor and executive-in-residence, he focuses on mentoring students and advancing interdisciplinary initiatives across the school.