Fortune Small Business Cites MTECH Programs

The Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (MTECH), as well as its Hinman CEOs Program and University of Maryland Technology Start-Up Boot Camp, are cited in the September issue of Fortune Small Business Magazine in its rankings of America's Best College for Entrepreneurs.

Fortune Small Business (FSB) lists the top 25 programs for undergraduates, in alphabetical order, after "seven months of interviews with hundreds of entrepreneurs, professors, students, alumni, university administrators, and venture capitalists," according to the magazine. All sources were asked to tell reporters which programs they considered to be the most innovative and effective, and why. Nearly 3,000 schools now offer courses in entrepreneurship, up ten-fold since the 1980s, according to the Kaufmann Foundation.

"The university's Hinman Campus Entrepreneurship Opportunities (CEO) program brings students from across the campus to live and work together in the eDorm, which provides the communications technologies they'll need to build their own businesses," FSB cites. "Student CEOs have access to desktop videoconferencing and multimedia messaging-not to mention the entrepreneurs...in residence," according to the magazine.

Of the University of Maryland Technology Start-Up Boot Camp, FSB says "free to all students, the Start-Up Boot Camp is an intensive, one-day workshop and networking event that focuses on launching new ventures."

MTECH Hinman CEOs, the nation's first living-learning entrepreneurship program, is a groundbreaking initiative placing entrepreneurially-minded students from all academic disciplines in a unique living community to explore new ventures. The mission of Hinman CEOs is to foster an entrepreneurial spirit, create a sense of community and cooperation, and positively impact the way students see their career opportunities. Graduates include the founder of Squarespace, one of the top blogging and Web publishing platforms on the Internet.

The University of Maryland Technology Start-Up Boot Camp is an intensive, one-day workshop about how to launch new ventures, taught by the region's entrepreneurial leaders, to as many as 400 students, faculty, and professionals each year. The next Boot Camp will be held on October 19, 2007.

Published September 20, 2007