Come join us in one week for a discussion with John Schveibinz and learn how to perfect your pitch! Listen to his first-hand insights on what a winning business pitch sounds like, and how you can give a knockout presentation of your business idea. By the end of this workshop, you'll have all the tools you need to attract Angel investors, Venture capitalists, and anyone else to your business ideas. 

Mark your calendar for  March 28th from 12 - 1:00 pm in entreSpace, located in ACAD/ THTR, room 139. We can't wait to see you there!

Event Description

The focus of this workshop is to teach students and faculty how to
translate their viable business ideas into a concise pitch presentation
that investors can understand and rally behind. Attendees will learn
about the structure, research, design and delivery of an effective
business pitch.  In addition to the presentation, attendees will be
provided with a step-by-step plan and worksheet to take away from the
workshop to help them get started.

About John

John J. Schveibinz is the Founder and Owner of Paxridge Technology, LLC, a technical consulting firm. He is also a mentor with SCORE of Greater Baltimore, an Electrical Engineer, an Angel Investor and a UMBC Alumnus. His focus is on encouraging positive change through technology and innovation. He has experience in business startup, management, M&A, technical management, business development, engineering design, government contracts, education, and business finance & investment. He is a member of the Baltimore Angels, and is the SCORE representative to UMBC. He has counseled and advised numerous UMBC students regarding their business ideas. He has a MSEE from Johns Hopkins University, a MA in Teaching from UMBC, a BSEE from the University of Akron and a Certificate of CoOp Education.

• Tuesday March 22nd, 10AM - 6PM
• Wednesday March 23rd, 12PM - 4PM

Library book sales are located in the back of the Reference room. For more information contact Lidia or Kathy at 410 455-2341 or illcm@umbc.edu

POSITION: Education Department Intern
LOCATION: Baltimore, MD (Highlandtown)
CONTACT: Jess Davison, Education Coordinator

BACKGROUND

The Show:

SCT is thrilled to be producing Samsara as part of its 10th season. Written by Lauren Yee, this story of an American couple's journey through surrogacy is set in California and Ahmedabad, India. It is a fun, funny, and poignant look at the lengths people will go for what they want and the unexpected ways they may be changed. The show will rehearse from mid-November 2016 to mid-January 2017. The show will run for approximately one month, from mid-January to mid-February.

The Characters:

The Maryland Film Festival is back for its 18th year and applications for volunteering are now open! Below is a description of some of the regular volunteer positions currently available at the festival:

1. Innovation
1. Not everyone needs to be an entrepreneur to make change and innovate 
2. Steve Jobs credited his success to keeping a wide range of people around him to create ideas
3. Anybody with any background can successfully innovate without being an Entrepreneur (intrapreneurship)
2. Background
1. 3rd generation civil engineer 
2. "There's been more innovation in hats in the last 400 years than there had been in survey technology" 
3. New survey technology funded by NSA and received interest from Hollywood for the Titanic, researchers in Switzerland, and NASA. 
4. 10 years and 20 million dollars to find a good opportunity for their product with Boeing and their new airplane design
1. Value: Speed
3. ICorp program
1. Academic researchers
2. Developed by entrepreneurs and taught by entrepreneurs 
3. The Lean Start-up 
1. Don't waste a lot of time and money on something no one wants 
2. Biggest mistake entrepreneurs make is assuming they know what other people want 
3. Go out and talk to people before you build and product or put together an idea 
4. "You promised me Mars colonies and instead you gave me Facebook"  
4. Do not fool yourself because you are the easiest person to fool
1. Most of us hear what we want to hear
5. Don't spend your time on your business plan
1. Investors invest based on how good your idea sounds, not how good your business plan is 
2. Projections are virtually useless for start-ups 
1. For a start-up knowing anything past the first 3 months is usually a stretch  
2. END GOAL is to create a repeatable and scalable business model (Only thing you should be worried about)
6. Don't build something no one wants 
1. Refer back to the lean start up
2. Most start ups fail because no one wants what they've built
3. Differentiate between a "feature" and a full-fledged business 
1. If you have just a product idea but want to create a start-up, you need to expand the product to be a long lasting business (most businesses don't sell ONE thing)
7. Focus
1. "Don't go to Hollywood"/"don't chase the shiny object"
2. zero in on your best-fit customer 
8. Customer
1. Evidence come from customer interviews
2. Customer segments 
1. Different costumers have different needs
2. Specify to the -t who your customers all are 
1. end user
2. decision maker
3. payer
9. Value
1. Value and features are not the same thing, although features lead to value 
2. Understand the value that you're bringing, and if it truly gives you a competitive advantage 
1. Faster is not always better
2. Cheaper is not always important 
3. Easier to use isn't value to your product, it's just a feature