Free, Open Entrepreneur Office Hours Come to Baltimore

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Sept. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Innovators and entrepreneurs in Baltimore will have a new place to go for free, expert advice on launching their own companies or bringing their inventions to market every month starting on September 16 at the Columbus Center in Baltimore.

The Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) and the Institute for Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET) are partnering with representatives from the greater Baltimore entrepreneurship community to offer free, open Baltimore Entrepreneur Office Hours on the third Tuesday of each month. Interested entrepreneurs and innovators can walk in, or reserve a slot online at www.eoh.umd.edu/Baltimore.html.

These services, offered to the entire Baltimore community, are modeled after Mtech's Entrepreneur Office Hours at the University of Maryland, through which more than 1,000 entrepreneurs have received assistance since 2007.

"We are excited to partner with Mtech Baltimore Director Martha Connolly and Mtech Ventures Director Craig Dye to bring the institute's expertise, along with business and legal professionals in the region, to cultivate the flourishing entrepreneurship ecosystem in Baltimore," said Russell Hill, Director of IMET. "Baltimore Entrepreneur Office Hours are a great first step for current or aspiring entrepreneurs to receive free and impartial advice, brainstorm business strategies, investigate funding opportunities and learn about additional resources available to entrepreneurs."

Baltimore Entrepreneur Office Hours will help aspiring and current entrepreneurs with tech-based startups or ideas get advice on how to:

• Build and finance a startup company;
• Develop and protect intellectual property;
• Navigate the technology transfer process;
• Refine their business strategy for rapid growth; and
• Tap into additional entrepreneurial resources

Representatives from the following organizations and groups and more will typically be on hand to speak with entrepreneurs and innovators one-on-one regarding any questions they might have about starting a company or commercializing a technology:

• Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech)
• Institute for Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET)
• University of Maryland Baltimore County
• Maryland Intellectual Property Legal Resource Center
• BioHealth Innovation, Inc.
• BioMaryland Center
• TEDCO
• Early Charm Ventures
• Saul Ewing LLP

"Mtech is enthusiastic about the opportunity of bringing entrepreneur office hours to Baltimore," said Peter Sandborn, Director of Mtech. "We have found this service to be an effective way of supporting our own entrepreneurial community by providing them with free access to proven experts, along with connections to the vast resources available to them in the State of Maryland. We look forward to getting to know the thriving entrepreneurship community in Baltimore."

Baltimore Entrepreneur Office Hours are open and free to any interested innovators or entrepreneurs in the greater Baltimore region. Participants can walk in or reserve a slot online at www.eoh.umd.edu/Baltimore.html.

About the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech)
The mission of Mtech, a unit of the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, is to educate the next generation of technology entrepreneurs, create successful technology ventures, and connect Maryland companies with university resources to help them succeed. Founded in 1983, Mtech has had a $32.3 billion impact on the Maryland economy and helped create or retain more than 10,000 jobs. Top-selling products such as MedImmune's Synagis®, which protects infants from a deadly respiratory disease, and Hughes Communications' HughesNet®, which brings satellite-based, high-speed Internet access to the world, were developed through or enhanced by our programs. Billion-dollar companies such as Martek Biosciences and Digene Corporation graduated from our incubator. Mtech offers three experiential learning programs and 20+ entrepreneurship and innovation courses, serving 1,000+ students annually, at the pre-college, undergraduate and graduate levels.

About the Institute Of Marine And Environmental Technology
Located in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology is a strategic alliance involving scientists at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, the University of Maryland Baltimore and the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Scientists are engaged in cutting-edge research in microbiology, molecular genetic analysis and biotechnology, using marine resources to develop new drug therapies, alternative energy and other innovations to improve public health and economic opportunities. IMET also contributes to sustainable marine aquaculture and fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay and other marine ecosystems.

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SOURCE Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech)