At a time when many states are looking to their research universities as sources of innovation and entrepreneurship, it is great to see that the University of Maryland is finally being recognized nationally. Howard Marks, an experienced entrepreneur, created the 2013 StartEngine College Index and identified the University of Maryland College Park as the top public university. I might add that the top private university is Northwestern, a fellow member of the BIG 10, which UM is joining as of 2014.
-Brian Darmody, Associate Vice President for Corporate and Foundation Relations, University of Maryland
As the Managing Director at a tech accelerator, I face a dilemma. I need to fund the most talented people, because they’ll be most likely to build great companies. But I also need to find the hidden gems. I’m the sort of person who’s always looking for the best deals. Let me tell you, great deals almost always come from unexpected sources.
Here’s the problem: If I look for talent in the same places everyone else does — at Stanford, Harvard, and MIT — I’ll have to fight crowds of investors and even other accelerators who are trying to do the same thing I am. I don’t like lines, and I hate waiting, so I don’t go with the crowd. I try to create value where others don’t recognize it.