Celebrating Five Terp Trailblazers for Small Business Saturday
Whether you're shopping near or far, chances are there's an enTERPreneur who's innovated and pushed Forward a way to turn their idea into a business.
For Business Owners
For Business Owners
The EnTERPreneur Network is an industry-focused University of Maryland Alumni Association group with a broad mandate to foster a vibrant Terp alumni entrepreneurship ecosystem. Bringing together UMD’s significant investments in innovation and our talented network of alumni, the EnTERPreneur Network generates tremendous value for the Terp community. It serves as a dedicated platform to connect alumni with the resources, tools, and connections needed in meaningful ways to advance their entrepreneurial goals.
Terp Business Directory
Whether you’re an alum patronizing Terp businesses or an entrepreneur hoping to expand your reach, one thing we know is: Terps support Terps. The business directory is your place to search for businesses that are part of the enTERPpreneur community – all owned by alums, students or lifetime members. Filter by keywords, minority status, location and more to find the Terp-led business you’re searching for. Shop Terp-owned today, or register your business to join our ever-expanding network of innovators.
5 Ways to Support EnTERPreneurs
Innovation thrives when Terps step forward. Ranked #5 in entrepreneurship among public universities, Maryland offers five ways for you to fuel bold ideas, support emerging leaders, and amplify impact.
1. Mentor an EnTERPreneur
Share your expertise and help a Terp business grow. Join the Terrapins Connect Entrepreneurs Group for flexible, ad hoc mentoring, or make a deeper impact by serving as a mentor in the EnTERPreneur Mentoring Program with four 30-minute virtual meetings over four weeks.
2. Invest in EnTERPreneurs
Give to the Alumni Entrepreneur Fund, where 100% of your gift fuels programs and events that connect Terps to entrepreneurial resources, peers, and opportunities while expanding pathways for alums and students building businesses.
3. Shop Terp-Owned
Strengthen the Terp entrepreneurial ecosystem by supporting alum and student businesses featured in the Terp Business Directory. Your support directly helps fellow Terps and their ventures thrive.
4. Showcase Your Business
Get your business in front of fellow Terps through the Terp Business Directory. Grow your visibility, spark new connections, and support Terp entrepreneurship. Every dollar of your subscription is reinvested in fellow Terps through the Alumni Entrepreneur Fund. Once you’re part of the Business Directory, fill out this form for a chance to be featured to fellow Terps.
5. Engage, Learn, and Lead
Attend EnTERPreneur events, share your story as a speaker or panelist, or sponsor a program to help shape the future of enTERPreneurship and inspire the next generation of founders.
Join the Conversation
Make sure to keep up-to-date with news and events by updating your information in the Alumni Directory, subscribing to the TEN newsletter and following us on LinkedIn.
Campus Resources
The University of Maryland is one of the leading universities for innovation and entrepreneurship. Many of the resources are available to alumni to help you achieve your startup goals. Learn more.
Terp Business Spotlight
Meet Four Alums Who Turned Campus Lessons into Companies
Whether through academic challenges, student leadership, or the strength of the alumni network, here’s four alums who have turned campus lessons into thriving businesses.
Alumni Excellence Awards: Rising Terp Award Winner Oneyda Hernandez '23
Hernandez founded the Audelia Community Response Team (ACRT) to address food insecurity in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. What began as an effort by Hernandez and...
Upcoming Events
Entrepreneurship
EnTERPreneur Conference
Entrepreneurship
Maryland Day 2026 with the Alumni Association
Did you know?
Terps started 461 companies over the last five years, receiving $128.7 million in funding.
The University of Maryland had the honor of receiving the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities' 2025 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Award.
The University of Maryland ranks #7 across all institutions, #5 among public universities, and #1 in the Mid-Atlantic for undergraduate entrepreneurship programs, according to The Princeton Review/Entrepreneurship magazine.
On campus, more than 7,300 students in 92 majors are enrolled in at least one undergraduate entrepreneurship course.