nik Singal ’05, founder of Affiliate Classroom, established the Hinman CEOs Alumni Fund with a recent gift of $50,000 to allow students greater access to seed money for their business ventures. In addition, he hopes that his commitment as founding chairman of the fund’s advisory board inspires more alumni to contribute to Maryland students’ success as young entrepreneurs.
“Hinman alumni are all over the world and have helped their companies raise millions of dollars. When it comes to knowledge and geographic location, they have vast resources,” Singal says. He is leading the Hinman Alumni Challenge Campaign to encourage his peers to give.
Singal is grateful for support he received from the Hinman CEOs Program, the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute and the Venture Accelerator program, all of which assist companies developed by faculty and students at the university.
The alumni fund awards $500 to $5,000 to students who write a business plan that is chosen by a committee of Hinman alumni and senior staff at the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute, a unit of the A. James Clark School of Engineering. Staff members mentor each winning company, and alumni can provide professional networks.
