This episode of Bootstrapped features University of Maryland alumna Lauren Filocco '12, Founder of OpenBarre in College Park. Filocco’s background in supply chain and operations management from the University of Maryland landed her positions at McCormick & Company and Amazon. A few years into her corporate career, Filocco became obsessed with taking Barre classes. After spending 10 hours a week in the studio, she had the wild idea of opening up a studio of her own in College Park, Maryland. She took the leap, quit her job and began her journey as an entrepreneur. Tune in to find out how Filocco built her studio from the ground up and grew a community of athletes that have not only become her core customers, but also her family.
Kombucha may be sour, but to our guest entrepreneur it's a sweet business opportunity. On this episode we interviewed Sergio Malarin ’13, Co-Founder of Mobtown Fermentation, the brewery behind Wild Kombucha. A University of Maryland alumnus with a major in history, Malarin worked for a time as a manager at Thompson Creek Window Company but found his calling as an entrepreneur after his brother perfected a home recipe for kombucha. Malarin reveals how he used supply chain and community engagement to build his brand, and discusses where he hopes to take Mobtown Fermentation in the future.
On this episode of Bootstrapped, we interviewed serial entrepreneur Ori Zohar ’07, co-founder of spice company Burlap & Barrel. A University of Maryland alumnus who majored in Marketing and participated in the QUEST Honors Program, Zohar speaks on the struggles and triumphs of his entrepreneurial experiences, beginning with his very first venture: selling cap and gowns while he was a student at UMD. Zohar defines two entrepreneur archetypes and outlines his career journey as “The Operator” type. From graduation gear to mortgages to spices, Zohar spills the tea on what it’s really like to be an entrepreneur. He also details the secrets behind the launch of his current endeavor, Burlap & Barrel, and how a fascination with cumin lead to the first comprehensive single origin spice company in the United States.
On this episode of Bootstrapped, we interviewed Andy Shallal, MBA ’19, founder and CEO of Busboys and Poets. Shallal founded the iconic restaurant chain in 2005, where it started from a restaurant/events venue/coffee shop/bar/bookstore in D.C. and expanded to eight locations today across the DMV. After years of operating his business, Shallal returned to school through Maryland Smith’s Executive MBA program, where he acquired newfound tools to help his empire soar. Shallal sits down with the Bootstrapped hosts to discuss his motivations for starting Busboys and Poets, how his passion for democracy became the bedrock of the business, and the challenges he’s faced in building Busboys and Poets to what is is today and what it can soon become.
On this episode of Bootstrapped, we interviewed University of Maryland alumnus Pramod Raheja '91, co-founder and CEO of Airgility and mystaffNOW. Since graduating from Maryland, Pramod navigated a split career as an Airline Captain for United Airlines and also as a serial entrepreneur. Now as the CEO of Airgility, Pramod has been able to leverage his experience as an entrepreneur and as an alumnus at UMD to bring his passion for aerospace engineering to life. On this episode, Pramod shares his experience combining his love of the aerospace industry and entrepreneurship, and how he’s been able to maintain his passion for flight at the center of it all.
On this episode of Bootstrapped, we interviewed University of Maryland alumnus Zeki Mokhtarzada '00, co-founder of TrueBill and formerly of Webs. After graduating from Maryland, Zeki was ready for a life of entrepreneurship and he knew exactly where to find co-founders. Alongside his brothers, Zeki co-founded Webs, one of the earliest free web hosts. Together, Zeki and his brothers led Webs to an acquisition to Vistaprint in 2011, and they’ve since gone on to found TrueBill, a company dedicated to tracking and managing all of your finances in one place. On this episode, Zeki shares his experiences balancing family and business, as well as leading a team focused on innovation.
On the season 6 premiere of Bootstrapped, host Joe Bailey and new co-host Holly DeArmond, MBA '17, managing director of the Dingman Center, interviewed University of Maryland alumnus Bill Boyle ’81. Bill is the founder of FiberGate, Inc, chairman of the Dingman Center’s Board of Advisors and an active member of the Dingman Center Angels. From Fiber Optics to the funding table, Bill Boyle has leveraged his experience building and running his own venture into a successful career as an angel investor and venture mentor to numerous students. On this episode, Bill shares his experience running FiberGate for 17 years until its successful exit, and provides a firsthand account of his journey into the world of advising and angel investing.
On this episode of Bootstrapped, we interviewed current University of Maryland student Jasmine Snead ’19 and alumna Imani Rickerby ’17, co-founders of 2019 Pitch Dingman Competition finalist startup Aurora Tights. As both women of color and figure skaters, Jasmine and Imani struggled to find tights that matched their skin tone, and saw their performance and confidence suffer as a result. To solve this problem, in college they started Aurora Tights, an athletic brand that designs performance sports gear in an array of tones for all complexions and sizes. On this episode, Jasmine and Imani share how they explored consumer interest, navigated contract manufacturing and formed a diverse team to help all women feel comfortable in their skin.