Dorm-room determination:
Campus careerists

By Allison Tom
CNN

COLLEGE PARK, Maryland (CNN) -- Versa Solutions is a technology company that specializes in Web site design for small businesses.

It may look like any other high-tech corporation. But this one is headquartered in this dorm room at the University of Maryland.

"When I first told my parents I was starting a business," says student and entrepreneur Gary El-Gamil, "they we definitely surprised."

Surprised, but very supportive. El-Gamil is among the first batch of students to participate in a new program called Hinman CEOs, also known as the "campus entrepreneurial opportunities program.

"The Hinman CEO program," says the university's Bill Destler, "is a unique program designed to allow students who are interested in forming their own businesses upon graduation to actually live together in corporate groups."

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Groups of undergraduates make the most of informal opportunitie in this residential learning environment.

"We do a lot of our brainstorming late at night," says Steven Tom of Versa Solutions. "You know sleeping in bed, you're just about ready to go to sleep and you say, 'I have a great business idea. Let's talk about it.'

"And that's one of the advantages of being in the program -- living together with all these other entrepreneurs creates a great environment for starting businesses and developing ideas."

Students build their new technology or business ventures using high-speed data connections and desktop video conferencing.

And soon, they'll have greater access to wireless roaming, so they can hold business meetings virtually anywhere.

Founding entrepreneur

Brian Hinman, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and 1982 alumnus donated $2.5 million to the program. Having started three Internet companies of his own -- PictureTel, Polycom and most recently 2Wire , he says it's important for students to get a head start in business.

Brian Hinman

"We anticipate that this program will act as a magnet," Hinman says, "for venture capitalists, for lawyers, for other people in the community that can help these students later go out and start businesses."

And, that's already happening.

"My advice to the entrepreneurs here, says Ram Mukunda of Startec Global Communications, "would be to narrow their focus, try to find pieces that they can dominate and go after those."

CEOs like Ram Mukunda mentor students as they develop business plans and try to attract financing.

When Hinman C-E-O students aren't running off to class or managing their own businesses, they're out socializing and having fun. They say the challenge is maintaining balance.

But, most of them say their lives are just like any other typical college students'. "I definitely still have time to go out I go out with a lot of my friends. We do different things, we go on trips and that kind of thing."

And, for those who will soon be graduating, they say they walk away with a "can-do" attitude.

"It's nice to have the synergy off of each other that I come up with an idea and somebody says, 'Yeah that's really cool, why don't we try this? I've never really had that before."

"Adminstrators say entrepreneurs are the engine to economic development and by offering a technology-rich environment they say they hope it will stimulate new ideas and new opportunities.

Watch for Allison Tom's televised report on the Hinman CEOs on CNN this weekend.