When he started Pure Software, he asked me to come on the board and seed invest the company. So I know the power of just giving someone the sense of possibility. Then you add to that some real practical information in terms of how to think about sizing the market, and how to go about getting resources aligned to go capitalize on that opportunity, and you've provided a solid learning experience. The goal in my mind is really to provide experience-based learning on how to start a company.
Some students come in with a goal to actually start a company.
To me that's very secondary, and we stress this. We really almost prefer that it be hypothetical, because we want people to focus on the learning experience. We want them to understand how to identify technology shifts and spot market opportunities, and understand how to go capitalize on that, and know how to present a compelling case to customers and to investors, and how to develop a team and put that whole package together. It think that the goal is to give the student a team project that really makes that learning very tangible, so that they can draw upon this experience if they start a company someday. Even if they are in a big company, they're going to be far better prepared to assess market opportunity.