By Asi Lang

My name is Asi Lang, and I am president of Windward Mark Interactive, a video-game and simulation software company located in Waltham, Mass. I launched WMI in 2003, during my senior year at Harvard University, along with four friends with whom I had worked on graphics and military-science research. I have often been asked about my experience launching the classic "dorm room enterprise." I have to my credit all of the telltale experiences: the bloated international phone bills from my room, the last-minute, red-eye flights from meetings to take my final exams, and, of course, the restlessness that inevitably comes from having to finish up that last year.

But my time on campus was instrumental to my company's success. As a result of our time spent there, we've built an extremely strong network of professional advisers, forged critical business relationships with top industry leaders, and developed patented graphics technology for use in advanced simulators. We will soon be bringing on three employees, and are currently raising our next round of financing.

As a result, I've encouraged other students to voraciously pursue their entrepreneurial ideas, as a college campus is one of the most substantial resources a young entrepreneur can have.

A MINUTE OF YOUR TIME.  As a student -- likely with very little business experience -- the advice of professionals is worth its weight in gold. However, with most top professionals and executives, so is their time. Getting a moment to chat with them can be quite difficult.

Most active businesspeople won't take the time to respond to job requests, offers of services, or other such forms of solicitation. What they will do, however, is take 15 minutes to share their knowledge with a genuinely interested student, especially if that student is attending the school from which the person graduated.

By approaching such key people for advice, you're both gaining a direct benefit in the form of a free business education and making critical connections. The alumni network of your particular school can be enormously beneficial in making such inroads. I was amazed at how many Harvard alums I found at important entertainment and simulation companies. What's more, I consistently found them personable, open to communication, and, when the stars aligned, very interested in our work.

In one instance, I contacted a Harvard alumnus who served as an executive of a military firm. He invited us to meet with him and present our technology to the company. We're now in talks to develop a full-featured simulator application for the firm.

THE CAMPUS DRAW.  Universities play a very important role in the worlds of research and business. They serve as magnets for companies, researchers, and institutes looking for young talent. A major moment for our business came when a leading graphics-card manufacturer arrived on campus to speak about its newest technology. Our cutting-edge software happened to compliment the company's latest hardware perfectly, and, after introducing ourselves and our work to the company representative, a vital business relationship was born. Now, a year later, that firm is one of our most important partners. We are using its hardware as a platform for designing our software, and the company is supporting the development of our first military-themed title.

Regardless of the particular market your business targets, odds are there is some link to it on your campus. Scour departmental announcements, go to student/professor meetings, and attend job fairs. Saturate yourself in the goings-on of that particular facet of the university, because what you have at your hands is a rare case of them coming to you. Leading companies have their fingers on the pulse of school campuses, especially in this age when breakthroughs come more from those with blue hair than grey.

When important companies and researchers come to your campus, go out and meet them at every possible opportunity -- because once you actually start your venture, you'll have to work much harder for them to break down your door!

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