Getting off the ground

Stan Kanarowski said he remembers starting his first business with no training in running a company. He was an electrical engineering graduate student opening a company to sell computers.

“It may seem simple, but there’s a lot of complications with collecting payments, delivering products and payroll taxes,” said Kanarowski, who has successfully managed several business since his first in 1992.

Now Kanarowski can give back some of that hard-earned knowledge to fledgling companies that started at the U through a new Entrepreneur in Residence program.

The program, which started a few months ago through an initiative by the U’s Technology Venture Development office, will pair some of the U’s 60 start-up companies with seasoned entrepreneurs from the Salt Lake community.

“(The companies) need help,” said Catherine Garff, marketing analyst of Tech Ventures. “You can throw them out into the world and see if they survive or make it a little easier by giving them help from experienced entrepreneurs.”

Tech Ventures, which has helped more than 60 companies get on their feet since 2005, has assembled a group of mentor entrepreneurs to help the companies work through the logistics of starting their own businesses.

“We want these companies to establish a strong foundation,” said Jack Brittain, vice president of Tech Ventures, in a statement. “That is why, instead of leaving these companies to fend for themselves, we’re investing experienced human capital in them.”

Interested companies are paired with a mentor and meet regularly to discuss how to get a business off the ground and keep it going.

Kanarowski said he is mentoring a few companies right now on a volunteer basis, including Trapeze Media, a company that has developed a databank for academic posters.

Two U graduate students created the company, which can help professors, post-doctoral researchers and graduate students provide information about their research to a conference and allow people to review the work afterward.

“It’s the first company to really think about this,” Kanarowski said. “If they do things right, they can become the dominant player (in this field).”

Kanarowski is working with the company to find what the customer wants out of this product and the best ways to market it.

“Early on, a lot of companies stumble between the business idea and launching the company,” he said. “The mentor can substantially help the business keep going.”

Garff said they have eight companies working with entrepreneurs right now and expect another four to participate in early 2009.

Companies wanting to become involved in the program can contact Kathy Hajeb at 801-581-7461.

l.groves@chronicle.utah.edu

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