Want to start a business of your own? IEEE members now have a new place to turn to for sage advice and information: the IEEE Entrepreneurs Village. Introduced in May, the online site provides high-tech entrepreneurs with tools and resources to help them launch new businesses, and expand existing ones. Village members can seek advice and information on topics such as funding, marketing, hiring, best practices, and legal issues.

"We suspected there was a demand for this type of site," says Life Senior Member David Ostfeld, who co-chairs with Senior Member Mauro Togneri the newly formed IEEE-USA Entrepreneurial Activities Committee (EAC). "After polling our members, we were certain. Many people said, 'If only I had this when I started up.' The networking and knowledge-gathering capabilities are endless."

EAC administers the Entrepreneurs Village, which is one of nearly 100 IEEE online communities. Village members can post discussion items, link to articles from other sites they find helpful, search for other entrepreneurs, and learn about local entrepreneurial groups within the IEEE's U.S. sections.

"Like a real community, the village depends on some members making their needs known and others sharing their knowledge," Togneri says. "Our biggest challenge is to get those who need help to ask. We hope to accomplish this by providing useful tools and encouraging member participation."

JUST ASK  Recently, a village member seeking information on filing an international patent posted his query on the members forum. The ensuing online discussion appears to have been helpful. "I really appreciate the time you have taken to help me," the member wrote. "Without these tools, I would have been lost."

Another question posted in mid-May—"What are your needs as an entrepreneur?"—generated a flurry of activity, and the conversation thread was still going strong in July.

A virtual marketplace to link businesses with those that have products or services is to be added soon. Either a business can post a query looking for a specific product or service, such as new DVD technology, or larger businesses and venture capitalists can search for early stage technologies they might be interested in funding.

"We expect the part of the village that helps entrepreneurs match up with companies that may need their products or services will be extremely popular," Togneri says.

In addition to linking high-tech entrepreneurs with their peers, the village has a mentors database. It can help business owners find a mentor by providing information on a prospective mentor's marketing background, size of the mentor's company, industry experience, location, and availability. Entrepreneurs can search for a mentor by entering the same criteria.

"Mentors are critical to the success of the village," says Togneri, who encourages experienced entrepreneurs to become mentors. "By imparting their knowledge and experience, they make it easier for prospective entrepreneurs to start new ventures. People starting businesses like to ask questions and gain insight from those who have already gone through it. The village provides that opportunity."

Visit the IEEE-USA Entrepreneurs Village at http://www.ieeeusa/careers/entrepreneurs.