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ated a company WE,” The pair iook him up on offer - and later, in 2001. thm "That should have been the end of that," said Somani. "But at the end of the term, Greg came back to us and said. 'We want to keep working with you, and you guys are smart guys, so rather than waiting until you graduate to start your own business, why don't you start a company right now and Infusion will be your first cur tomer.' .. . ....E. '8hrrr nmm'annn ( rnlru spunmn‘d hv Camtinued onpage l9 '3gt.Btft-" In. . mu? ll HAT-rung... A... -. --__------ - Although the two loved working there. they aspired to start their own business in Canada once they finished their studies. - --_ r~vr"~ "And, like any brash Waterloo engineering student, we actually said no thank you," said Somani. on It was right at the height of the dot-com era, and there was a shortage of technical people. The two must have made a good impression because Brill, the company's chief executive officer, offered them positions upon grad- uation. " began in 2000 when Somani and his then roommate, Sheldon Fernandez, joined Infusion Devel- opment. a software development and consulting company in New York, as co-op students. And if Gregory Brill had taken "no" for an answer the first time he offered Somani a job. his life might have gone in a very different direc- lion. lim Somant's year Ahas been busy, to say the least, reach- ing a high point when the University Of Waterloo grad was named one of Cana- da's Top 40 Under 40. Infusion Angels has had a busy first year of operations in Waterloo margmmm f--'----"--'-------------------"-'-----), Cash Infusion By [mum 01mm)” Chron icle star -------v they ure Infusion that Infusion Ire grown "loans a In 2002, Somani. who had grad- uated with a degree in electrical engineering, took over as chief operating officer for both New York and Toronto, and they've built up the company together since then. Infusion Angels' Alim Somani, 29, was recently named among the Top 40 Under 40 by the Caldwell Group and the Globe and Mail The company is located in the Accelerator Centre. SAW‘HPL WV“ lk'vclopmem m Canada InvN'in" i., 'h" - - ' _ . _ f'We wouldnt have done Infusion Angels had it not been for Waterloo." - Allin Somani I {and nflnfuuon Angels m Development has raps and bounds" by These led to th And from there, the decision was made to marry the motivated students at UW and the product aspirations. Over the years Infusion Devel- opment became known on the UW campus as a company of entrepre- news, he said. investing in the people it has hired. the majority of whom are former UW students. he said. "Even going back to my story, when I took over as chief operating officer. it wasn't that l was this wonder kid who knew how to manage a business," Somani said. "A lot of that was possible because Greg saw potential in me. and they gave me the opportunity and I was mentored a lot." - factors coming together the creation of Infuctnn By January 2007 rs coming together reopened as the Infusr ation of Infusion Innovation Centre, soo Infusion Angels opened almost one year ago in the Accelerator Centre - located in the heart of UW Research and Technology Park - and it's experienced dramatic changes since then. The biggest change was partnering with Microsoft aomanl said."We wouldn't have done Infusion Angels had it not been forWaterloo. "There would have been no other place we would have done it." "It was never, we're doing Inhr sion Angels, where should we locate it, oh, let's be in Waterloo." Somanl said."We wouldn't have done Infusion Angels had it not been forWaterloo. Angels, a group of "angels" that find and fund new business ideas. 2007, it was Infusion Angels He believes having a cent this in Waterloo will give m an opportunity to realize goals, and bring innovation city. -Atim Somml Head aflnfusion Angels Technical briertngs, which are generally taught by specialized Microsoft trainers, have also been popular. More information on these sessions can be found at 'ov?y'c.irttusionangeu.com. Meanwhile. Infusion Angels still exists as a separate entity. "The way Infusion Angels will be successful is by meeting entre- preneurs on campus. pushing them to be innovative and helping them achieve business success," Somani said. "We bring in world-renowned speakers and it's free to all stu- dents, industry professionals and entrepreneurs," Lee said, adding these monthly events usually draw 80 to ISO people. " The way Infusion Angels will be successful is by meeting en trepre- nears on campus, pushing them to be innovative and -. __._.-‘..- u "akr%"V ry that provides the public with an enriched learning environment; it has eight work stations, complete with high-tech equipment. An events' calendar lists speak- ers who talk on technical and busi- ness perspectives. Dell and Intel are also partners in the centre, which offers a num- ber of services for students and local entrepreneurs, said Jackie Lee. the centre's manager. For instance, there's a laborato- -. .c, W ‘ . _ Microsoft. helping them achieve business success. " aving a centre like will give students 'to realize their innovation to the