April 24, 2000

NC State Researcher Viniotis Ventures Forth as Entrepreneur

Dr. Viniotis

Entrepreneurship is encouraged by NC State University's College of Engineering.

The college offers undergraduate and graduate engineering students courses on the organizational, management and marketing skills needed to head up small entrepreneurial companies or to lead teams in larger companies.

It also gives research-oriented faculty the opportunity to pursue enterprising ventures that can put their ideas and innovations to work in meeting the real-world needs of society.

Such an opportunity came about in 1997 for Dr. Yannis Viniotis, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, whose primary research focuses on control of high speed communication networks. He was granted a leave of absence to explore ways of putting his theoretical research to use in industrial endeavors.

"I thought the time was right to apply the results of my research to developing products for use in networking technology," said Viniotis recently.

He joined forces with Dr. Raif Onvural, an NC State alumnus and former IBM engineer; the two had collaborated in the early 90s on various research projects to develop and evaluate algorithms and software for the enhancement of network technology.

The IBM-sponsored research projects were undertaken through the engineering college's Center for Advanced Computing and Communications (CACC), whose projects are funded by leading companies in the computer and communications industries. CACC, one of a dozen cooperative research centers at the engineering college, underlines the college's emphasis on promoting university/industry partnerships that benefit both segments: the bolstering of quality education for students and advancing the progress of high-tech companies through innovative academic research.

It was natural for Viniotis, during his leave, to team up with Onvural to pursue their mutual research goals in putting their theories to the test in the development of software products for the networking industry. Following a few uneventful trials on the West Coast, the two collaborators eventually co-founded a start-up semiconductor company, Orologic, Inc., in the Research Triangle area where the networking industry is proliferating and is a boost to the state's economy. With the support of the North Carolina Enterprise Fund that invests in North Carolina-based companies, Orologic was able to succeed in cutting-edge network development.

"We were very fortunate to have access to the talents of bright NC State graduates in electrical and computer engineering and computer science," said Viniotis. "For example, three of my former students with networking concentrations were hired by Orologic following their graduation."

The company also offered work-study undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to gain experience in an entrepreneurial atmosphere.

Testimony to the company's growth and increasing potential in producing chips that can analyze, route and control the flow of traffic in high speed communication networks was its acquisition last month by Vitesse Semiconductor Company in California for $450 million in stock. Vitesse will keep Orologic's facility and 25-member staff in the Research Triangle area. The company's first product, known as "PACEMAKER," is expected to be released in September. Viniotis will remain at Vitesse as director of systems architecture.

As it expands its staff, the parent company will look to NC State's College of Engineering as one of its primary manpower sources and anticipates in the future an association with other faculty members on leave, Viniotis said.

He explained that Orologic was a venture made possible for him through the encouragement of Dr. Nino A. Masnari, dean of engineering, and Dr. Robert M. Kolbas, head of electrical and computer engineering, who are supportive of the research-industry link that spawns new opportunities for faculty and students to adapt research efforts to the needs of rapidly changing technology.

Dean Masnari said of the Orologic venture: "Orologic is evidence that the university research-industry link strongly impacts the quality of education and the growth of industrial applications for the benefit of people. We are proud of Dr. Viniotis' accomplishments and look forward to his further contributions to our expanding entrepreneurial programs in the College of Engineering."

Viniotis has already used his industrial experience in developing new courses in "entrepreneurship for engineers." Moreover, he had significant input in establishing the curriculum of the new Master of Science in Computer Networking program. This program is a joint effort between the Colleges of Engineering and Management, offering students an in-depth curriculum in the technical and management aspects of computer networking.

Viniotis said the management concentration centers in new product development, technology commercialization, entrepreneurship and electronic commerce.

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