At 7:30 a.m. standing in Adobe’s headquarters in Silicon Valley 12 students whipped out their cameras to document the first stop on a three-day, nonstop marathon tour of technology’s entrepreneurial center. But at the first flash the woman behind the counter jumped up and said, “No photos!” As rich as Silicon Valley is in technology, it remains as draped in secrecy. Before entering Google’s sprawling campus the entire group signed non-disclosure agreements, although photos are allowed. At Apple students couldn’t take photos inside the campus, but they could stand outside with the door open snapping shots of the interior. Each technology superpower must determine what precautions are made before they allow students to wander about, cameras and notebooks in hand. At ten of the 12 companies visited, N.C. State is well represented — the other two being venture capital partners and authors. Students ran around Silicon Valley with an intense schedule, the first day covering Adobe, Apple, Google and Rosum; the second day Garage Technology Ventures, Cisco and QuickLogic; the third day Applied Signal Technologies, Danger, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

Who are these students? All the students are members of the Engineering Entrepreneurship Program, which gives electrical engineering senior design students the opportunity to not only create their own technologies, but take it the next step and create an entire entrepreneurial enterprise surrounding their invention. Once students decide on an idea, they must organize their company to work as efficiently as possible, with a definite structure and business and marketing plans. “It’s an awesome opportunity for professional development,” Jared Everett, a senior in electrical engineering, computer engineering and arts applications with a concentration in music, said. Everett is the Vice President of Hardware for Advanced Rowing Instruments, one of the virtual start-up companies this semester that is developing equipment to aid rowing coxswain. The senior design students then pitch their businesses to recruit underclassman virtual employees, such as Jordan Price, a junior in electrical and computer engineering, who is a VE on ARI. He has found the experience well-rounded on how to start a company and develop a prototype. “It’s a way for undergrads to experience the entrepreneurial world and provides them with an overview of all aspects, including intellectual property and funding,” he said. The EEP began 14 years ago through the direction of Tom Miller, Vice Provost for distance education and learning technology and director of the EEP. It began as an electrical engineering endeavor, but has evolved with help from Stephen Walsh, teaching associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and entrepreneur-in-residence, to become a multidisciplinary effort. This semester’s teams in addition to ARI, include DigiScape, a company combining digital photo Web sites for use in digital frames; Umbrella Tech, a company developing personal information protection; and orhbTEK, a company creating a manually programmable robot arm. Walden Raines, a senior in electrical and computer engineering with a minor in religious studies, is the chief marketing officer for orhbTEK who sees the EEP experience as a safe way to try entrepreneurship. “It’s almost practice for if you want to start a real business,” he said. Silicon Valley: the real deal

The 12 students who traded their spring breaks for an University-sponsored adventure knew that the opportunities and experiences of a trip to technologies’ entrepreneurial promised land far exceeded the postponed trips to Cancun and the $200 price tag.

This year was Everett’s second time on the trip, and he described it as, “such an amazing opportunity I couldn’t pass it up.”

Although he thought everybody they met “was an excellent opportunity,” he identified his favorite experience as meeting Randy Komisar, a partner of the venture capital power-house Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

Price agreed with Everett that Kleiner Perkins provided an amazing experience.

“We got to meet with the top guys in venture capital,” Price said. “And that is a rare experience – and [we had] a laid-back conversation that not many people get a chance to do or get to experience.”

Komisar authored a book the students were required to read before the meeting, entitled The Monk and the Riddle , which is a fictional account of the discussion and thought that goes into successful entrepreneurship. When they met Komisar the students brought their copies of the novel along for Komisar to sign.

Everett had Komisar sign his copy twice.

“The first time [Komisar] wrote ‘enjoy the journey,'” Everett said. “And the second time, ‘the journey has brought you back, don’t stop.'”

The journey for Raines began as a trip to California, but expanded into an opportunity to meet influential entrepreneurs — people he described as “made it, or are in the process of potentially making it.”

Tony Blevins, a State alumnus and the Vice President of Corporate Procurement for Apple, struck Raines as one of those who had made it but also kept him head about him.

“It was interesting to see how down to earth and friendly [Blevins] was to us — even as someone in a high position in a major company he was very welcoming,” Raines said.

The company that struck Raines the most though impressed him with “how generous they are with their benefits.” Google’s sprawling campus is a home to its employees – equipped with many free dining rooms, free massages, and a gym where every piece of cardio equipment has a satellite television.

“I didn’t think any companies really took care of their employees,” he said. “The amount of money they are willing to spend to make sure their employees stay there and are happy is immense.”

The journey to Silicon Valley this year has ended, but the EEP’s opportunities have not — and what the students have learned on the trip will help them continue to develop their own enterprises.

Everett felt something emphasized by the entrepreneurs they met is the experience is worth a failure.

“A big part of Silicon Valley is don’t be discouraged by your failures… If you’ve started a few start-ups and you failed then the more experience you have the better because you have the experience — you don’t have to stop,” he said.