Austin's push to rival Silicon Valley

AUSTIN (KXAN) - There is no doubt Silicon Valley is the leading high-tech hub in the country. But many leaders in Austin's tech community want to see the industry grow and they believe Dr. Robert Metcalfe , University of Texas Professor of Innovation, is kick-starting the process.

Metcalfe is considered an icon of entrepreneurial engineering and is the inventor of today's local-area networking standard, Ethernet.

In November 2010, UT selected Metcalfe to lead innovation initiatives at the Cockrell School of Engineering. He started his appointment at the beginning of this year.

One of Metcalfe's first initiatives was to start a class for undergraduates who are starting companies.

"There are 38,000 undergrades here at UT so one of my fears is having they recently heard of Mark Zuckerburg they all may want to rush here," said Metcalfe.

After going through the application process, Metcalfe placed 75 students in his class called First Semester Start-Up .

Metcalfe said he is teaching the students skills needed to start a successful company, but a big part of that is connecting them with mentors in the Austin tech community.

"You know you meet really accomplished people and you realize they're not gods they're human beings just like you...and so meeting them helps you give yourself permission to be an entrepreuner," Metcalfe said.

That's the reason Silicon Valley functions so well according to local entrepreneur Sam Decker, Co-Founder of Mass Relevance .

"Silicon Valley is known for starting companies and as such a big eco-system has built up around it much like Hollywood has for the movie business. People who want to begin a startup are attracted to move there and there a big ecosystem around them for that," said Decker.

Decker believes Austin will struggle to come close to Silicon Valley's success without everyone working together, "I challenge UT, the city, the entrepreneurial community for us to come together and say what are the things that have to happen in the next 10 years? What has happened in the last 5 years? Are we making progress? and if not let's all understand what those things are and let's all move together."

Decker is one of 30 mentors helping Metcalfe's class learn how to turn their startup into a successful venture. He believes the class is a great first-step in uniting and building Austin's tech industry.

Metcalfe's class also has guest speakers lined up to talk to the students. On November 17 Michael Dell will talk to the students about how he started Dell as un undergraduate.

One student said the class has really changed her perspective on the future, "I've learned that my potential isn't limited to just a classroom. I can do something on my own. I can start my own company and that's something I would have never dreamed of," said Tina Dai.