The business Cook and Twamley are trying to bring to market is called Online Sales Board. It's an offshoot of internal-sales scorekeeping software that Front Rush's founders developed to motivate their sales staff.
"We went from screwing in desk legs to designing pricing models," Twamley said.
Internship is a rite of passage for college students making their way toward careers. But in these hard times, when unemployment in the 20-to-24 age range is running at 14.5 percent, an internship is more than just a way to pass the summer.
Employers routinely hire their interns when they graduate, the National Association of Colleges and Employers reported recently, drawing from a survey of 266 companies conducted in January. In fact, the companies said, four of the 10 new graduates hired from the Class of 2010 had previously worked as interns.
That may happen to Cook, who graduates in December, but no one's making any commitments yet. Twamley will be a junior in September.
"From our perspective, it's a great way to analyze talent," said Front Rush cofounder Brad Downs, 30. "There's no better way to evaluate someone than to watch them work."
This is the first year Downs and business partner Sean Devlin, 30, have had interns. The pair were childhood friends who always dreamed of starting a business.
Downs graduated from the College of New Jersey with a degree in business communications. He was living with grad assistants who were assistant coaches for the college's baseball team when he noticed that they struggled to keep track of potential players while also steering clear of violations of NCAA recruitment rules.
Inspiration: Make that process easier.
Downs immediately called Devlin, then working for Monster.com. "The next day, I put in my resignation," he said.
