IU alumnus introduces new file-storing Web site

While on sabbatical in Spain to figure out what he wanted to do with his life, IU alumnus Stefan Surzycki realized what he really wanted was to be able to access his computer files from anywhere.\nIt was then that he came up with the idea of Jooce.com, a free Web-based service that allows users to store files and is accessible from any computer. The site went online in \nearly February.\nSurzycki, who graduated in 1997 with a degree in biology, said the IU environment contributed to his ideas. Surzycki, originally from Bloomington, now fulfills his position as Jooce chief executive officer in France. But, he said, IU is a great place to meet people from all over who have done different things, and provides the environment that suggests anything’s possible.\n“Indiana University is quite a diverse place,” he said.\nSurzycki said people are starting to depend less on certain technological devices.\n“For example, people are becoming detached from the actual computer and are moving to other devices such as the iPhone,” he said. \nBryce Corbett, who founded the company with Surzycki, works predominately with media outreach for the site. He said Jooce has discovered an entire generation of people who are used to accessing things online. For example, he said, if someone is at a friend’s house and wants to access his or her music, or if a student in the library wants to access his or her \nonline desktop.\nCorbett said other features will be added to the site in \nthe future.\n“We are going to beef up the social networking,” he said. \nKelley School of Business professor Johannes Denekamp said in order to start a business such as Jooce, students need to develop networking skills. Students who can do the numbers and planning are great, he said, but the ones who really succeed are those who are able to create and hold these networking relationships.\nDenekamp added that another challenge to creating a business is getting development, along with the fact that it’s hard to get people to use \na business.\nCorbett said Jooce is for people who move around a lot, and college students fit into that demographic. \nThe biggest hurdle for anyone interested in starting a business, Surzycki said, is that people think that they are going to try and fail – or that someone is going to steal their ideas. He said the key is persistence. \nSurzycki said his advice for business students and anyone who wants to start their own business is simple, \nalthough it sounds like a \nNike commercial.\n“Just do it,” he said.