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"We met with several companies," Kalstein says. "One was a mom-and-pop organization. I wasn't comfortable bringing them into the university." Kalstein feared that going with a small, unknown company would hurt him down the line if he had its software and the company went out of business.

Another problem Kalstein faced was when companies talked over his head, offering too much technical talk and no solid answers. The in-plant's eventual choice—Avanti—provided those answers.