OCS organizers say that within the last year, the number of students asking how they can get involved in start-up companies has grown dramatically, leading them to push forward with plans for the event.

Saunders and Cohen say they hope the fair will appeal both to students who want to start their own businesses and those interested in working for a start-up, either as a career or an internship.

"There's something for everyone-- both budding entrepreneurs and people who want to work for them," Saunders says.

She says she hopes the event will help convey the notion that start-up companies do not necessarily have to be computer-oriented.

"People think start-ups must be Internet related," she says. "Instead, we [define start-ups] as companies that are between zero and five years old. They are not necessarily technology dependent."

Although the event will feature mostly for-profit "dot-com" Internet companies, it will also include online "dot-org" service organizations, and even companies that are not technology- based at all.

But even in those companies that are technology-related, Cohen says there is plenty of room for individuals without computer skills.

"They think 'Oh no, I'm not a [computer science] major,'" Cohen says. "But there are no limitations there."