Yee-Ping Wu (DIP '76, piano) and Philip Lui (BM '76, MM '77, DMA '80, composition) founded a software company in 1987 whose products consistently receive accolades and awards. In January their company, the knoa Corporation (www.knoa.com), received a $1 million equity investment from the New York State Small Business Technology Investment Fund, the largest investment ever made by the fund. Weathering the financial ups and downs of the past 14 years in the rapidly changing world of technology, Wu and Lui's company has survived and succeeded. And they attribute this success, in part, to their Juilliard training.

Yee-Ping Wu has often told people if they want to succeed in business, they should go to Juilliard. People may think she's joking, but she believes that the discipline of being a musician has helped her succeed as CEO of knoa Corporation. Philip Lui, her husband and business partner, thinks that the greatest lesson he took away from his Juilliard training in composition was emotional resilience. He said, "Because there's so much adversity when you are writing contemporary music, the message constantly hammered into us was 'you have to learn to believe in your own vision and to pursue it at all costs.'"

With this mantra firmly internalized, after graduation he developed a piece of music composition software that became the company's first product. Both Lui and Wu agreed that the competitive drive and analytical skills that are developed in classically trained musicians are also essential components of successful business people. Wu said, "The kids at Juilliard were so competitive. With that kind of drive and the talent, nothing can stop you. That's why I believe that Juilliard kids succeed no matter where they go and what they do."

Wu and Lui started with Lui's music composition software, went on to develop CD-ROMs and online communities for children, and have now launched knoa, a platform that can perform many different functions. Pharmaceutical companies, financial institutions, and even government offices will find this platform beneficial as a way to provide immediate guidance on their applications. In an era of reduced staffing and limited resources, training time is often cut short. Knoa is transparently integrated into a live application, so users can complete tasks quickly and accurately even as they learn how to operate the program. Wu explains that the tracking and monitoring module of knoa enables you to "understand how the user is using the application and whether it is effective or productive enough," helping a company determine what is most productive for its employees and customers.

Through the developments of their company, which has released more than 40 products, the couple has consistently looked ahead to pursue the next idea or technological advance. Lui said this is the key to staying at the top of the industry: "The reason we have been successful is that we are able, even during the height of success, to anticipate the next curve." Wu concurred: "I think, with technology, if you are not thinking ahead, you will disappear fast." Just as one must anticipate the next phrase of music, knoa Corporation has succeeded by anticipating the software needs of the digital age.

-Lisa Yelon