Grad strums his way to programming success

The sound of music emanated from Room 23 of the Moore Building yesterday as Gui Karyo, a recent Engineering graduate, demonstrated "Guitar 101." This cutting-edge instructional computer program is a product of Karyo's own company, Philadelphia-based Lyrrus Inc., which he formed in 1989 with Engineering graduate Nathaniel Weiss. Inspiration for the company came from his senior design project, for which he designed a program that connects a guitar to a computer and detects what notes are played. Weiss' creation, with some modification, eventually became G-VOX -- an instructional link between the guitar and the computer. "This product can tell you what you're playing, if you're playing good things or bad things and if you're playing in the right place," Karyo said. "It is an interactive tool for education and communication." The success of G-VOX gained the company a strategic alliance with Fender Musical Instruments. "Relationship building is very important in this business," Karyo said "The more engineering relationships you build, the better off you are." This alliance, coupled with an increase in private funding, allowed Lyrrus to expand its business, open an additional office in Los Angeles, CA, and design new products. "Guitar 101" is the latest creation. The company has been extremely successful since its founding, Karyo said, attributing this in part to the "niche market" that Lyrrus has captured. Karyo said he sees success in the company's future as well. Lyrrus' products are now being sold in stores such as Electronics Boutique and CompUSA. And it sells four units a day off its Web site, http://www.gvox.com. "We started in mom-and-pop shops four years ago selling 8,000 units a year," Karyo said. "This Christmas alone, we expect to sell 10,000 units." Also at yesterday's presentation, which was sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Karyo offered advice to students hoping to start an engineering-related business upon graduation. If you invent a product that may be marketable, consult a profit attorney immediately and talk to investors, he said. "Get involved in something exciting while you're young," he added, noting that his own experience as a "youngster" in the workplace has been a positive one.