Gord Larose and his friend David Allan worked in Ottawa at Nortel Networks, a giant telecommunications-equipment maker. One Friday afternoon, over a few beers in Larose's kitchen, they dreamed up a scheme for renting software over the Internet. Instead of quitting their jobs, they reported to work on Monday, explained their plan to their boss, and began working to make their idea a reality. Four years later, their idea has evolved into an important division of Nortel called Channelware. Larose and Allan are examples of.