Brain Drain.

The appeal of being an entrepreneur appears to be siphoning a significant number of people who otherwise would have gone into corporate life, resulting in a critical challenge to corporate America. That's one finding from a recent survey of "netrepreneurs" -- the new term for Internet entrepreneurs -- by Ernst & Young.

A clear majority -- 67 percent -- of those surveyed see themselves as pioneers drawn to "a new frontier." And 59 percent see netrepreneurialism as "an appealing alternative to the traditional corporate ladder." Indeed, more than a quarter -- 27 percent -- say they'd have donned the proverbial gray flannel suit had the Internet not existed. But regardless of the what-if's, netrepreneurs appear to be unusually ambitious -- respondents say they plan to start five Internet businesses, on average, in their lifetimes.

"Clearly, netrepreneurs are attracted by the unique challenges of the Internet," says Gregory Ericksen, E&Y national director of entrepreneurial services, "which raises interesting questions about the impact of netrepreneurialism on corporate America's ability to attract and retain some of the country's best business minds. As many large corporations attempt to transform themselves into nimble online entities, they need to look at their entire corporate culture to identify what they need to do to attract new young talent."