Name Game.

E-business solutions provider NetBase Computing Inc. in El Segundo is now Syncata, thanks to three MBA students at the University of Texas who came up with the name. "Syncata" is supposed to reflect that the company is a catalyst for synergy between business strategy and technology.

"We've evolved from network and database integration to being an e-business provider," explained Sasha Banks, head of marketing at Syncata, who helped spearhead the name change.

Another reason for the name change was a desire for exclusivity. The NetBase name is being used by five or six other companies throughout the world, including Japan, Canada, and a couple in the United States. NetBase executives wanted a new name to which they could have exclusive trademark rights.

The company's president and chief executive, Ujj Nath, received his MBA from the University of Texas, so he asked the school if its MBA students would help the company change its name. "They loved it," Banks said.

The three students who created the Syncata name won $5,000 to split between them. And the company saved hundreds of thousands of dollars that would have been spent on pricey consultants to help with the change.

"It provided value for the students, as it provided a lot of value for us," Banks said. "We got to work collaboratively with the students."