[srlake]

This ties into #1 and important to also mention:

Undergraduate students also own all of their own IP. If you want to commercialize something you've worked on in school, you don't even need to deal with a tech transfer office: you just do it.

[kymchiho]

Huge incentive. More time to focus on the idea, less time spend on how to protect it.

[srlake]

and less worries from investors if you are commercializing something based off of work done in university. No worry that in a couple years when things are taking off the university is going to come back looking for their cut.

[pjacobson]

Couldn't agree more. Plus, UW has an awesome startup culture!