Like any Silicon Valley entrepreneur looking for funding during the 1990s, he's young, brash and confident.Only this 23-year-old with a hot tech idea is based in Wheeling--not exactly a hub of venture capital. He's Greg Sirochinsky, a graduate of Lincolnshire's Adlai E. Stevenson High School and DePaul University. In January, Sirochinsky and three of his pals--fellow Stevenson grads--started up a company called High 5 Advertising, which launched a Web site called Ylunch.com.Ylunch.com is a restaurant finder. If you're hungry around noon dial up the site, where you can search for a restaurant by neighborhood, food type or name. Sirochinsky, who lives with his parents in Vernon Hills, says there are 22,000 restaurants on the site, all of them in Illinois. Phone numbers and addresses are provided, and restaurants that pay a small advertising fee (about 80 establishments currently pay between $75 and $150 per month) provide menus, coupons and maps. Eventually, an online reservation system will be added and the site will be expanded to include restaurants around the country.

But for now, Sirochinsky is looking for money. And he's not shy."We're going to be the Google of food," he said. "We would love to sit down with anyone interested in backing us." Is it hard to find funding in Wheeling? "It's tough," he said. "We've hit a lot of barriers because investors are [mostly] backing California companies." Don't expect that to stop Sirochinsky, though. "We're in the third-largest market here in Chicago," he explained. "And that's better than being in Nebraska or something."Sirochinsky immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine when he was 8. During college, he worked at a Verizon Wireless retail store but grew disenfranchised with corporate America."You work for somebody all your life and there are no guarantees," the 23-year-old said. "You can get fired, or they can outsource your job oversees."Where are the guarantees for you?" And what guarantees has he found in business? "If we work hard and replicate the success we've had so far, the business will grow." Sirochinsky and his partners are working on a business plan that they hope to use to entice an angel investor to put up money for an Internet start-up.

Only in America. "America is pretty much the only country that a person can start from scratch--with $400 and an idea. Something like this would not be possible anywhere else in the world." Sirochinsky points to recent history. "Look at the Google guy, Sergey Brin--he just made [$3.2 billion] off his IPO. Look at Mark Cuban--he made a fortune on the Internet and bought the Dallas Mavericks [professional basketball team].

Six graduates of Stevenson High School, all who emigrated from Russia to the United States, hope their newly created Internet business will pay off handsomely in the near future. "Only in America is this possible," said Greg Sirochinsky of Vernon Hills. The six childhood friends launched a Website devoted to eating out in the Chicago area. The site, still in a beta version, www.Ylunch.com, shows listings of hundreds of restaurants complete with food choices, reviews, ratings and directions to various eateries.

More than 80 sponsors were intrigued enough to sign on as advertisers. The site, created by the partners' firm, High5 Advertising, Inc., promotes extra benefits for sponsors' advertisements including interior and exterior photographs to give a prospective patron an idea of the ambiance that awaits them, Sirochinsky said. Partners also include Vadim Lisserman, Nathan Chalik, Artemis
Lisserman and Eugene Bendik.All graduated from Chicago area universities and held jobs in Chicago area corporations. But soon the corporate life lost its appeal. One evening the friends were sitting around trying to come up with a good business idea when they thought of food."Everyone eats. We figured we would design a Web site for restaurants and food and then refine the idea," Sirochinsky said. They were pleased with the result and started canvassing for advertisers. "We envision Ylunch.com as being the equivalent to Google in regards to restaurant search," Vadim Lisserman said. The site soon required the full attention of the friends.

"It took courage to overlook job security and financial consistency to take the bumpy road less traveled," Sirochinsky said. "We are highly trained in graphic design, financial planning, sales and marketing. Our example is to promote a different corporate structure where one's worth is determined through one's commitment." With designers and programmers on board, the partners project that current revenues of about $4,000 per month will double by January."We operate our business on the theory of targeted traffic. This means the advertising is directed toward a customer who is ready to buy the advertiser's product," Sirochinsky said. In restaurant industry jargon, targeted traffic means a hungry person who is looking for a specific type of food in a specific area. The partners point out potential customers have complete control over what restaurants they want to see and visit. Using the Web site means no driving around. Additionally, advertisers are connected to the YEverything Network on partner sites such as Ydinner.com, Ysushi.com, Ybrunch.com, Ytaco.com, Ypizza.com, etc. "We have the most comprehensive restaurant advertising directed to more than 22,000 Illinois restaurants," Sirochinsky said.

This allows people to find the meal they want for breakfast, lunch and dinner. "This is not only time saving but makes our Web site a great way to advertise restaurants, bakeries, delis, cafes, coffee houses, bars and clubs," he said. The company also provides assistance to clients who need help with their own Web sites. It helps customers take advantage of the many search engines and links to other Internet sites that promote restaurants and food service outlets.Taking the plunge to work without pay was a difficult decision. While the partners live in the Vernon Hills and Buffalo Grove area, the business is based in the home of Sirochinsky's parents. Fortunately, it means they don't have to worry about maintaining a roof over their heads while growing their business."With hard work and a dream, you are bound to succeed," Chalik adds.

Still, the five youths had to overcome a lot of obstacles as they relocated to the United States. They learned a new language and culture. After attending different Chicago area elementary schools, they moved to the area and attended Stevenson High School where they met each other, became friends and studied hard to get into college.Sirochinsky came to the Chicago area from the Ukraine when he was 10 years old. "My parents came without money and now we are living the American dream," he said. "Our dream is to become the next Google by taking our company public."