Here we highlight selected innovation related articles from around the world on a daily basis. These articles related to innovation and funding for innovative companies, and best practices for innovation based economic development.
Self-driving vehicles promised to revolutionize the transportation industry. Automated cars could reshape every industry that relies on the automobile, from car manufacturing, to taxis, limousines and trucking. By taking human beings—who aren’t the drivers they think they are—out from behind the wheel, self-driving cars could also save millions of lives.
By the year 2020, there will be one billion entrepreneurs in the world. So chances are, with a genius start-up idea or a sideline creative business, you will be one of them. Even if you choose to remain an employee in a large company, the skills of the entrepreneurial brain could be the key to career success and happiness.
Here, Shaa Wasmund, one of Britain's most highly regarded digital entrepreneurs and author of bestselling books Stop Talking, Start Doing, and Do Less, Get More, shares her insider tips on how to think more like an entrepreneur and win at your career:
Image: http://www.marieclaire.co.uk
Here’s a bedtime story that college kids tell themselves while they toss and turn at the thought of surviving another term: “Once upon a time, in a land of Fierce Competition, a little college boy named Bill Gates (you can substitute Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg) worked very hard, so that one day he could have a good job. But evil old professors who knew that he was destined to be the Prince of Money burdened him with dull ideas that hurt his big brain very, very much. One day he broke free, ran far from the School of Dullards, and joined a merry group of brave escapees from college who had magical ideas: Michael Dell, David Karp, Kevin Rose, Larry Ellison, Jack Dorsey, and Paul Allen, to name a few. They had great fun, and soon ruled the entire kingdom—which they renamed DropOut Land, in honor of the proven fact of history that every billionaire dropped out of college—and lived happily ever after. With a hot girl. And a Gulfstream G500. The End. No, two hot girls, and a yacht with a helipad, like Larry Ellison’s. The End.”
Over the last month, the Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced over $8 million in grants to expand entrepreneurial and business support services in Alabama, New York, and Texas including:
Immigrant entrepreneurs would be allowed to remain in the United States for an initial period of up to two years, and, conditional upon meeting certain benchmarks, could potentially stay in the country for one additional period of up to three years under a newly proposed rule by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) branch of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). As part of the International Entrepreneur Rule, which is now open for a 45-day comment period, certain international entrepreneurs would have an opportunity to start or scale their businesses in the United States.
In opening a recent interview with Under Armour (NYSE:UA) founder and CEO Kevin Plank, the commentator described Plank as "next."
As perhaps the most high-profile member of a cohort of younger CEOs, Plank's overwhelming success in starting and growing Under Armour has become the stuff of business lore. Here are a few of Plank's top quotes on a host of subjects including business, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
Image: http://www.fool.com - Under Armour
U.S. employees are demanding more part-time and flexible work, and employers are listening. Many, like Amazon, are among the more than half that reported investing in flexible work options this year, according to a 2015 Workplace Trends study.
But tech workers aren't the only ones who can score these lucrative, part-time gigs. FlexJobs, an online marketplace that connects freelancers and employers, recently identified 10 high-paying jobs for those seeking part-time work. While the hours are reduced, the salaries start at $50 an hour.
Surviving Alberta’s current economic crisis isn’t about who is strongest, says Jay Slemp, it’s about who can adapt.
Slemp is the chair of the Palliser Economic Partnership in central Alberta and his region will test that theory when the Hanna coal mine closes.
He wants workers to stay in the region, but that means figuring out how to diversify the local economy.
That’s where a new provincial government grant comes in.
The Community and Regional Economic Support program will see $30 million available over two years to communities, regions, municipalities, regional economic development alliances and four Rural Alberta Business Centres.
For a long time, I resisted to-do lists. I wanted the flexibility. I felt that if I kept a list, it would tie me down to a particular set of tasks. Gradually, though, I came around. The busier my work life became, the more crucial it was to have some sort of running agenda on hand. Before long, I even started adding some of those items onto my weekly calendar. In other words, I'd reluctantly become a planner.
Looking back, it shouldn't have been so difficult. In fact, there are at least three psychological benefits to the simple act of drawing up a list of top-priority tasks—whether or not you actually accomplish them.
Despite the media halo surrounding technology kingpins such as Facebook, Twitter, Google and Uber, it’s worth reflecting on the fact that the world’s most powerful brand in 2016 is Disney, a creative enterprise.
Disney’s massive and ongoing success highlights the often overlooked capabilities of creative enterprise and creative-tech. Like many creative companies, Disney is now heavily reliant on the fusion of creativity and technology to produce compelling entertainment experiences that, over the years, have harnessed unrivalled loyalty with its audience.
My experience at WeTrain has been energizing! I started my journey with WeTrain in January of 2016 and have loved seeing the company grow and succeed ever since. WeTrain was co-founded by Jonathan Sockol, who graduated from Wharton with an MBA this spring. This summer I was fortunate to be one of their full-time interns, working on a variety of projects and learning how to expand a small business into a successful enterprise.
Image: http://entrepreneurship.wharton.upenn.edu
While European and US companies are at different stages of their digital maturity across sectors, they can each take specific steps to increase digital market share. Here’s how it’s done.
Which country leads the world in digital? Many might be tempted to answer that the US does, but the answer actually depends on what aspect of “digital” you’re looking at. When it comes to Internet penetration, the US has much higher rates than in the EU, 88 percent compared with 71 percent.1 But dig a little deeper and the picture changes.
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t's a crisp late-summer day in Tacoma, Washington, and Maya Makino has just started her sophomore year at the University of Puget Sound. She's 19, which puts her at the upper end of generation Z, whose members currently range in age from 5 to 20. Like many of her peers, she doesn't think of college as a relaxing period for self-discovery and navel gazing. She was 10 years old when the recession hit—just old enough to be aware of what was going on—and that has shaped her feelings about higher education.
Image: Flickr user University of Rhode Island
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that 76 small businesses around the country will receive $7.4 million in grants to conduct research related to food security, natural resources and agricultural issues. The grants are made through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, a competitive funding source that is coordinated by the Small Business Administration and administered by 11 federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to encourage domestic small businesses to engage in high-growth research and development that has the potential for commercialization and could lead to significant public benefit.
Recently, Jason Wiens, policy director for the Kauffman Foundation, and I presented a webinar on startup activity in America joined by federal and state policymakers from across the nation. We discussed both trends on the newly released Kauffman Index of Startup Activity and what policy can do for entrepreneurship in the U.S.
Below is the slide deck from the presentation, as well as additional resources.
Business networking – we’ve all heard of it. Who hasn’t been on the receiving end of clichéd sayings like ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’?
Most of us have heard it enough times to be sick of the concept altogether. Yes, we all know business networking is a ‘Big Deal’, but why? How does a person get started with networking? How do you know who to network with, and when and how can you tell if a networking opportunity is going to help you or waste your time?
Three months have now passed since Title III of the JOBS Act legalized true equity crowdfunding where startups can raise up to $1 million in capital online to jumpstart and grow their companies. As an attorney whose practice centers around the JOBS Act and helping companies raise funds through crowdfunding, I am excited to see that Regulation CF’s first report card shows some very encouraging grades for entrepreneurs everywhere.
CLEVELAND, Sept. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cleveland-based venture development organization, JumpStart Inc. has announced the first eight investments from its recently closed NEXT Fund. Collectively, these Ohio companies received $5 million from the $20 million fund through a combination of equity and convertible debt.
"This roster of portfolio companies represents some of the most exciting high-potential startups in Ohio," said JumpStart CEO Ray Leach. "The companies also range across a variety of sectors, from software and healthcare IT to medical device manufacturing and business services."
As kids return to school, debate is heating up once again over how they should spend their time after they leave the classroom for the day.
The no-homework policy of a second-grade teacher in Texas went viral last week, earning praise from parents across the country who lament the heavy workload often assigned to young students. Brandy Young told parents she would not formally assign any homework this year, asking students instead to eat dinner with their families, play outside and go to bed early.
Constance Freedman is the founder and managing partner of Moderne Ventures, an early-stage venture fund and accelerator investing in technology companies in real estate, mortgage, finance, insurance, and home services – all multi-trillion dollar industries that make up well over 20 percent of the US GDP and are ripe for innovation.
