Early stage deals between pharma and biotech underscore pharma companies’ increasing reliance on biotech as a source of innovation. Both Roche (RHHBY.PK) and Lilly (LLY) have been stung by setbacks in their drug development programs in recent weeks, and both of them announced new alliances to develop novel therapeutics.

Hardly a day goes by when I don’t have a rookie entrepreneur ask for advice on raising money from VCs. They usually have a fancy-looking business plan with detailed spreadsheets showing how their company will be worth billions by capturing just 1% of a market. All they need is some financing, and they’ll take the world by storm. My advice is always the same: ditch the business plan, and buy a lottery ticket. Your odds are better, and you’ll suffer less stress.

Most of the young entrepreneurs I meet have grown up reading stories about how, during the dot-com days, all you needed was a PowerPoint and a geeky smile to get a venture capitalist to throw millions your way. True, some really dumb companies were funded during those days, but nearly all of these companies (and their investors) went down in flames. It was just the few, random, successes that reaped the fortunes. Investors have grown much wiser since then (and will probably stay this way until the next bubble).

Tummy growls are really just internal farts, according to Indiana Public Media's "A Moment of Science."

Basically, the involuntary muscle movements that push food through your digestive tract keep working even after most of that food has moved on down the line. Eventually, gas bubbles are all that's left to be squeezed, and you get a rumbling sound as they pop. It's part of how your intestine keeps itself cleansed—no expensive pills or powders required!

"Economic gardening" is coming into play across Michigan as this new public policy initiative of boosting job creation by focusing on growing existing businesses is discussed by gubernatorial and other public-office candidates.

It is a concept designed to propel the state toward economic growth and stability. Almost all of Michigan's new jobs from 1993-2007 came from companies with fewer than 100 employees while companies with 500 or more employees lost a significant number of jobs in the same time frame, notes the Edward Lowe Foundation, the 25-year-old entrepreneurial leadership group in Cassopolis.

A new $10-million economic development fund aimed at improving access to capital for the Manitoba Métis Community was announced today by Premier Greg Selinger and Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) President David Chartrand at the 2010 MMF Annual General Assembly.

"Métis entrepreneurs and businesses have always been major contributors to Manitoba's economic success," said Selinger. "This fund is designed to ensure new and growing Métis enterprises have access to the equity they need to continue that success in the 21st century. We look forward to the fund assisting and working with Métis entrepreneurs from across the province who are coming forward to create jobs."

For the first time since Bloomberg BusinessWeek began its annual Most Innovative Companies ranking in 2005, the majority of corporations in the Top 25 are based outside the U.S. The reason: the new global leaders coming out of Asia

According to reports in BusinessWeek, in the past decade, as the U.S. was losing an estimated 2.4 million factory jobs to China, the Economic Policy Institute and other research organizations identified an alarming trend—alarming to Westerners, at least. The factories of South Korea, Taiwan, and China were making their way up the global value chain, from the sneakers, toys, and T-shirts they had produced in earlier years to personal computers, consumer electronics gear, household appliances, and even cars. For the West, the silver lining was this: Asia’s high-tech products were still generally regarded as inferior knockoffs of items designed in the U.S. and other so-called knowledge economies. China may have been the biggest worry, but as author Ted C. Fishman argued in his 2005 book, China Inc., it possessed a factory culture—it could imitate but not innovate.

Is the Western world really suffering from a Creativity Crisis?  “Yes,” according to a recent report in Newsweek that looked at scores on tests of creativity.  The scores recorded on Torrance tests of creativity have been dropping since 1990, particularly among children.  In comparison, IQ scores continue to rise with each new generation. Forget challenging the reliability of the Torrance scores.  As Newsweek reports, the test appears to be a reasonably reliable method for predicting creative output.  Further, no matter the accuracy of the test results, working to improve the quality of our creative thinking, our ingenuity, will generate numerous benefits to individuals and society as a whole. “The necessity of human ingenuity is undisputed,” according to Newsweek.  We agree. And so do business leaders.  A recent survey by IBM found that CEOs site creativity as the most important quality for leadership.  The U.S. and the world need more great creative thinkers to solve many problems from economic and environmental to war and hunger.  On an individual level, the only real defense against having your job shipped overseas is to be the person that creates ideas that lead to new profits.

A nascent entrepreneur is anybody engaged in the creation of new ventures. If you’re starting a bricks and mortar coffee shop or you’re starting a web design business as a sole trader or you’re going to sail your tiny yacht to Hawaii then you are a nascent entrepreneur. They are all new ventures. And this need not even be applied directly to a business… there are social entrepreneurs as well as business entrepreneurs.

In that context we have already debunked one myth of entrepreneurship – this is not just about high flying money makers.

Textaurant founder Josh Bob tells me his Waltham start-up has just landed its first big customer in Boston: Finale Desserterie & Bakery. Textaurant's technology allows restaurants to use a laptop to manage their list of customers waiting for a table, sending out a text message to let customers know when one becomes available. Finale will be using the system at the local chain's two busiest locations, in Harvard Square and Boston's Theater District, starting later this month.

You can already see Textaurant's system in action at Cafe Luigi in Bedford, and the Right Fork Diner on Martha's Vineyard. Bob says that the Right Fork Diner began using Textaurant just before July 4th, "and they were handling about 400 people a week day."

Tech startups use social media avidly [rabidly?], but biotech companies? Not so much.  Biotech companies should be blogging, tweeting and linking in like mad, though.  Here’s why:

1. Your customers (pharma companies) do it. More and more pharma companies are active in social media. Take a look at this article in the December issue of Life Science Leader (h/t @FiercePharma) or read the Dose of Digital blog any day of the week and you’ll be directed to interesting information about how products are being developed, tested and marketed. These are things you need to keep in mind as you move through your own product development process. Also, lots of pharma folks are on LinkedIn, so if you are as well, you’ll maximize your ability to reach out through personal connections when you’re building a constituency for your partnering deals.  Here’s my Twitter list of BioPharma news and analysis.

NEW YORK, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly) is looking for a few green executives. Thirty, to be exact.

Following a highly successful pilot semester in which 140 seasoned executives vied for 25 spots, NYU-Poly is calling for applicants for the fall session of its CleantechExecs program, a rigorous 10-week curriculum that trains top managers from a variety of fields to lead businesses in New York's fast-growing clean technology sector. The program is a collaborative undertaking between NYU-Poly's Department of Technology Management, NYU-Poly's New York City Accelerator for a Clean and Renewable Economy (NYC ACRE) and the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA). NYSERDA funding will once again fully cover tuition for executives admitted into the highly competitive program.

A focal point of the program is an applied project in which participants team with a startup or existing company to conceive or implement a clean-technology initiative. Among the first projects were plans to execute a green retrofit of some of New York's least energy-efficient residential buildings; proposals for the next-generation of smart-grid software, and a green overhaul of NYU-Poly's Brooklyn campus, transforming the area into a clean energy zone.

You could not ask for a more drastic demonstration of the contrast between how the United States and China are rolling out renewable energy technologies than the current state of offshore windmill deployment in the two countries.

The U.S. does not have a single offshore windmill currently in operation. The most notorious proposed project in the U.S., the 130-turbine Cape Wind offshore farm planned for Nantucket Sound, has been mired in litigation and politics for almost 10 years. Just this week the Massachusetts Department of Public Works opened hearings investigating whether the terms of the Cape Wind contract would be in the public ratepayer's interest. The hearings will drag on for at least two months, and whatever decision is made will likely be litigated by whichever side loses.

A 2010 study of 1,500 chief executives conducted by IBM's (IBM) Institute for Business Value identified creativity as the No. 1 leadership competency of the future. This paints a broad role for creativity in the business world in spurring economic growth. Creative solutions are needed for organizations to thrive, but how can business leaders deliberately increase creativity? Allow us to introduce the four Ps of Creativity, a holistic model for looking at creativity that leverages People, Products, Process, and Press to build creative competency, develop radically innovative solutions, and increase revenue.

Strategy No. 1 People: Form diverse teams adept at ideating, clarifying, developing, and implementing.

The Greek philosopher Plato believed people were born creative, but prevailing scientific research today refutes this theory. We now understand the question is not, "Are you creative?" but "How are you creative?"

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today unveiled a new report that highlights the impact of the 21st Century Jobs Fund, which was first called for by the governor in her 2005 State of the State address. The 21st Century Jobs Fund is a 10-year initiative passed with overwhelming bipartisan legislative support to accelerate the diversification of Michigan’s economy and create jobs. It is administered by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

“The 21st Century Jobs Fund was designed to reshape and diversify Michigan’s economy by focusing on innovative, entrepreneurial small businesses,” Granholm said. “Through the fund, we are laying the foundation for a new Michigan economy by developing a multi dimensional entrepreneurial ecosystem that provides start-up businesses with seed capital, coaching and the support infrastructure needed to develop businesses in Michigan.”

The report, titled “Foundation for a New Michigan Economy,” tracks the impact of the diversification efforts of the 21st Century Jobs Fund, including the 1,497 companies that have benefited, creating or retaining more than 24,400 jobs. The governor unveiled the report during a visit to Display Pack, a Grand Rapids-based global manufacturer of packing products.

Since the legislation to help small businesses weather the storm in still stuck with the legislators, it’s good to know that on the state level there are some programs that aim to help small businesses.

In a recent article in Forbes.com (with the help of CB Insight, a New York firm that tracks private company funding trends), they compiled a list of 11 states that have grants, loans and equity capital to help small businesses – you just have to know where to look. Some of the programs have been operating for two decades now and have invested billions of dollars collectively.

Most of the programs are aimed at technology firms in an attempt to lure young entrepreneurs into their states and bring in more jobs to the area. But as you will find by looking at the list, the fields differ and vary from state to state.

The research study, Global Entrepreneurship and the United States, by Zoltan Acs and Laslo Szerb, constructs a multifaceted tool for measuring and comparing countries’ overall entrepreneurial health.

Washington, D.C. - infoZine - How does the United States compare to other nations in the field of entrepreneurship? A paper released today by the Office of Advocacy titled Global Entrepreneurship and the United States by Zoltan J. Acs and Laszlo Szerb looks at this question. Using the Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index (GEDI), the United States ranks third overall; it ranks first on the entrepreneurial aspirations, sixth in entrepreneurial attitudes, and eighth in entrepreneurial activity. The GEDI is a research tool that captures the contextual features of entrepreneurship in 71 countries.

“Entrepreneurship is essential for an economy to grow and flourish,” said Winslow Sargeant, Chief Counsel for Advocacy. “This important study provides a better understanding of our strengths and where we need to improve in order for us to compete in a global economy”

A copy of the report ( PDF ) and the research summary ( PDF ).

Beijing — Perhaps the most crucial technology at Tsinghua University is the bicycle.

Bikes are everywhere on the campus here, parked by the hundreds outside of classroom buildings, or wheeling along the sidewalks, bike lanes, and streets inside the university's gates.

When I stopped at lunchtime today to ask a student for directions to the nearest cafeteria, he pointed me off into the distance but then stressed that it was too far to go on foot. So he offered to give me a lift on the back panel of his beat-up old ride.

Using a new way of analyzing brain-imaging data, scientists have mapped out how the complex networks of connections in the brain evolve as children age. The researchers are now using the technology to examine how brain development in children with specific disorders, such as autism, veers off the norm. Ultimately, researchers aim to use the technology to predict, for example, whether a child at risk for autism will actually develop the disorder, or what treatments might work best for that individual.

Previous research by the same team at the Washington University School of Medicine had shown that between age five and 30, the short-range connections in the brain tend to weaken, while longer-range connections get stronger. In the new study, scientists plotted the trajectory for normal brain development and showed for the first time that they could determine a child's development based on a brain scan.

Product Management is an art and as a startup, you need to  find out the product/market fit at a very early stage in the company.
In all my workshops, I insist startups to not outsource the Product Management activity – even hiring a PM at an early stage is outsourcing to an extent, as defining a product is part of your bplan (and vice versa as well).

We have extensively covered Product Management articles and let me share a few resources that I have found tremendously useful. We hope you like it too.