IBM Corp. is betting machines that can think like humans will be a big source of future revenue for the company — so much so that it created an entirely new business unit around Watson, the Jeopardy-winning system that it has made available in the cloud to power applications for everything from banking to medical research. To give some context, the last time IBM created a new business unit, it was for a new, untested idea called the personal computer.

Image: Vicki Thompson - Claudia Fan Munce, managing director for IBM's Venture Capital Group, said the company's new $100 million fund for startups using its Watson platform is aimed at accelerating adoption by getting young companies over the tough early stage development hump. 

CLEVELAND, Ohio --Cleveland's technology industry is attracting the kind of money that launches companies, a newly released report indicates, but it needs a financial boost to help those startups to soar.

Without an infusion of venture capital, observers fear, some promising young companies may soon fade or be stolen away -- along with any jobs they might create.

Investors who have shied away from clean-tech companies for the past two years haven't lost interest, but are broadening their scope into more areas of sustainability, according to a report by Cleantech IQ. "The definition of 'clean tech' has expanded greatly. There is still some perception that when you talk about clean tech, you're talking about a technology risk on solar, wind and biomass," Craig Metrick, leader of Mercer's US Responsible Investment Practice, told Cleantech IQ.

Image Courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A Dutch man who lost his left hand in a fireworks accident nine years ago is now able to feel different kinds of pressure on three fingers of a prosthetic, robotic hand. The work involved a new kind of implanted device that delivers feedback directly to the remaining nerves in the man’s arm. The implant was left in place for 31 days, allowing the man to feel gradations of touch pressure, depending on the amount of electrical stimulus delivered.

Image: http://www.technologyreview.com - A man with a robotic hand can now feel varying degrees of pressure thanks to an implant that connects with the nerves in his arm.   

If you’ve been keeping a cursory eye on Microsoft’s CEO hunt over the past few months, yesterday’s announcement came as no surprise: long-rumoured favoured candidate Satya Nadella has the job. But before all this insider talk by “people familiar with the matter” brought him to the world’s attention, Nadella has been a name that gained much less fuss than the reported competitors for the job, such as Nokia’s Stephen Elop and Ford’s CEO Alan Mulally. How much less? This graph of global Google search queries paints a succinct picture:

It sounds fine on the face of it, but not everyone will get what they want and this is more likely to happen to you if you fail to spot the traps.

A lot has been written on the subject of negotiations and even on the relatively recent concept of win-win. Such negotiations happen when at least one party tries to get what she or he wants from the other party without the need to use power. Unfortunately, win-win has, more often than not, been misunderstood.

Image Courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The compromise spending bill for $1.1 trillion keeps the government open through September, according to CNN. It increases funding to Head Start by $1 billion for early childhood education, which makes sense after its recent low point with the forced budget cuts last year. It increases the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel by 1 percent. It reduces funding to the IRS and the Environmental Protection Agency. It launches policies aimed at getting more low-risk passengers through security quicker at airports. So it has a little bit in it for just about everyone. But once again, Congress is kicking the can down the road, because we are going to have this same contentious conversation next fall when this extension expires.

Image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/ 

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Here in the land of technology start-ups, Ro Khanna is its political version. Backed by many of Silicon Valley’s top investors and executives at Google, Facebook, Yahoo and other tech companies, Mr. Khanna, a 37-year-old patent lawyer who has never held elected office, has mounted an aggressive campaign for the seat from the 17th Congressional District in the heart of the Valley.

Image: Ro Khanna, at right, says he would be a “disruptive” force in Washington, using the jargon of tech start-ups. He has far out-raised his incumbent opponent. Jim Wilson/The New York Times  

A test of four top smartphones to find out which forward-facing camera takes the best selfie.

As a leadership coach, I’ve developed a bit of a crush on Pope Francis. And I’m not alone.

As Time magazine’s “Person of The Year,” the pontiff is considered “everyone’s pope.” Leading a behemoth organization rife with scandal and politics, and at risk of becoming as societally relevant as my grandmother’s silver tea service, he has nonetheless captured the attention and admiration of believers and non-believers alike. 

Image: Susan Cramm, leadership coach, author, and former CFO and CIO, is committed to the principle that the best leaders take care of business by taking care of the people entrusted to their care. 

Under a major reform of EU regional policy, billed by the Commission as the "largest since its introduction", billions in EU regional development funds – once sprinkled widely to help poor regions catch up – will now be targeted to support innovation.

Helping low-income regions learn how to innovate is now the top priority, both to bridge the research divide and to halt the brain drain from Europe’s Eastern and Southern countries, said Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for Regional and Urban Policy.

Image: Johannes Hahn, EU Commissioner for Regional Policy 

There is more to marketing than companies, causes, and careers. Even whole regions need to market themselves.

Visionary goals and risk-taking must be foremost for any large American city to prosper, according to the authors of “Invention & Re-Invention: The Evolution of San Diego’s Innovation Economy,” a new book that traces one city’s changing sociological, political and economic trends, dating from the 1880s through contemporary times and beyond.

Image: Night shot profiling the Colors and Lights of the Downtown Sky. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) 

Being a business owner is an incredible journey. It is thrilling to build a company, shape the future, fuel economic growth, sell your offerings to thrilled customers, and create a team of remarkable people. It can also be demanding, overwhelming, frustrating, and very stressful. To survive for the long haul as an entrepreneur, it’s essential that you create a work-life balance and make an intentional choice to be happy.

Image Courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - University of Nebraska-Lincoln students with plans to become entrepreneurs have until Feb. 16 to apply for scholarships to the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program.

The program is part of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Scholarships are awarded annually to Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship students and renewable up to three years dependent on student performance.

Image Courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The economy has been picking up steam lately but a key growth engine — entrepreneurship — is still lagging.

The number of business establishments in the USA grew by 132,385, or just 1.5%, during the first three full years of the recovery — 2010 through 2012 — according to an analysis of Labor Department data by CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists.

Image Courtesy of pakorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Want to launch a crowdfunding campaign? You'd better get started yesterday.

The popular perception of fundraising sites like Kickstarter is that entrepreneurs can cut out a lot of the legwork of landing money. But experts say that's far from true.

Image: Natalia Rodriguez, co-founder of Jiva Cubes Jiva Cubes 

Bill Gates will give up his role as Microsoft Corp. chairman and will focus on creating "must-have" tech products for the company when Satya Nadella is named the CEO. That's according to Bloomberg, which reports Gates will remain on the board of Microsoft, but he'll be replaced as chairman by John Thompson after holding the role for the past 33 years.

Image: Bloomberg photo - Bill Gates reportedly will assume a new role at Microsoft. 

While startup cities are just emerging, there are smart and sophisticated steps being taken to develop healthy entrepreneurial ecosystems across the African continent. I take a look at one such collaboration, LIONS@FRICA, that promises to set a new example of how the willing can better help in Africa.

Image: http://entrepreneurship.org 

Dear SBIR Insider,

Much has transpired since our last issue. Musical chairs on the Hill will bring about new small business leadership in the Senate. Many changes at the SBA include a new Administrator (will require Senate confirmation), and a new Associate Administrator for the Office of Investment and Innovation (the overseer of SBIR/STTR), and several important SBIR policy directive changes.

Two years ago I joined a startup. I was the first employee, actually. To be honest I had absolutely no clue what to expect and even less of a clue as to what I was doing. The truth is, joining a start-up kind of feels like joining a crazed gang. You aren’t really too sure what’s going to happen next and how you’re going to pull off the job you just pitched but gosh darnit, there is SO MUCH EXCITEMENT.

Image: http://ventureburn.com