Worthless. Impossible. Stupid. Safe to say those are three words aspiring entrepreneurs probably doesn't want to hear assigned to their idea, right?

Wrong, says Daniel Isenberg. The author of the aptly-titled book Worthless, Impossible, and Stupid argues that anything entrepreneurial--truly entrepreneurial--shouldn't be perceived as valuable, feasible, or smart. That's because entrepreneurism, rather than referring to anybody who starts a business, is all about seeing value where nobody else does, he says. Entrepreneurship is contrarian.

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Call it a reset, pivot or serious makeover, but whatever it’s called, Mark Kaplan, the chief executive officer of the New Hampshire Innovation Commercialization Center, is determined to take the young organization to the next stage as fast as possible.

Founded in 2010, the NH-ICC was created to accelerate job growth and the development of early-stage high-tech companies. It was also designed to further enhance the commercialization capabilities of entrepreneurial ventures fostered through the University of New Hampshire’s Office for Research Partnerships & Commercialization

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When I was little, I was told that there was no such thing as a sure bet. In economics class, I learned that there is no such thing as a free lunch. But in law school, I learned that there is an exception to every rule.

Under our current system, patent trolls are the exception to the rules: they are getting a free lunch and they are winning sure bets, all to the tune of millions of dollars.

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Eric Remer is the founder and CEO of PaySimple, a leading provider of small business merchant accounts, mobile and electronic payments, and ACH processing services. He also founded Conclave Group, a direct marketing services company, and co-founded I-Behavior, a leading behavioral targeting and database marketing organization. He began his career in the investment banking field with Kidder, Peabody & Co.

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NASA is seeking proposals for the agency’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs to enable future space exploration while helping to seed viable commercial products and services here in the US.

Small businesses and nonprofit research institutions that participate in the SBIR and STTR Programs are provided with opportunities to address specific technology gaps in NASA missions. The programs stimulate opportunities for the commercialization of new technologies developed through federal research and development. Many NASA efforts have been aided through the program results, such as modern air traffic control systems, Earth and sun observing spacecraft, the International Space Station (ISS), planetary and astrophysics science missions and the technologies needed for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit.

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The decision on which incubator, if any, a startup should join boils down to how much of your entrepreneurial sauce you can, want and should try to make on your own. Entrepreneurs have limited time, knowledge and resources. Therefore they need to focus on what matters most to them and what they need to do better than their competitors.

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In most cities, cycling infrastructure isn't much more than a few dotted lines on the road. But that's not how it is in the Netherlands, one of the world's most cycle-friendly nations. Dutch cities have dedicated lanes that separate cars and bikes, making cycling an activity for young and old, female and male--not just the adventurous few.

If you had wandered up to the second floor of the Apple store in San Francisco on a Thursday evening a couple of weeks ago, you would have seen an unusual spectacle. The big wooden tables were cleared of the usual iPads and MacBooks, and in their place visitors had laid out large sheets of black vinyl printed to look like miniature speedways.

Applications are due November 18, 2013

DreamIt Health Baltimore is designed to speed the growth and success of early-stage health IT companies through its program in Central Maryland. Powered by the Johns Hopkins University, BioHealth Innovation, and DreamIt Ventures – the program gives participants access and advantages typically out-of-reach to healthcare startups. DreamIt works with extraordinary teams to create exceptional companies, accomplishing in 3-6 months what would otherwise take years. DreamIt accelerators are characterized by seed capital, intense 1-on-1 mentorship from dedicated, previously successful tech entrepreneurs, access to key people, expertise, and information typically beyond the reach of a startup, informal education from leading industry practitioners, a robust network of DreamIt alumni, and a wide range of free services.  Following a lean startup methodology, the selected teams focus on rapid, iterative interactions with their target markets to reduce risk and find product-market fit as quickly as possible.

As Erie’s industrial landscape continues to change, our roots, once tethered deep in manufacturing, are leading to a trunk that’s on the verge of sprouting new leaves. The color, shape, and size of those leaves will inevitably be determined by the next generation – the Millennials – the new wave of entrepreneurial minds germinating in Erie’s bedrock, forming to shape current and future leaders.

Enter Ignite Erie: A Day of Innovation for Entrepreneurs “designed to be a day of innovation – to talk about innovation-based economic development with two key groups in the community,” explains Perry Wood, Executive Director of the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority.

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Dichotomies create dilemmas: white or wheat; liberal or conservative; gas or electric; and for the aspiring careerist--startup or corporate. Each has its trade-offs--on one hand you get to bring dogs to work and maybe nab some equity, on the other you get better paid and greater security. So how do we choose?

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It's in your nature to think bigger and as an entrepreneur you're designed to want to make more. But to experience the success you want to achieve, you must use your time, energy and focus wisely.

With 96 blocks of 15 minutes in a day, be careful about letting yourself fall into the email, meeting or "do-you-have-just-a-minute-to-talk" traps. Guard your time carefully.

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Small-business owners waste their time on what I call $10 an hour work, like running to get office supplies. Meanwhile, they forgo the activities that earn $1,000 an hour, such as sending the right email to the right person, or negotiating a lucrative contract, or convincing a client to do more business with you.

Entrepreneurs don't realize the same 80/20 principle -- the adage that 20 percent of customers equal 80 percent of sales -- applies to every dimension of business. And that includes time management.

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Over the past few months, Volvo has been promoting its trucks with a stunt campaign that's run the gamut from the president of its truck division dangling from a crane 65 feet over a Swedish port, to seeing if a hamster can drive a 15-ton truck up a dangerous, snaking quarry road.

This time the carmaker decided to go epic. In "The Epic Split," Jean-Claude Van Damme stands straddling two giant trucks, traveling backwards, on a closed runway. The Muscles from Brussels deadeyes the camera as his voiceover gives a nod to his struggles and hints at what's to come.

November 14, 2013 (Baltimore, MD) – Governor Martin O’Malley announced today that EnerTech Capital Partners and Foundation Medical Partners (FMP) have been selected to receive funds through the State’s $84 million InvestMaryland program. The venture capital firms will invest $10 and $7 million each in young, innovative Maryland companies. As part of the agreement, the firms will return to the State’s general fund 100 percent of the principal and 80 percent of the proceeds from successful investments. Created by Governor O’Malley and the Maryland General Assembly in 2011, InvestMaryland is a historic initiative to fuel Maryland’s Innovation Economy, support entrepreneurs and stimulate job creation.

A few months ago a venture capital company I consult for asked me to visit the offices of Baker–Calling, a Santa Monica–based start-up trying to build a better microphone for use in smartphones and tablets. Baker–Calling’s founder, Robert Littrell, has been working on this problem for eight years—first while earning an engineering PhD at the University of Michigan, and now as the CEO of his five-person company. He believes that his microphones, which detect sound using piezoelectric sensing, can offer both better quality and lower cost than traditional microphones that contain a vibrating diaphragm. In September he was issued a U.S. patent for his invention.

Being a social butterfly just might change your brain: In people with a large network of friends and excellent social skills, certain brain regions are bigger and better connected than in people with fewer friends, a new study finds.

The research, presented here Tuesday (Nov. 12) at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, suggests a connection between social interactions and brain structure.

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The Center for Entrepreneurship at Boise State University, in conjunction with the TECenter, is launching The StartUp Shop, a new project designed to jump start economic development in the Boise valley. The first StartUp Shop event is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Nov. 21. Applicants can learn more at http://cobe.boisestate.edu/startupshop.

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We weren't sure the NBA would be able to top its enormously successful 2012 holiday spot, featuring some of its biggest players performing "Carol of the Bells" using only bouncing basketballs. But this year, the league has taken its holiday spirit to the next level with its latest ad: a performance of "Jingle Bells," featuring a slew of NBA stars and five hoops affixed with sleigh bells.

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Google is investing $80 million in six new solar plants in California and Arizona that the company says will provide enough electricity for 17,000 homes in the United States.

The investment is Google's 14th in renewable energy. The company has so far put more than $1 billion behind solar and wind projects since April 2010. Google is partnering with investment firm KKR for the venture; the lead developer is Recurrent Energy.

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