Hands up if you’re surprised that the Mayans were wrong; better yet, hands up if, like me, you took their prediction as an excuse to spend way too much on wine to ‘prepare’ for the imminent apocalypse. But then again, the day’s not over so we might still face zombies, Horsemen or the Second Coming, wine in hand. Either way, 2012 is on its way out, and while we wait for whatever may happen, we can reminisce over the year that’s been with some of the best and most popular viral videos of the past twelve months.

Tired of the same old soap on a rope, bottle of wine or pair of socks Christmas present clichés? Want to liven up the present selection under the tree this year? Here are some of the most bizarre presents and festive season items to be found on Etsy and Pinterest. It might be a hangover from Movember, but there seems to be a much wider than expected range of moustache-related, festive-season themed paraphernalia to be had. So to keep the moustachioed hipster in your life happy, choose from the following:

The fourth annual AVCAL/Pacific Strategy Partners Deal Metrics Survey of private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) activity covers $77.7b worth of transactions conducted by 170 funds between FY06-FY12. The database now represents total PE deal value of $76.7b across 774 transactions and total VC equity investment of $963m across 832 transactions. Many transactions from FY06-FY11) have also been updated and refined with new data provided by PE and VC funds. We also conducted 30 interviews with PE and VC funds, industry advisors, and equity and debt providers to gauge the industry’s recent performance and future outlook.

In spite of the difficult macroeconomic climate – hampered by the European and American debt crises – PE transaction value and volume remained consistent (with the exclusion of two outlier deals conducted in FY11). Survey respondents were confident that the deal pipeline in FY12 had improved on FY11, driven by increased succession pressures and converging price expectations.

Market caution saw assets exchange for slightly lower multiples in FY12. However, a common theme emerging from the surveys was that strong prices were still available for quality assets.

Debt availability and fundraising remained tight in FY12, as debt and equity providers became increasingly selective about the PE funds and sectors they were willing to support. Exit conditions also remained difficult and, with IPO markets remaining virtually closed, secondary deals (sponsor-to-sponsor) and trade sales became increasingly popular exit routes.

This is the third in the series of annual reports on the performance of Australia’s National Innovation System. It discusses trends in innovation in Australia and where possible benchmarks Australia’s innovation performance against other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.

The theme of this year’s report is productivity which principally drives national prosperity in the long run. Innovation is a tool to facilitate growth in productivity, market diversity, exports and employment. Significant benefits accrue to business and, in aggregate, the economy and society, where a culture of innovation is pursued. Innovation also delivers greater resilience at a business and an economy-wide level, greater ability to handle shocks and changing business and economic conditions.

People often think of innovation as world-first breakthrough technology underpinned by research and development (R&D). Innovation is much broader and more pervasive than this. When an organisation wants to improve something it implements a new direction in its operations: this is innovation. Innovation can have varying degrees of novelty, and the internationally recognised definition of innovation states that the lowest level of novelty is something that is new to a single business. So the adoption or modification of an already existing technology is innovation if it is new to that business. It may not be pushing the boundaries of what is possible for Australia and the world but it can, in aggregate, lift productivity.

These days any time you talk mobile app development or operating systems, HTML5 is a key part of the conversation.

Perhaps the biggest development for HTML5 in 2012 was its non-development. At the end of 2011, HTML5 seemed like a young athlete that had no limits to its potential. Yet, just as we watch many athletes mature into professional players, the development was marred by maturation and performance issues that took some of the luster off the subject. From a technological standpoint, the HTML5 stack saw good improvement in 2012 as companies like Google, Mozilla, appMobi, Sencha, Research In Motion, Facebook and others have developed towards the stack. HTML5 is well on its way to being a mature technology.

With each day, the so-called fiscal cliff looms larger as Congress and President Obama work to come to agreement on a federal-deficit compromise, which so far has proven elusive. Absent such an agreement by year's end, far-reaching spending cuts will be triggered as result of the Budget Control Act of 2011, through a mechanism called sequestration.

These reductions in federal spending, expected to total more than $1-trillion over the next nine years, would reduce the country's budget deficit—but would almost certainly come at a perilously high cost to the short-term stability and long-term vitality of the U.S. economy.

Investment in research & development in the U.S. life science industry will turn a corner in 2013 after three years of reduced spending, if a new market analysis is correct.

In their 2013 R&D Funding Forecast (PDF), research and development organization Battelle and R&D Magazine propose that U.S. life science companies will bump up their total R&D spending from $181.6 billion in 2012 to $189.3 billion in 2013. Better access to healthcare information, via data analysis, will accelerate and enhance pharmaceutical R&D and adoption of connected health technologies, they say.

This year’s most popular stories on LinkedIn reflect a common theme: self-improvement.

Professionals gobbled up advice on how to be more efficient, more productive, and, yes, even more “remarkable” in the eyes of their bosses. The self-help craze reflects, on some level, the realities of the economy. With the unemployment rate at 7.7%, and the economic recovery uncertain, businesspeople are looking for any edge they can find in the workplace.

The top stories included plenty of career lessons. Harvard Business Review’s Tony Schwartz reminded office workers everywhere to stop living in the “gray zone” – his term for multitasking – if they want to be more effective at work. Inc.’s Jeff Haden revealed that the best employees defy job descriptions, constantly re-work processes and show the quirky sides of their personality. Meanwhile, Business Insider let us all in on a secret: Recruiters spend, on average, just six seconds looking at our resumes.

Are you confused about how to proceed with your hottest new idea or project? If so, take heart! Confusion is not always a bad thing. In fact, it's often a necessary part of the creative process.

The weirdness enters when you start judging yourself for being confused. Then, instead of benefiting from this normal stage of "not knowing" you end up in endless rounds of self-talk, procrastination, and worry.

What IS confusion, really?

Technically speaking, it's a state of mind in which the elements you are dealing with appear to be indiscriminately mixed, out of whack, or unable to be interpreted to your satisfaction.

Have you been thinking about starting a business or incorporating a business or an existing sole proprietorship?

If so, you might be wondering what’s the best time to incorporate or form an LLC. Should you try to squeeze it in before the end of the year or wait until next year?

Below are three tips for determining when is the best time to incorporate your business:

If You Have Liability Concerns, Incorporate Right Away

If your business is involved in an industry or activities with a lot of liability, then you should incorporate or form an LLC as soon as possible in order to separate your personal finances from your business.

Are you worried about the rising cost of health insurance for yourself and your employees?

You’re probably not alone, and concerns about cost may be one reason why nearly all (87 percent) of business executives nationwide believe workplace wellness programs are beneficial for their companies.

The study The State of Workplace Wellness in America, conducted by the Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota, polled business leaders nationwide and in six states to find out what they thought of workplace wellness programs and what challenges they faced in implementing them.

We’re only mere days away from Christmas and my house isn’t feeling very Christmassy. And it seems I’m not the only one. There have been quite a few remarks between my friends that Christmas isn’t exactly what it used to be like.

It’s not the rampant commercialism of the holiday that has us vexed, but rather the lack of that special Christmassy spirit that we’re used to. Nary a shop assistant will wear a Christmas hat these days. Shops are full of jostling masses of people looking for the ultimate Christmas gifts.

As many of you know, this time of the year is one of our favorite at First Round Capital - and not just because it's the holiday season.   But rather because it's time to fire up our camera, polish up our writing skills, dust off our dancing shoes, practicing our singing and prepare for our holiday video.

We hope this annual tradition shows that even though startups are a serious business - we don't take ourselves too seriously.  Our holiday video also gives us the chance to get together with the amazing entrepreneurs we work with to sing and dance, celebrate like it’s Friday, and end the year with a bit of Spice.

A new start-up accelerator focused on the intersection of healthcare and technology is coming to Miami next year.

Project Lift Miami, designed to help develop young companies and prepare them for investment opportunities, is a partnership between Lift1428, an innovation design, strategy and communications firm; the Miami Innovation Center at the University of Miami Life Science & Technology Park and its developer, Wexford Science + Technology; and the UM Miller School of Medicine, said Robert Chavez, the project’s executive director. “We’re being proactive and trying to support innovative ideas and companies. … We’d like to keep them here and really help to transform the area into a healthcare innovation hub.”

Eastman Kodak has finally found a buyer for its digital imaging patent portfolio for about $525 million today, as the 132-year-old company struggles to become solvent again after filing for bankruptcy protection in January. A consortium of 12 companies, including Intellectual Ventures, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook, agreed to the sale.

The company that was synonymous with film and cameras, and even inspired a Paul Simon song, has already been planning to sell or end many of its consumer businesses, including in film, photo kiosks, online photo sharing, and inkjet printers.

Nokia is one of those companies that matters too much to the worldwide mobile market to die off.

When the financial collapse ravaged the world and sent most countries into a recession, there was a discussion on which banks were “too big to fail.” It was a discussion that centered on the idea that if a particular company were allowed to fail, it could send the entire economy into a tailspin.

Looking at the technology industry, Apple or Microsoft might fit that bill. But Nokia might do so in its own way. A Nokia closure wouldn’t necessarily rattle the economy, but it’s entirely possible that if the company shuttered its doors, it would send shockwaves through the industry.

Yes, Christmas trees are beautiful when they're decorated with tinsel, ornaments and strings of lights, and glowing in living rooms. But wrestling them into the house, then making sure they don't tip over or lean like a drunken uncle, is an annual endeavor that for many families involves salty vocabulary, arguments and anguish.

But what if, Claas thought, someone made a really sturdy tree stand? A stand that could hold up a tree of any size, from a majestic conifer to a scraggly Charlie Brown sapling. Something that could be attached in a couple of minutes with no mess.

Created by the Russian government, Rusnano places its capital in companies that occupy the niche of nanotechnology. The firm has invested $6.3 billion in over 100 firms at home and outside of Russia – including the US – and overall manages about $10 billion in funds. After five years of operation, Rusnano has decided to attract private investors by offering equity to the tune of 10% of its shares.

Among large emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – Russia is still somewhat underexplored and investors remain cautious. However, interest is growing and opportunities are there, especially with the Russian government’s willingness to spend money.

If you are one of the many people still searching for that job lost during the recent depression, or about to dump the loser of a job you have now, you should be working on starting your own business, in parallel with looking for that ideal job. Let me explain why this is a win-win deal, no matter what the outcome.

You have probably secretly always wanted to run your own show, but with an existing job, never took the time to consider a startup. Then there was always the risk of failure, which of course doesn’t apply once your real job is gone. Also, for most of us, not having done it before, we have no idea where or how to start.

I've been wearing my earbuds while working out on the treadmill lately, to keep out the random noise of the gym. Lately I’ve taken to blasting a bit of the music of my generation through them. Who knew the Rolling Stones could be so good for motivation?

But, after hearing Mick complain for about the fortieth time that he was not getting any satisfaction, I thought to myself: “Gee. Maybe his job just isn’t a good fit for his Role.”

For any readers who don’t immediately get what I mean, a person’s Role (as identified by our ‘technology of teaming’) describes the manner or mode in which the person seeks to make meaningful contributions to their ‘team’.