It was a tough third quarter for venture capital, but Google Ventures was very busy.

Courtesy of Google Ventures Managing Partner Bill Maris and the rest of the Google Ventures team topped all venture firms with 21 deals. The venture affiliate of Google did 21 deals in the quarter, according to Dow Jones VentureSource, surpassing Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which did 17, and New Enterprise Associates and 500 Startups, which each did 16.

Overall, the venture deal pace for the three months ending with September was off 9% and the total amount invested was down 32%.

I report this week from Africa which is enjoying its greatest economic success in decades and where there has never been a better time to be an entrepreneur. With economic growth rates this year around 6 percent in one-third of the 49 sub-Saharan African countries, the IMF forecasts that Africa will have the fastest-growing economy of any continent over the next five years. The World Bank in turn has reported earlier this month that more than 20 sub-Saharan African countries, encompassing more than 400 million people, have gained middle-income status, while the number of people living in poverty is down by roughly 10 percentage points over the past decade.

In the pursuit of SBIR or STTR funding, you WILL invest time and energy. The resources found here can significantly reduce the load while improving your chances of winning. The free information areas on this site, along with our SBIR-SmartTM and SBIR-SoftTM resources, offer the absolute easiest, most cost-effective way to:

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Its Not Your Fathers SBIR Program Anymore! - a prediction of the new 2012 SBIR Re-authorization Law's results.   

Analysis of the new 2012 SBIR Re-authorization Law a presentation for Virginia's Center for Innovative Technologies (CIT) SBIR Webinar, Jan. 24, 2012   

An Introduction to the SBIR & STTR Programs -- a contractor's perspective.

Keynote Presentation for GovConectx 2006 Winter Semester Conference, Jan. 27, 2006   

The College of Engineering and Computing and the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine are two of the partners in a new “innovation ecosystem” at FIU that will “move research from fundamentals to industry,” says Naphtali Rishe, professor of computer science and director of the High Performance Database Research Center at FIU.

Rishe is the principal investigator of the NSF Center for Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST), the NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC), and the Ecosystem to Pipeline Research – the new Accelerating Innovation Research (AIR) initiative, funded through the National Science Foundation Partnership for Innovation Program (NSF PFI), designed to develop academic innovation and then translate research into viable products for industry. “The NSF PFI: AIR research alliance projects are expected not only to result in new technologies, commercial realities, quality jobs, and start-up businesses, but they also will provide opportunities for students to be educated about innovation, entrepreneurship, and the technology translation process,” says the NSF AIR program director Karlene Hoo.

Here at Computers for Kids of America we are dedicated to providing our clients with a full service experience that combines proper recycling practices with unmatched customer service and precise attention to detail, while also providing a cost effective opportunity to help those in need.  What follows is an example of how an IT asset removal project would work, with obvious room for alterations and modifications based on each individual client’s needs.

Do you ever wonder what will prevent another company from using your business name? How about if you’re legally permitted to use the name you picked for your business? Or do you know when you can use the TM symbol with your brand or product name?

Assembled here are all the answers to the most frequently asked questions when it comes to trademarking. If you’re a small business owner, read on to learn more about the trademark, and most importantly, if you need one for your business.

Many startups fail before reaching that magic “cash-flow positive” position they have been striving for, despite seemingly reasonable financial projections. A closer analysis often indicates the cause to be a lack of diligence in handling common business finances. These mistakes are usually masked by excuses, like the economy turned on me, or my competitors played dirty.

I found a good summary of the most common mistakes in a new book by Kelly Clifford, “Profit Rocket,” written primarily to help you on the other side of the equation – skyrocket your profits. I’m sure all you accountants will agree that fixing the mistakes listed here does not require rocket science, but I’ve seen them so often that to be forewarned is to be forearmed:

A unique blend of inspiring talks, stunning performances, and interactive Adventures – all designed to connect you to your world in ways you never thought possible. Explore new ideas, open your mind to things you haven’t seen before, or engage something you see everyday from an entirely new perspective. Catch Ideas in Action on the street – TEDxBeaconStreet – November 17 and 18!

Venture capital investments dropped again in the third quarter of 2012, as continued shrinkage of the industry and caution in the current exit market kept investment levels down, according to the latest MoneyTree report from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association.

Total investing in the third quarter was $6.5 billion via 890 deals, down 11% in dollars and 5% in number of deals compared to the second quarter of 2012.

Singer Art Garfunkel, a real estate magnate and an investor are putting $2 million in gold bullion on the line to inspire researchers to cure blindness by 2020, establishing through Johns Hopkins Medicine one of the world's largest prizes for a scientific advancement.

The men, one-time roommates at Columbia University, intend for the prize to trigger research into the variety of diseases that cause blindness — 80 percent of which are preventable — in 39 million people around the world.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Investors have struggled to generate steady returns in the public equity markets since the financial crisis began, with 28 negative months and only 32 positive months on the S&P 500 since October 2007.

And despite a U.S. economy that arguably has stabilized over the last 12 months (growth remains elusive), the equity market continues to be unpredictable. Austerity in Europe, elections in the U.S., and politics in the Middle East seem to drive sentiment far more than company fundamentals.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- With stats like $327 million raised for 31,000 projects, it's difficult to argue that there's a better place to raise money than Kickstarter, which this year has already had 13 projects hit the million-dollar mark. But competitive crowdfunding sites are desperately trying to become the Kickstarter within their own category.

Entrepreneurs and small businesses celebrated the announcement that Ontario’s successful Eastern Ontario Development Fund will be expanding into Ottawa.

“The Canadian banking sector doesn’t take a lot of risk,” said Bruce Lazenby, President and CEO of Invest Ottawa on Friday.

“There’s hundreds of million sitting on the sidelines. A $20 million dollar fund like this leverages investment.”

The University of Cincinnati will commit $5 million initially and up to $5 million more in the future to Cintrifuse, a corporate-backed startup accelerator that is raising up to $100 million to bolster the city’s venture capital offerings. The investment will give UC an advisory-committee seat on a new fund of funds, which will invest in venture capital funds in other cities. The goal is to increase access to growth capital for Tri-State startups.

I have met several young people in business recently who believe that they are natural born entrepreneurs, and actually seem to feel that traditional training and experience may be a detriment to their success in this new world. I concede that natural born components do exist, but more often I tend to agree with Peter Drucker, who said “It’s not magic, it’s not mysterious, and it has nothing to do with genes. It’s a discipline, and like any discipline, it can be learned.”

On the natural born side, some entrepreneurs seem to have a strong vision and the ability to inspirationally lead others. It is this vision that is the beacon to drive the right people behavior, leading to the success of the business. If you don’t feel a vision in your heart, or if you don’t have the strength to inspire people, entrepreneurship is probably the wrong road for you.

Wondering if the job you have now is "the one"--or just another stop on the way to something more fulfilling? Check out this list to know whether it's time to settle in or keep moving.

This month marks the nine-month anniversary of the most natural and obvious, most joyful and energizing decision of my life: to fully commit 100% to my life's work.

I've spent every day falling more madly in love with how I live my life and spend my time, the contributions I'm making to society, and the discomfort and growth that I feel each day.

“It’s a family decision when you decide to become an entrepreneur. So you need to make sure that you have a family decision when you’re coming into this, because when you start a company and you’re bringing other people into the fold, other people’s livelihoods are on the line because of you.” Becoming an entrepreneur can be a great decision, but it’s not just your decision, says Brooks. It’s crucial to be aware of the needs of those who depend on you. Entrepreneurship doesn’t always lead to success, and it can be time-intensive.

SAN FRANCISCO — Phil Libin, chief executive of Evernote, turned to his wife last year and asked if she had suggestions for how the software company might improve the lives of its employees and their families. His wife, who also works at Evernote, didn’t miss a beat: housecleaning.

Today, Evernote’s 250 employees — every full-time worker, from receptionist to top executive — have their homes cleaned twice a month, free.

New York and London top this year’s list of leading global centers of opportunity, though emerging cities such as Beijing and Shanghai are catching up quickly. Beijing actually tops the list in terms of overall economic clout. The top cities for business and financial services employment? Milan and Paris.

These are the conclusions culled from the latest edition of Cities of Opportunity, released by PwC and the Partnership for New York City.

The revival of American manufacturing has been a constant refrain in presidential campaigns, and 2012 is no exception.

"We need a strong manufacturing base in America if we want a strong middle class in America, if we want good jobs, if we want a high standard of living," Republican Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan said at an October 13, 2012 rally in the old steel town of Youngstown, Ohio.  

At his 2012 State of the Union Address, President Obama laid out a blueprint for the American economy, with manufacturing at its base: "We have a huge opportunity, at this moment, to bring manufacturing back. But we have to seize it," President Obama explained. He went on to say, "I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last — an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values."