Would you say you agree with the following statement?

There is a perfect job fit for every individual, and finding the right line of work will determine one’s happiness and success at work.

According to a recent study from the University of Michigan, nearly 80% of Americans believe this statement to be true. They subscribe to what researchers call the "fit theory," which says there is one perfect job out there for you, one that aligns with your passion, and you just have to find it and eternal career happiness will follow.

If you're watching the GOP debate tonight to learn about the candidates' leadership style from what they say, you won't get the whole story. You might learn more about what type of leader they will really be if you focus on their body

Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk, "Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are," has millions of views for a reason—everyone who's watched it has understood a little bit more about themselves. But the flip side of Cuddy's research is equally fascinating—how we can understand others through the body language they, consciously or unconsciously, choose to use.

Nearly all of the guidance for meetings with VCs is centered on the very first meeting: how to get it, how to prepare a pitch deck, how to run the meeting, etc. But then the tactical advice stops. What about the rest of the VC fundraising process? How should an entrepreneur approach the full set of meetings and emails during a fundraise?

For five years, Meenal Balar's job was to figure out how to get more people to use Facebook — everywhere in the world. In 2009, as the growth team was just coming together, the company already had its eyes fixed on a billion users, and Balar was one of the key players that would get them there by answering questions like: How do we onboard mobile-only users? Okay, now how do we do it in the remotest corners of the globe?

September 8, 2015 – (Orlando, Florida) – The newly renamed International Business Innovation Association (INBIA) has completed its rebrand initiative.  INBIA, an international non-profit organization and global advocate for stakeholders within entrepreneur-driven economic ecosystems, has consistently demonstrated that 2015 is the year for change.  Already this year the organization announced it had revamped its long-standing Business Incubation Management Certificate Program, enhanced the education catalog with the addition of new courses focused on building quality entrepreneurship programs, launched INBIA’s Global Ambassador Network, and updated its online presence to better serve members.

Last month, the venerable Economist newspaper published an editorial decrying the state of the patent system. They rightly condemned the “parasitic ecology of trolls” that has bruised the patent system in recent years. But then the Economist went much further, claiming that while “today’s patent regime operates in the name of progress, instead it sets innovation back.”

Whether through public offerings or acquisitions, Israeli tech wizards are luring investors, global giants and making a mint.

Business exits come in waves, and we’re in the middle of one. It’s putting hundreds of millions of dollars into the pockets of Israeli entrepreneurs and venture capital funds.

Canada needs to begin teaching the commercialization of ideas in a global context to public- and private-sector actors involved in Canada’s innovation ecosystem.

Domestic and international judicial strategies, IPR (international property rights) strategies in treaties and trade agreements, technology standard forum strategies and private-public sector co-operation strategies are just some of the examples in which Canada lacks capacity, which explains our dismal innovation output over the past 30 years.

 

In San Francisco, the richest 5% of households rake in an average of $423,000 a year, while the poorest 20% make around $24,000. The income gap between rich and poor is even worse in Atlanta, where the wealthiest people make nearly 20 times more.

As the gap between rich and poor grows in the U.S., it's worst in big cities. In a Brookings Institution ranking of the most unequal cities in the country, Atlanta and San Francisco topped the list, but others were close behind.

How do you visualize data? As tons of little atom-like pieces whizzing through the air? Or is it more like a huge spreadsheet that you’re constantly adding to and cross-referencing?

Maybe you’d rather avoid visualizing data altogether, simply because it’s too difficult to imagine.

Working across organizational boundaries was a new way of thinking 25 years ago —one that was largely championed by Jack Welch, then CEO of GE. Welch was convinced that the speed of globalization and technological innovation in the 21st century would require companies to work very differently – with shorter decision cycles, more employee engagement, and stronger collaboration than had previously been required to compete. He advocated for a “boundaryless organization,” and to build it, he initiated what became known as the GE Work-Out process – a series of structured and facilitated forums, bringing people together across levels, functions, and geographies to solve problems and make decisions in real time.

“I have so much to do that I live in constant fear of dropping the ball, failing to meet expectations, or worse.” This is a common refrain I hear from the executives and physicians I work with who are struggling to juggle the relentless demands of meeting professional, family, social and community obligations. Too many frantic days can leave you feeling exhausted, unbalanced and unfulfilled — like you’re trying to do so much that you end up doing none of it well.

Next month, between October 3 and 10, Greater Boston will host a weeklong festival called HUBweek that focuses on the city's burgeoning innovation scene. HUBweek's organizers have likened the event to South by Southwest. Brendan Ryan, the executive director of HUBweek, does point out that Austin has been working on its event for 26 years, while Boston is only just getting HUBweek off the ground—so its goals will be somewhat more modest. Still, it's a festival that he hopes will draw an eclectic mix of artists, entrepreneurs, companies, and partygoers.

A proposal from the two Democrats on the board of Wisconsin’s flagship jobs agency would abolish the existing Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and replace it with a new model.

Sen. Julie Lassa, D-Stevens Point, and Rep. Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, announced plans on Tuesday to introduce legislation that would replace WEDC with a public-private hybrid economic development engine.

As far as consumers are concerned, virtual reality headsets have been in the pipeline for a long, long time. Consider the Oculus Rift, one of the most well-known of the new breed—it met its Kickstarter funding goal in September 2012, but won't be on general sale before 2016, making for a wait of nearly four years.

Image: http://readwrite.com

Google Capital has invested $32.5 million in Oscar, a health insurance startup, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The new funding values Oscar, which had in April raised $145 million at a $1.5 billion valuation, at $1.75 billion.

Oscar was founded a few years ago but launched publicly in July 2013.

Image: Oscar CEO and co-founder Mario Schlosser, co-founders Kevin Nazemi and Joshua Kushner.

While fishing off the coast of San Diego on Thursday, two fisherman had a terrifying encounter with a lively pod of killer whales.

According to the clip's YouTube description, the two fishermen were about five miles off Point Loma when they first noticed some animals beneath their boat. It wasn't until the the orcas were very close that they realized exactly what they were dealing with.

Index is doubling down on seed. As more seed capital becomes available through angels and micro-funds, and other VCs scale back, we are focusing on being the first institutional check into transformative companies. In this expanding landscape, we see more iconic companies being born and a growing opportunity to back founders from day one. We are dedicating more resources and more time to an approach that we believe is both powerful for founders, and complimentary to the early stage community.

BECO Capital, a regional venture capital firm focused on technology investments in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, today said that the Venture Capital (VC) market has gained momentum in the last 12 months, boosted by successful fundraising by the “Big Four”, a much deeper startup ecosystem across the region, government and private initiatives and increased attention from international VC and strategic investors.

Image: http://www.arabiangazette.com

A new survey of Harvard Business School alumni pointed to entrepreneurship as the strongest element of the national economy -- and that it is still improving. Entrepreneurship was joined by capital markets, universities and innovation as significant strengths in the U.S. 

What is at the opposite end of the spectrum? The tax code, politics, health care and education. 

The report, "The Challenge of Shared Prosperity," asks respondents to share their experiences with, and perceptions of, new firm formation. It focused on the barriers to starting a business and the steps that local leaders might take to lower those barriers. 

Image: http://www.kauffman.org