We’ve all seen those magazine lists of “most innovative” companies. Typically included are companies like Apple or, more recently, Tesla. Some are little more than popularity contests, others like Forbes do a better job of assessing how innovation is contributing to business success.

Without change, every company will eventually go out of business. Yet few companies are able to consistently get new ideas to market profitably.

How many times do we parents sit around the dinner table and feel frustrated that our children aren’t telling us anything about their day? In reality, they’re probably just following the example we’ve set. 

As an entrepreneur and mother of two young boys, one of my top priorities has been to make sure my children understand what I do for a living. I’ve become a better mother and a better business leader from doing so.

Many entrepreneurs are so passionate about their new startup idea that they can’t believe any intelligent being, investor or customer wouldn’t react just as excitedly after a quick introduction. They don’t realize that they can often kill their credibility -- and future opportunities -- by communicating only with passion, responding with a cynical comment or giving up too soon.

While the US has at last got round to legalising equity crowdfunding, courtesy of new regulation just published by the Securities and Exchange Commission – four years after the Obama administration legislated for it – the UK is leading the world in this area. But that headstart won’t be worth much if the increasingly shrill warnings we’re now hearing about equity crowdfunding in Britain start gaining traction.

There are a lot of data points that one can observer to get a sense of the venture capital markets – both LP fundings into venture and VC financings of startups. They point to some widely known facts: financings & valuations are up massively over the past 7 years and non-VC money has entered the system.

Venture funding of startup companies has surged during the last seven years and is now back to pre-recession levels. 

Yet with the public markets in turmoil and $1 billion "unicorn" companies holding off on IPOs, it's hard to know what will happen to venture capital in the year ahead. 

Landing a dream job isn’t always just about the actual work. Among the best companies to work for, employee review platform Glassdoor found that employees were just as jazzed about mission-driven company cultures, great career advancement opportunities, and amazing benefits and perks.

Image: http://www.fastcompany.com

What does it mean to have the longest running startup in the history of startups? To me, it means that even though I founded 3000BC in 1992, the company has never stopped being a startup. It has never settled into a rut; I’ve never gotten complacent or stopped looking for the next way to make my company the best it can possibly be. We have stayed fleet and flexible, keeping the best aspects of a scrappy startup even while meeting with great success—and through some difficult times.

Image: http://beacon.wharton.upenn.edu

As if his cars, rockets, transportation systems, and batteries weren’t enough, now Tesla and SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk wants to build an electric plane.

During a Q&A session at an event at the Hyperloop Pod design competition awards ceremony at Texas A&M University on Sunday, a member of the crowd asked Musk what his next big idea was, reports Engadget.

Many of you might recall that last fall, the three partners of Blackstone Accelerates Growth (The Maine Technology Institute, University of Maine and the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development) launched the next version of collaboration to grow Maine’s innovation ecosystem, Maine Accelerates Growth.  Well, we’ve been through the first quarter of work together and we’re making progress. Here’s where things stand and what we’re working on for 2016.

On February 2, 2016, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published in the Federal Register a request for information (RFI) seeking examples of commercialization success stories stemming from U.S. government-funded nanotechnology research and development (R&D) since the inception of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) in 2001.

Given that most organizations spend roughly 70% of their operating budgets on workforce expenses, it is noteworthy how rare it is for organizations to measure the success of hiring managers in their ability to select the right candidates. It is also rare for individuals to hold themselves accountable for becoming better interviewers over time. By using a quantitative interview scorecard to evaluate the qualifications and suitability of job candidates, and by comparing interview-based predictions with subsequent performance on the job, it’s possible to boost your interview hit rate and your organization’s return on human capital investment over time.

Not a morning person? Stop blaming poor sleep habits, your waking routine, or the strength of your caffeinated beverage. New research indicates our genetic material has an impact on whether we’re early birds or night owls.

23andMe's geneticists studied the responses of over 135,000 individuals in the company’s database who answered a web-based survey question asking if they considered themselves naturally a morning or night person.

As an entrepreneur, you'll face plenty of logistical hurdles. Quitting your day job, getting funding, finding a location and hiring are just a few of the challenging obstacles you’ll have to overcome.

The good news is that most of them are procedural, and though they may pose difficulties, they can be surmounted by following a logical process and committing yourself to seeing a final solution through.

Raising capital is often seen as one of the biggest challenges startups have growing up. And rightfully so, getting your hands on runway capital is tricky business, though it doesn’t have to be. Y Combinator founder Paul Graham once jotted down the top characteristics of venture capitalists, coining it the Hackers Guide to Investors.

Although Graham’s pointers are nearly a decade old, he does make a few good ones you can take learn from.

Selling your business is a big step and one many business owners consider from time to time. Cashing in on the  abours of your hard work and getting a cash pay-out can allow you to retire, start a new business or just to make money.

Understanding how best to go about the process is important and these tips should help:

There are more opportunities today than ever before for entrepreneurs who are willing to match technology to the needs of potential customers.

Entrepreneurs and smart business leaders who embrace the enormous opportunities will profit.

To find out about some of the excitement and how you can tap into it, I connected with several people and will be sharing these ideas with you, both now and in coming weeks.

Businesses risk losing a large percentage of their millennial workforce to quick attrition, according to the India findings of the Deloitte's fifth annual Millennial Survey.

52% of millennials surveyed in India said, given the choice, they expected to leave their current employers within the next two years. That figure increased to 76% when the timeframe was extended to 2020.

Continuing on from our previous installment, here are the remaining six top trends in the science of product development and R&D management. When looked at collectively, these 12 trends will give you an idea of how much change is on the horizon for engineering and product development organizations.

Trend 7. Engineering and Development Automation: Many engineers are seeing the changes brought on by rapid prototyping. Soon, robots, real-time software testing, and many other technologies will permeate the downstream end of product development. There will be less people involved in developing and delivering products. Conversely, there will be more people involved in solution planning, designing, and developing data-based software for customers that wraps products in blankets of information throughout its life cycle (Harvard Business Review November 2014 and October 2015).

Imagine if you could become a millionaire. How great would it be to have the money you need to live the lifestyle you have always wanted? Now imagine if you could do this in your 20s?

Even if you think it sounds like a stretch, it is possible to become a millionaire at a young age. I became a millionaire by age 21. My second millionaire student who followed my program became a millionaire by the age of 23. The most impressive part? He did it all by trading penny stocks. It didn’t require years of school or training, just hard work and the right approach. He proved that it is possible. Also please note that these rules can be followed at any age. When followed properly, they can help you become a millionaire sooner than you ever imagined. Here are some steps to follow in order to start your journey towards becoming a millionaire.