Xconomy Texas —  San Antonio — Two Texas startup programs are teaming up to run a “pre-incubator” for startups that are still developing their business ideas.

Called the Velocity360 program, the incubator is run over eight weeks by VelocityTX and its partner, EPIcenter. Entrepreneurs will work with VelocityTX and EPIcenter once a week on the viability of their ideas for new products and services, aiming to determine whether they need to proceed with, pivot from, or ditch their current business.

Why did birds lose their teeth? Was it so they would be lighter in the air? Or are pointy beaks better for worm-eating than the jagged jaws of dinosaur ancestors?

Actually, birds gave up teeth to speed up egg hatching, a research paper published Wednesday suggests, challenging long-held scientific views on the evolution of the toothless beak.

Image: https://phys.org

Sarah Wilson wears the same gym clothes every morning.

She always wakes up at 6 am, promptly changes out of her pajamas, and into the running gear she laid out the night before. And then, no matter what the weather is like, or what kind of mood she’s feeling, she goes outside.

Tucson, Arizona, May 22nd, 2018 - ROI Research on Investment (ROI), an award winning global authority on investment attraction for economic development organizations, today announced that it will become the Investment Attraction Knowledge Partner of the Association of University Research Parks (AURP). Initially, ROI will host a sereis of webinars and training sessions to AURP membership on topics including: best practices related to lead generation, business development, benchmark assessment/value proposition formulation, cluster targeting and digital marketing.

Services and technology have become the fastest-growing profit pool in the healthcare industry over the past five years, a trend driven by the significant value creation potential of technology-based and -enabled innovations. Major technological advances (e.g., interoperability, advanced analytics, machine learning, digitization, the Internet of Things) have found numerous applications in healthcare—and present important opportunities to address the half a trillion dollars of annual spending resulting from low productivity and waste.

Anything worth doing involves overcoming obstacles—sometimes they’re small and other times enormous. Sometimes they’re expected and other times they are complete curveballs. One way to help get past setbacks is to remember that they are coming. There’s a slide I use in a lot of presentations and talks that I give. On one side of the slide there’s a picture of a grassy mountain on a sunny day, and I show a line pointing near the top, to the word “me.” On the other side there’s a photo of a steep, dangerous mountain on a dark and stormy day, and I show a line pointing to the very bottom, where it also reads “me.”

I used to think that entrepreneurship is like running a marathon. Over the years I have learned that it is more like an Ironman (3.86 km swim, 180.25 km bicycle ride and a 42.20 km run, without a break). Not only will you need to grind it out like an ironman, but you will also need different skills during this journey.

The State Science & Technology Institute (SSTI), the national network that serves those involved in technology-based economic development, recently announced a list of the most active technology-based economic development funds in the U.S. and Canada.

SSTI reviewed PitchBook data from hundreds of nonprofit, public, or university-centric investment funds to benchmark 2017 investment activity. (PitchBook is a leading reporting and platform of private market data.)

New York State will invest $30 million into the Center for Bioelectronic Medicine at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset as part of the state's $72 million investment to support three transformative, economic developments on Long Island, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday.

GENEVA, Switzerland – May 22, 2018 – Research to develop life-saving products, including new vaccines and other products to protect against deadly drug-resistant bacterial infections, got a significant boost today.

The UK Government’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance Innovation Fund (GAMRIF) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) have joined the CARB-X partnership to support scientific research around the world to develop new vaccines, preventatives, and other products against drug-resistant bacterial infections, particularly among vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries.

The Wall Street Journal just ran an interesting interactive feature looking at where college grads move after graduation. They looked at 445 schools, and tracked destinations by metro area. They discovered that graduates, particularly from stronger schools, are flocking to major metro areas. The Big East, Ivy League, Pac-12, Big-12, ACC, and Big Ten are all over 70% in sending college grads to major metro areas (but see below for caveats).

Image: http://www.newgeography.com

Construction, logistics, and call-center jobs are missing from expensive metros. But pricey metros have more than their share of tech, science, and high-end service jobs. In many cities, sooner or later every conversation turns to how expensive housing has become. High housing costs are driving some lower- and middle-income households away and preventing others from moving in. In the most expensive metros, many people are simply priced out. These places have fewer children and a smaller middle class compared with more affordable metros.

Exactly how to attract and retain Millennials and avoid creating unnecessary tension with them has become an art form, and important new context just splashed onto the canvas.

Deloitte just published a large-scale survey of Millennial employees (and 1,844 Gen-Z workers) that revealed critical gaps in skill development. In the study, respondents listed job skills they felt were essential and how well they felt their employer fared in helping them develop those skills. 

We all want opportunities to learn, experiment, and grow in our jobs, but most bosses and businesses tend to seek out and reward team members who already know how to do the job, and can repeat the task without fail as the business scales. I believe this is the conundrum that leads sadly to less than 30 percent of people being fully engaged at work, and low morale all around.

Image: https://blog.startupprofessionals.com

On 21 May, it was announced that Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) will implement an Open Innovation Platform (OIP) to provide companies with better access to business needs and opportunities.

First mentioned in the Budget 2018-19 earlier this year, the OIP aims to facilitate innovation and narrow the gap between research and commercialisation. It is one of the measures through which the Singapore Government foster pervasive innovation.

On a cold, clear night in March 1975, Peter Cancro knocked on his high school football coach's front door in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. It was just after 9 p.m. on a Sunday, but Cancro felt this couldn't wait. He had to see Rod Smith.

Smith's wife, Janet, opened the door and ushered Cancro into the living room, where the coach was seated in his favorite armchair. When Smith had heard his quarterback was coming over to talk on a Sunday, he thought Cancro must be in trouble. But Smith reserved judgment and simply listened.

Image: Courtesy of Jersey Mike's

A new initiative championed by Pittsburgh City Councilman Corey O’Connor aims to make sure smaller businesses have every opportunity to succeed in our increasingly tech-focused city.

The City of Pittsburgh Advisory Board on Entrepreneurship and Start-ups will provide guidance and/or loans to anyone with a viable business plan within the city limits.

New data analyzing the first cohort of Tennessee Promise students reveals a higher graduation rate and increased number of students earning a college credential when compared to the previous year’s non-Promise cohort. The inaugural class of Tennessee Promise students graduated from high school in 2015 and completed their five semesters of eligibility in December. The program is showing impressive early results including:

The UAE's startup industry is upbeat about the 10-year residency visa for investors and specialists and sees it as a step to ensure long-term investment and sustainability. The sector was vibrant in 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, with venture capitalists hailing it as the most lucrative industry.

Image: https://www.khaleejtimes.com

Margaret Anderson, Managing Director at Deloitte Consulting LLP, sits down with host Rich Bendis for this episode of BioTalk. They discuss her career path, putting patients at the center of biomedical and public health, and engaging with all sectors. Margaret Anderson is a Managing Director at Deloitte Consulting LLP focused on using strategy to make organizations, agencies, and programs stronger and more laser focused on outcomes for patients. Her career has traversed biomedical and public health policy and she’s motivated by the change she’s seen in bringing treatments and solutions for patients forward.