Did you ever wonder why some entrepreneurs always seem to have all the luck and success, while others never seem to catch a break? As an angel investor, I quickly learned that luck has very little to do with it, and I now look for some personal characteristics and leadership styles that separate the potential winners from the losers.

Image: https://blog.startupprofessionals.com

Too many leaders avoid making tough calls. In an effort not to upset others or lose status in the eyes of their followers, they concoct sophisticated justifications for putting off difficult decisions, and the delay often does far more damage than whatever fallout they were trying to avoid. In fact, hard decisions often get more complicated when they’re deferred. And as a leader gets more senior, the need to make hard calls only intensifies. In our ten-year longitudinal study of more than 2,700 leaders, 57% percent of newly appointed executives said that decisions were more complicated and difficult than they expected.

For the past year I've been learning about how to set up, raise capital for, and run a tech venture capital fund, and it's surprised me how little people in the tech start-up community know about how start-ups operate, and why.

Here are some of the common misconceptions I've observed, with the reasons they are wrong.

Innovation labs have become popular as a way for established corporates to manage innovation. A quick search of the term “innovation labs” on Google news reveals quite a large number of innovation labs being opened on a monthly basis. Companies like Huawei, Unilever and Cisco have all launched new innovation labs in the past month. It appears that companies are finding innovation labs to be good way to explore new technologies and startup ideas.

Image: Samsung's Creative Lab - Photographer: Jean Chung/Bloomberg

SAN FRANCISCO — Jason Pressman spent Thursday morning cheering from the balcony of the New York Stock Exchange as shares of the software firm Zuora, which he backed in 2008, began trading.

By the market’s close, Zuora’s stock had soared 43 percent, making his venture capital firm’s $17 million investment in the company worth roughly $150 million.

“Not bad at all,” Mr. Pressman said by phone on Thursday night, before heading to a celebratory dinner with about 60 people at a pricey Italian restaurant in Chelsea. Mr. Pressman, a venture capitalist at Shasta Ventures, said he had been up much of the night before but still expected to raise a few glasses. “I’m running a little bit on adrenaline.”

When Madhusudan Ekambaram, the co-founder of Bangalore-based KrazyBee, travelled to China for funding in 2016, it seemed clear he was going the wrong way. At the time, fundraising journeys almost always pointed Indian entrepreneurs West – he headed East.

“The decision took many by surprise,” he recalled. 

Less than three years later, the landscape is markedly different. Ekambaram has raised US$13 million in investments from China, and no longer needs to defend his sense of direction. 

Congress should be working to grow the economy instead of weakening it. And, with the introduction of the Patents Act, they might just be doing that.

What does it take to grow the economy? In some ways that question can be almost insurmountable, but in others it is just common sense. For instance, does the economy grow faster by taxing success or by rewarding it?

I have a one-word response to the latest, greatest innovation coming out of Silicon Valley as described in “Valley firms going remote” (Page A1, April 9): Duh! Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard could have told you that 50 years ago.

Those two leaders, the real innovators, foresaw what we have become — a traffic-snarled, water-starved region begging for relief. HP’s expansion into areas where employees want to live, including Boise, Idaho; Corvallis, Oregon; Spokane, Washington; Loveland, Colorado; etc. was just one element that added to the extraordinary loyalty the company enjoyed.

The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) was created by the state Legislature during the depth of the oil bust in 1987. OCAST was established to diversify and grow Oklahoma's economy through science and technology-based activities that would ensure that the state would not depend on any one industry sector.

Image: C. Michael Carolina is executive director of Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST). (Oklahoman Archives photo) 

How to avoid being a statistic on the journey to success

Life is a numbers game, and so is business. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be smart about how you play the numbers. Much of that is understanding where the risk lies and what you can do to minimize it.

What I’ve listed here are five of the most important statistics that you need to understand in building your business. Each one says something empirical about the plight of a small business, but also tells a story about where the biggest pitfalls and challenges are, and how to avoid them.

Image: http://innovationexcellence.com

No matter how good your intentions, it can be difficult to stay healthy during winter: the season of comfort food, cozy sweaters and Netflix marathons.

But with spring finally here, you’re likely ready to shed your cold-weather cocoon and return to the healthy habits of seasons past. Here are the five things to do to spring clean your health and jumpstart your warmer weather routines, according to experts.

Don't let your colleagues miss out -- Forward this message to other senior leadership in the Region to invite them to attend the 2018 BioHealth Capital Region Forum. Register with the password: bhcrforum18

The Planning Committee has recently confirmed the participation of Secretary of Health & Human Services, Alex M. Azar II as a keynote speaker. His presentation is an exciting addition to an already robust lineup of speakers.

Check out the BioHealth Capital Region Forum website for regular updates on confirmed speakers and Forum agenda. Download our event application to interact with other attendees and post to the social wall - search for BHCR Forum 2018 in the AppStore or Google Play Store.

Out of the 53 metro areas with more than a million people, only four lost population last year. The two biggest losers were Pittsburgh and Chicago.

Both cities are ones where a significant cadre of local boosters brush off population loss, arguing that a closer look shows that they actually are undergoing a demographic transition that is actually putting them in a stronger position. So let’s take a look.

Image: http://www.newgeography.com

If you’re a startup founder with a dream, you may want to swap the Bay Area for the Sun Belt–because your funding can go twice as far in the South than it can in California.

This finding may sound obvious, but Howmuch.net visualized it in hard numbers sourced from financial technology company SmartAsset. The analysis started with a relatively simple premise: You’re a founder who needs to register and set up your business with professional lawyers and accountants.

A sound mental health can very well be the difference between a successful and a struggling young entrepreneur. In this dynamic arena, there are some rules which can eliminate stagnation in young entrepreneurs.

#1 One book per week rule

Haruki Murakami, a Japanese writer says ‘if you only read the books everyone else is reading, you’ll only end up thinking what everyone else is thinking.’

Have you ever wanted to start a business or project but been put off by the inability to raise funds to kickstart your idea? Traditionally, banks and large business finance corporations were the only option for securing financial investment but today many entrepreneurs are turning to crowdfunding, including the popular platform Kickstarter.

Having the right steps in place could mean the difference between success or failure for some. Credit report experts Credit Angel have compiled their top tips to help you kickstart your Kickstarter.

Image: https://www.valuewalk.com

ANN ARBOR, Mich., April 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Renaissance Venture Capital Fund, Michigan's innovative venture capital fund-of-funds, today announced the Fund's economic and social impact on the state of Michigan. Highlighting these metrics is the Fund's successful attraction of more than $1.3 billion into Michigan's startup ecosystem.

Since Renaissance launched in 2008, it has invested in 30 venture capital funds around the United States, with the goal of attracting venture capital from those funds and their network into Michigan startup companies. This work has resulted in more than $1.3 billion invested in 39 Michigan companies—returning more than $17 for every $1 invested by Renaissance. Those companies have expanded Michigan's workforce with more than 1,300 employees with average salaries exceeding $75,000.

Successful entrepreneurs often start with a “random” idea, but they quickly focus their efforts and follow a “system” to organize their startup and maximize the clout of their activities. Too many entrepreneur “wannabes” never get past the idea stage, or strike out randomly in many directions, hoping that their passion will convince people to follow them and make their business grow.

Image: https://blog.startupprofessionals.com

“It’s my belief that trust is the foundation for everything we do,” says Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei, “and that if we can learn to trust on another more, we can have unprecedented human progress.”

What to do, then, when trust is broken? In companies, there are many reasons that a rupture can happen. Things like data breaches, a culture of bias and discrimination, a CEO caught disparaging an employee, even a technological error that costs human life. And all those things were happening at Uber.

Image: Authenticity is critical to trust, but “if those of us who are different give in to the temptation to hold back our authentic selves, then the most interesting thing about us — our difference — is muted,” says Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei at TED2018: The Age of Amazement on April 13, Vancouver. Photo: Ryan Lash / TED

Rebranding your business is no small feat, but it has plenty of benefits, such as assisting with product launches, reshaping public images or refreshing a tired image. A successful rebranding campaign can breathe new life into a business and improve overall revenue.