The trade group for venture capitalists in Michigan wants to form a $100 million fund to match millions in private capital with public investment. 

Under the proposal that’s being pushed by the Michigan Venture Capital Association, private investors would put $75 million into a fund to seed new venture capital funds, an amount the state would then match with $25 million, MiBiz has learned. 

What if there was a way you could engineer a good day at work? What would it look like? How would you feel? How would it impact your business? Most of us don’t tend to ask these questions. We tend to believe that “good days at work” just happen. As a result, we let the power slip away from us. How to Have a Good Day: Harness the Power of Behavioral Science to Transform Your Working Life, is a research-backed guide to getting that power back and using it to engineer the best day at work possible.

Think your product idea is crazy? It wouldn’t be the first. But just because a product idea might seem weird or crazy doesn’t mean that it won’t be successful. From clip-on man buns to protein bars made with crickets, there are actually quite a few seemingly crazy products currently on the market, ten of which are included in the above video. And their craziness could very well be the secret of their success.

Image: http://smallbiztrends.com

The office is a home away from home that we all share for eight hours every day.

However, some people need to stop treating it like a home. We are sharing this space. Let's take a tip from the days of freshman-year roommate contracts and all get on the same page.

Here are 15 office dos and don'ts that none of your coworkers are brave enough to tell you:

The White House is getting serious about the internet of things.

A new $400 million federal research program aims to deploy city-scale testing platforms for advanced wireless connections that could help the United States achieve what seems like a far-off, futuristic vision for an ubiquitous network of devices and sensors. 

The White House announcement signals encouragement of the public internet of things. The concept of that vast connected network has garnered significant congressional attention this year; in the spring, the Senate passed a resolution that calls for a national strategy for the internet of things, primarily as a means to boost the economy but also for government use. 

“INCLUSIVE GROWTH” has been one of the latest buzzwords in various circles of Philippine society. This is mentioned specifically in the context of acknowledging both the economic gains made in the past few years and the work that remains to be done for a larger percentage of the population to feel the impacts of such growth.

Clearly, the goal of inclusive growth should not be seen as the mandate of government alone.  Indeed government must bridge the gap to address the needs of the poor, but it would take the combined effort of other sectors in society for economic gains to dramatically impact the bottom of the pyramid.

ISLAMABAD: The road to Chinese development post-1980 is not just paved with low-cost labour and fiscal concessions.

Indeed, from the very beginning of reforms, the Chinese government has adopted a deliberate policy of linking economic development with innovation. What else can explain the sustainable high productivity growth rates in China?

Image: http://tribune.com.pk

In 2012, Stanford-educated engineer Debbie Sterling founded toy company GoldieBlox to encourage young girls to start tinkering with toys and building machines.

The first-time entrepreneur is catering construction toys to young girls in an effort to raise the percentage of female engineers in the world, which currently stands at just 14%.

So far, GoldieBlox has sold more than 1 million narrative-driven construction toy sets, created an award-winning mobile app, and landed a coveted $4 million Super Bowl spot for free.

Image: Courtesy of GoldieBlox - Debbie Sterling, founder and CEO of GoldieBlox.

Michigan needs to maintain a major push started a decade ago to diversify the state’s economy, according to a study that credits the effort with spurring greater innovation and entrepreneurship.

The study commissioned by the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and conducted by Columbus, Ohio-based TEConomy Partners LLC offered 11 recommendations for continued economic diversification and growing technology sectors through entrepreneurship and innovation.

Technology innovation has now become so ingrained with the growth of local economies that many cities are seeing more than one hub spring up within their boundaries.  Two prominent examples are in California — Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The Northern California Bay Area is now comprised of two distinct districts — the traditional, hard core tech-focused Silicon Valley centered on Santa Clara and the startups of all kinds in San Francisco’s Mission district and surroundings.

In order to celebrate success in scientific research, Infosys has introduced the Infosys Prize, one of the largest honors for research in India, worth `65 lakh (tax free in India), a citation certificate and a gold medallion. The prize was established with the intention of recognizing and rewarding impactful and transformative work by contemporary researchers connected to India. The prize is now given in six categories – Engineering and Computer Science, Humanities, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences and Social Sciences. S D Shibulal, President, Board of Trustees, Infosys Science Foundation talks about the quality of research in Indian institutions and the role of corporate organisations in improving it. Excerpts...

‘Businesses must embrace disruptive technologies’ is a headline we all have some familiarity with by now. Playing to the enduring misconception that the latest breakthroughs will equip businesses with everything they need to stay relevant and competitive, these headlines overlook the home truth that innovation is about far more than just gadgets or machines.

Image: http://www.itproportal.com

The most valuable assets of a new startup are the people on the team, and the most challenging task of the entrepreneur and team leaders is to spend their leadership time and energy productively. Cash isn’t always the scarcest resource startups have to invest – more often it’s the leadership capital of under-experienced and over-stretched entrepreneurs and co-founders.

Entrepreneurs sometimes ask how they can get the most out of our incubator; what makes a company really excel in the program? With our second cohort recently graduating, the picture of a successful participant is crystalizing. I doubt that the hallmarks of success are any different at Ynext than in any other incubator – they are pretty much common sense – but I’ll lay out the qualities that I’ve seen drive the clear winners.

Failure isn't such a bad word any more.

A generation ago, many looked askance at entrepreneurs, and to have a venture fail was proof of all that was wrong with 'doing business' -the fact that it wasn't a "stable" or "dependable" line of work. Today, the rate of failure in a world where 'starting up' is a catchphrase isn't that much lower.

I was in France and the UK for business last week so I was a bit out of the tech news cycle and more focused on the world events that were happening nearby.

But one tech news story stood out for me — the fact that LA-based Dollar Shave Club (DSC) was sold to Unilever for $1 billion. This continues to solidify Los Angeles’ place as a major player in the global tech ecosystem and while any one success doesn’t define a city — the number of high-profile startups and exits has definitely increased.

Tomas Gorny, CEO of Nextiva, a cloud-based communication provider, is a firm believer of building businesses to create great things instead of accumulating wealth. He is an entrepreneur who continuously comes up with new ideas and new businesses.

Image: http://www.jobsnhire.com

Starting and managing a business may be difficult due to numerous reasons. Knowledge and experience deficiency regularly comes in the way of progress and development. Although acquiring experience is just a matter of time, the other complications can be dealt with through the use of information technologies. But before discussing anything deeper, what exactly is web Analytics?

Web Analytics is the analysis of both the qualitative and quantitative statistics from your website and competition. This data is used to drive a constant advancement of the online experience of your customers. At the end of the day, it translates into your suitable outcome both online and offline.

I blame Pokémon Go for the frustration that took a good chunk of my work week. Well, Pokémon Go and 3D printers. 

Let me back up. 

On Monday, my colleague Raymond Wong posted a story about a 3D-printed Pokédex. It’s awesome. Maybe one of the most awesome things I’ve ever seen. Because Mashable HQ has a 3D printer, Ray and I thought it would be fun to print one for ourselves. 

Silicon Valley has been and continues to be one of the world’s most important centers of innovation and technology disruption. Given the Valley’s nearly unique set of assets—the presence of technology giants, world-class universities, abundant venture capital, and a hypercompetitive yet collaborative culture that celebrates both risk and failure—the Northern California region’s recipe for innovation has rarely been replicated. Large enterprises are increasingly venturing into the Valley to draw upon “outside-in” innovation, but they often stumble due to cultural, structural, and regulatory hurdles. To be able to harness Silicon Valley’s innovation ecosystem to their advantage, enterprises should have clearly stated objectives and direction, as well as a deep understanding of the local environment.

Image: http://dupress.com