This was pretty much all over banners, handouts, programs, marketing materials and infused into conversations at the Infusionsoft ICON14 annual conference that I attended as part of the media.

To this company and community, it’s a mindset, a lifestyle and a mantra. It’s ingrained and supported in everything that Infusionsoft does for its community, its in their messaging and in their 9 Core Values. I was very impressed and inspired by the company, the leadership and the conference.

Image: http://smallbiztrends.com 

The Bloomberg Innovation Quotient is a ranking of the world's most innovative countries published every year, examining 215 countries and sovereign regions to determine their overall ability to innovate. Innovation was measured by seven factors, including R&D intensity, productivity, high-tech density, researcher concentration, manufacturing capability, education levels and patent activity.

After more than 20 years as a professional paleontologist, I know how lucky I am to spend my days studying dinosaurs. In times when so many people can barely afford the basic necessities, how can I possibly justify using taxpayers' money to study animals that vanished millions of years ago? What can they teach us about today's world? Aren't they irrelevant to modern-day problems?

Image: http://www.scientificamerican.com 

It’s been almost two years since I took a first stab at charting the booming big data ecosystem, and it’s been a period of incredible activity in the space. An updated chart was long overdue, and here it is:

Y Combinator President Sam Altman said Friday that the pioneering accelerator had taken the unusual step of inviting a later-stage tech venture, question-and-answer site Quora, to join its new batch of early-stage startups.

Quora recently raised $80 million in new venture funding in a round led by Tiger Global Management, though the five-year-old company is not yet revenue-generating.

Image: Y Combinator President Sam Altman Bloomberg News 

Last month, an international selection committee picked Medellín, Colombia, to host the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in March 2016.  Ahead of my visit there later this week, it is easy to see why.  Medellín stands out not just as a city with an entrepreneurial mindset but as a place where new firm formation is a way of life.

The idea that innovation is a key part of a city's identity is not new, but as I have discussed previously, startups are beginning to be a top focus of cities across the globe. City policymakers worldwide seem to be more nimble than national governments at, for example,  adapting startup-friendly policies like direct citizen procurement or implementing experiential education programs and initiatives.

Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/15072398@N00/2236639288 

May is Mental Health Awareness month, and to kickstart you down the road to mental wellness, we've rounded up a bevy of simple things you can do to boost your brain.

Did you know that vitamin B12 can help ward off depression? Or that lavender oil is overflowing with health benefits? You do now.

Image: MASHABLE 

Bored with your usual digital stomping grounds?

Don't fret! There are plenty of sites other than Facebook or Tumblr for you to waste countless hours. Besides, it's not like you could be doing something constructive at work or maybe, I don't know, go outside. That just seems pointless, right?

The venture capital industry’s trade group returns to San Francisco next week with a second installment of VentureScape, its annual meeting that it updated last year to appeal to a younger, more entrepreneurial crowd.

NVCA President Bobby Franklin NVCA With the 2014 version of the event, the National Venture Capital Association continues its effort to promote itself as the voice of what its leaders call the venture capital or entrepreneurial ecosystem. While the event features big-name speakers such as General Electric Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, it also once again has an office hours session where selected entrepreneurs can pitch their companies to venture capital investors

Image: NVCA President Bobby Franklin NVCA 

Asking for help is one thing; asking for financial help is another beast all its own. Yet many entrepreneurs turn to family and friends to help fund their business.

A recent study from the National Knowledge Commission shows that 63 percent of entrepreneurs “self-financed” their business, but that doesn’t mean every owner saved up their own money. Upon closer investigation, at least half of these entrepreneurs asked friends and family for financial support.

Image: Tom Scarda, a business consultant, offers tips to ask friends and family to fund your business. - http://articles.bplans.com/

When I heard a friend and business mentor say, “Your startup won’t fail if you don’t quit,” I realized that every entrepreneur should adopt “never give up” as their mantra. Rather than quitting, there are always alternatives, like pivoting the business model or merging with new partners for support. Either could improve the statistic that most startups fail within the first five years.

Nothing is more discouraging to aspiring entrepreneurs than the high failure rate. So why do most startups fail? Many experts say that running out of money is not the primary reason. The number one reason seems to be that the founders just walk away. Of course, they may be out of money as well, but that is often more of an “excuse” than a reason.

A hearing-aid startup that raised $2.5 million in its third round of financing. A digital-storage innovator that raised $6 million in its first round. A wearable screen-and-headphone startup that raised over $3.4 million in its second round of financing.

These are just a few standout examples of tech startups whose small-donor crowdfunding campaigns on sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo have attracted the attention of big-money venture capitalists.

Image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Digital health is a popular business these days, but it’s also a tricky one.

In theory, remote monitoring and engagement products have the potential to drive long-term cost savings, but robust data is lacking and consumer adoption so far has been relatively low.

Image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

WAUWATOSA – BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation isn’t your father’s venture capital fund. Self-described as a “venture philanthropy” group, BrightStar is a nonprofit organization that makes investments in emerging companies without any expectation the fund’s donors will turn a profit.

In fact, if BrightStar makes money on any of its six investments thus far in Wisconsin, it will pump it back into other emerging companies in the form of future investments.

Image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

If you just launched a company from your apartment last week and are looking for some cash, don't go to knocking on a venture capitalist's door.

Venture capital is giving less money to startup companies and putting whopping sums into businesses with a solid customer base and steady revenue, according to venture capital data from the first quarter this year.

Image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Having been a supporter of women entrepreneurs for more than 15 years, I’ve had a unique window into the realities of their lives, from the boot strapping have-nots to the VC-backed Stanford grads.  As someone who started my first social venture at 24, it is hard not to look back on my own career and wish someone had told me about the unglamorous aspects of entrepreneurship.

How much do you really know about 4G data service on your smartphone? Did you know that it not only provides you with faster data, but is also cheaper for cellular carriers to deliver? And yet it still costs you the same or more as slower 3G service?

image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net 

Readers of this column will not be surprised by the news that the economy as a whole, particularly the Traditional Economy of big hierarchical bureaucracies, is in trouble.  The rates of return on assets and on invested capital of US firms are only onequarter of what they were in 1965. The pervasive pursuit of maximizing shareholder value—what even Jack Welch has called “the dumbest idea in the world”—has been systematically destroying long-term shareholder value. Only one in five workers are fully engaged in his or her work, and even fewer are truly passionate about their jobs.

Image: http://www.forbes.com 

Rates of obesity and overweight in both male and females are projected to increase in almost all countries of Europe by 2030, according to a statistical modelling study. However, the forecast rates vary throughout the 53 Euro-region countries, with projected male obesity levels ranging from 15% in the Netherlands and Belgium, to 47% in Ireland. The highest obesity prevalence in females was projected in Ireland (47%), and the lowest in Romania (10%). 

We know — you want great career advice, but sometimes, you just don’t have time to read lengthy articles or books.

Well, today, you’re in luck: We’ve distilled some of the best-ever advice on The Daily Muse into bite-sized chunks that you can scan in a matter of seconds.

Or, better yet—that you can share with your entourage! Each tip is 140 characters or fewer, so you can easily copy and paste your favorites to share with your followers all over the web.

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