California, one of the nation's leading science and technology states, was one of the hardest hit states in the country during the recent economic recession. The state lost 1.3 million jobs and faced years of government deficits which forced difficult decisions on programs and infrastructure essential to its high-tech economy. But despite the challenges, California remains one of the top environments for high-tech innovation, due in part to the different strengths of three key regions in the state.

Your people are your culture. So, naturally, it follows that the most immediate way to form an innovative culture is through the people you hire. This is especially true of the first few hires you bring on board. Their demeanor will radiate out into the organization, becoming the default set of actions for newer employees.

image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net 

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 10, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canada and Japan are taking distinctly different but complementary paths in the development of a regenerative medicine industry within their borders. While their paths may differ, their activities are having a profound impact on the future of a global industry that is poised for exponential growth.

Japan's commitment to regenerative medicine leadership has been fuelled by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's vision for revitalizing the country's economy. That economic revival includes policies to support the development of a robust, world-leading regenerative medicine industry in Japan, including US$1-billion in funding for stem cell research over 10 years.

Gaithersburg biotech MedImmune and Boston-based Joslin Diabetes Center announced plans Tuesday to work together on new drug candidates that could someday regenerate insulin cells, increase calorie-burning"brown fat" or even replicate the effects of bariatric surgery. MedImmune, which is the biologics research and development arm of U.K. pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN), and Joslin, a nonprofit diabetes organization affiliated with Harvard Medical School, said they formed a three-year collaboration to target diabetes, obesity and related metabolic disorders.

Lately I’ve been thinking about perception. When we focus on something we exclude other things and thus create our own reality. Perception becomes reality.

Last week I heard Mark Zinder say “what we focus on limits what we see”. A different take on the same issue. He shared a wonderful story about a study where they showed a number of experienced radiologists an x-ray of a patients chest. In the x-ray were minute specs of cancer spread throughout the lungs. The radiologists found the minute cancer specs easily.

Image: http://www.benariltd.com 

You spray your hair to keep it in place. You spray your mouth to keep your breath fresh on first dates. Now, how about spraying your neck to help you fall asleep?

Sprayable Inc. co-founders Ben Yu and Deven Soni may have just created the answer to your sleepless nights with Sprayable Sleep, the world's first topical sleep spray. Reaching insomniacs worldwide this July, the product's goal is to safely reduce the unpleasant effects of insomnia, without the high dosing of melatonin pills.

Running a contest is a tried and true marketing method to build an email list. But it can be frustrating if you don’t get many entries. A recent study reveals how to get more participation. The study by Formstack, an online form builder tool,  found that contest forms had the highest “conversion rate” of all forms. In other words, a higher percentage of people completed contest forms than other types of forms. That old “what’s in it for me” is alive and well, obviously. The incentive of a chance to win something is a major motivator.

Image: http://smallbiztrends.com 

Shortly after my first child was born, a friend gave me a copy of a book called “The Blessing of a Skinned Knee.” The book was full of contrarian wisdom. While most new parents' natural instincts are to improve their child’s life by removing obstacles, eliminating every potential source of pain, and helping them avoid adversity, the author of the book cautioned against overprotecting your child. Specifically, her thesis was that grit and resilience are extremely important life skills, and that it is important for people to learn how to overcome adversity (like a skinned knee) at a young age. That way they aren’t surprised when they inevitably experience obstacles at an older age.

I first learned about RocksBox while setting up company visits for the Wharton Tech Startup Trek (Fall 2014). I met the founder of RocksBox (Meaghan Rose, also a Wharton MBA alum) and reached out when I was searching for a startup internship.

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

When people think of Michigan, a number of iconic images come to mind – a long assembly line, acres of cherry orchards, miles of gorgeous coastline. This wide variety of industry, agriculture and tourism contributes to the resilience of our $400 billion economy and is what makes Michigan special. But these industries and regions also have very different requirements to help them grow. The challenge lies in how to foster growth in each one without competing against each other so that some Michigan residents win only when others lose.

Image: In some cases, Michigan's disparate economies have led to regional rivalries that hinder economic development, says Lauren Bigelow. CREDIT FLICKR

For Chris Harthcock, the prospect of going to business school after he transitioned out of the Navy in 2014 was daunting — "a huge unknown," in his words.

The former petty officer second class had a wife and an infant son dependent on him, and those biweekly paychecks would disappear if he opted for school instead of the workforce.

Image: Syracuse University’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities is a collaborative program between the Institute for Veterans and Military Families and the university’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management. (Photo: Syracuse University)

It’s not just that the one percent is on the rise: The locational prerogatives of the global super-rich are changing the face of some of the world’s greatest cities. Foreign buyers are, for example, buying up huge chunks of central London and Manhattan, helping to push those cities' already astronomical housing prices even higher.

Image: Homes in Kensington, one of London's most expensive neighborhoods. (Flickr/Klovovi)

While India is lagging behind other Asian markets in terms of venture capital, there is no dearth for startup incubators and accelerators in the country. Apart from the traditional accelerators run by governments and IT majors, a host of multi-national majors like Target Corp and PayPal also ventured into startup incubation recently. Most of the angel/seed/VC investors in the country and elsewhere are working closely with these incubators — majority are located in Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi — for funding opportunities.

Think networking feels dirty? Then you’re not doing it right, says Ken Morse, serial entrepreneur and chairman of Entrepreneurship Ventures, a group that offers skills workshops for business owners.

"People mistakenly believe that networking is the act of selling yourself, and it doesn’t work when you think it’s about you," he explains. "Networking is successful when the interaction is about the other person. You may be selling your company and the solutions you offer, but it should never be about you."

We asked the world’s most innovative companies in education to school us on the future of the classroom, with predictions for the next five years.

Here's what we found out:

STUDENTS WILL INTERACT WITH OTHERS REMOTELY Why do classrooms today look nearly identical to those 30 years ago—minus a few upgrades to the modern chalkboard, and sneaking texts in class instead of notes?

The Centers for Disease Control recently acknowledged for the first time three digital health programs for their ability to help counter the onset of Type 2 diabetes, leading to better outcomes and reduced spending.

The three digitally-centered programs that were recognized include startups Omada Health and Noom Health, as well as DPS Health, which was founded in 2004. All three programs aim to assist in the prevention or management of chronic diseases, ranging from obesity and diabetes and nutrition and weight loss.

Silicon Valley may have coined the ‘big data’ buzzword, but genomic scientists have been working with massive datasets for decades. Due to recent breakthroughs in DNA sequencing technology, genetics is moving from the laboratory into the market, and just about everyone is taking a keen interest.

Image: http://techcrunch.com

Governments have long known that they can promote economic growth by investing in roads, power grids, and other physical infrastructure. But only recently have they realized that investing in e-government—the digital channels, apps, and websites that link citizens to the public sector—can produce equally important economic rewards. A new company might be able to open more quickly and preserve its capital, for instance, thanks to an online process that eliminates red tape and minimizes transaction costs. Overall, a McKinsey analysis suggests that capturing the full potential of government digitization could free up to $1 trillion annually in economic value worldwide, through improved cost and operational performance.1

In 2014, Forrester Consulting conducted research with the goal of uncovering how the world’s largest companies organize, plan, and execute social marketing efforts. For the 2014 State of Enterprise Social Marketing Report, Forrester Consulting surveyed 160 senior leaders managing or overseeing digital or social marketing – Director, Vice-President or C-Level executive – at companies with revenue of $1 billion or more.

Image: http://smallbiztrends.com

If you're looking for a city with tons of innovative companies, look no further than San Francisco.

We have compiled a list of 25 of the hottest startups in San Francisco. To do so, we spoke to investors, employees, journalists, and active members of the city's tech scene.

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