Sometimes an untruth is so breathtaking in its audacity that you have to at least admire the chutzpah that gave it birth. Take, for example, IBM's claim that it now does $7 billion in "cloud revenue," making it the world's "largest cloud provider," as a spokesperson told GigaOm's Barb Darrow.

While IBM is a credible cloud provider, its claims are wishful thinking, at best.

A few years ago, we had an idea for a new business opportunity. One of our colleagues owned a restaurant and was complaining about the amount of money he lost because expensive bottles of liquor often went missing (the industry calls this “shrinkage”). This is a problem affecting tens of thousands of restaurants — an attractive target market. So, like good innovators, we began working on a solution to our colleague’s problem by building an automatic liquor inventory-management system.

“As a seed-stage investor, should you pay up for team or traction?” I posed this question on Twitter in December and got a bunch of different opinions. It’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about recently. Prices in the startup world are relatively high. And as a firm, we generally believe that there isn’t a “sub-prime” market for VC. This means that while it may be possible to find the odd “cheap” deal here and there, the goal is to invest in the best opportunities, which usually come at market prices.

The crowdfunding industry has been making great strides in helping entrepreneurs from all industry sectors solve the ever-present problem of undercapitalization. And forward-thinking venture capitalists have begun to take notice.

Given the fact that more startups and small businesses are launching crowdfunding campaigns, it’s no wonder that many venture capital firms are turning to crowdfunding platforms to access new deal flow, according to VCs I've spoken with. New proposals are the life blood of venture capitalists or funding firms. 

Moving jobs is a bit like moving house. You go from your comfort zone to a new and usually more challenging environment—but it's not a decision taken without gathering as much information you possibly can about the place you may be moving to.

Which is why property websites such as Trulia and Zillow are so useful, giving buyers all the details they need to make the right decision.

By all accounts, the career paths of today’s students will hardly resemble those of their parents. So what are colleges doing to help them prepare?

On Wednesday the Kettering Foundation, the National Issues Forums Institute, and Augsburg College gathered a group of leaders from higher education, business, government, and other fields here to begin what the organizations hope will be a national conversation on the question of how colleges should adapt to a working world changed by technology, globalization, and the aftermath of the recession.

A little knowledge can go a long way on family game night.

This year marks the 80th anniversary for the classic board game, Monopoly. For decades, people have passed "Go" and collected $200, all the way back to when your grandparents were little kids.

If you’re a loyal viewer of HBO’s Silicon Valley or simply a Zuckerberg fan, you might think there’s a high correlation between being a hoodie-clad college dropout and founding a successful startup.

Some VC sources substantiate this view, reportedly saying that “consumer Internet entrepreneurs are like pro basketball players… they peak at 25, by 30 they’re usually done.” And while some of the most well-known companies in the Unicorn Club (venture-backed startups with billion dollar valuations) are indeed founded by youthful entrepreneurs, their experiences are not necessarily a recipe for success, and certainly not the norm.

Talent is moving around the world faster than ever before. Countries that remain open to it are building a competitive edge.

The pace of change in the knowledge economy is reaching unprecedented speed. Rapid technological change, coupled with a globally mobile workforce is bringing benefits to countries able to harness the energy of the young and ambitious, and raising challenges to those unable to attract and grow this precious resource.

Image: http://knowledge.insead.edu

Microsoft today showed off an augmented reality headset slated for release later this year. The compact, visor-style device, called Hololens, generates holograms that make 3-D objects appear to the wearer to be overlaid on the real world.

Depth sensors in the device mean that virtual objects can be interactive and integrate smoothly into the real world. For example, a virtual game character could appear to be sitting on your coffee table, and respond to a prodding finger. Headphones built into the device can also give the impression that virtual objects are producing sound, even if they are behind you.

Image: Microsoft has developed a version of the game Minecraft for the Hololens headset. The device senses the environment around a person so that virtual objects can fit in alongside real ones.- http://www.technologyreview.com

For decades affinity groups have played an important role in business. Many Fortune 500 Companies have made diversity and inclusion a priority both internally with employees and externally when they select partners and service providers.

In the small business sector and for startups specifically, the rising tide of diversity and inclusion is beginning to make an impact with the emergence angel networks and funds focused on diverse founder led businesses. This includes groups likeGolden Seeds,BELLE Capital,Gaingels, and37 Angels. Three-quarters of them have emerged in just the last three years.

Register now for CDVCA’s 2015 Annual Conference, the premier training and networking event for impact investors providing equity capital to rapidly-growing, job creating businesses.  Those who attend will get a chance to speak with industry leaders and government officials about issues that are currently affecting our industry.  Our goal is to ensure that participants walk away with a better idea of how to achieve tangible results for their own organizations.

The Community Development Venture Capital Alliance 20th Anniversary Conference will be held on Thursday and Friday, March 19 and 20, at the Embassy Suites Washington, DC Convention Center. The Annual Conference is the premier training and networking event for anyone interested in developmental venture capital.

Once upon a time, there was an entrepreneur named Samantha. 2014 was a tough year for her small business, but she learned a lot. She’s vowing to make 2015 the year when things really take off.

Just as an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs that ruled the Earth and made way for small furry mammals, a new wave of planetary disruptions is about to occur. The new asteroid is called “exponential technology.” It is going to wipe out industries in a similar manner to the rock which fell on Earth during the Cretaceous Period.

Image: ‘Bold’ will arrive on shelves Feb. 3. (Simon & Schuster)

By John Boitnott, Entrepreneur.com

Business stagnation left unchecked leads to lower employee productivity, decreased consumer interest and smaller profit margins. The antidote is ongoing innovation of new and creative ideas that make possible high levels of business success. Business owners must realize that innovation requires more than just passion and hard work.

Image: http://fortune.com

During a recent meeting I asked my mentor and fellow instructor at the Cambridge Entrepreneur Academy, John Sortino, why he thought so many entrepreneurs fail and what they could do to avoid this...

"When it comes to starting out as an entrepreneur or launching a business there is no formula or fool proof plan - certainly no magic blueprint for success. However, there are several common mistakes that unnecessarily move many entrepreneurs off the road to success and onto the dreaded path of failure."

Entrepreneurs have a greater capacity for pain and discomfort than most. They can stay up later, work longer hours, stay more focused and, somehow, are able to set so much aside in deference to their dreams and visions. But there’s so much more that sets them apart.

Here at Forbes we conducted video interviews with three CEOs that head firms from our 2015 list of America’s Most Promising Companies and asked them what they feel makes an entrepreneur.

In Silicon Valley, it's never too early to become an entrepreneur. Just ask 13-year-old Shubham Banerjee.

The California eighth-grader has launched a company to develop low-cost machines to print Braille, the tactile writing system for the visually impaired. Tech giant Intel Corp. recently invested in his startup, Braigo Labs.

Image: Shubham Banerjee works on his lego robotics braille printer at home Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, in Santa Clara, Calif. Banerjee launched a company to develop a low-cost machine to print Braille materials for the blind. It's based on a prototype he built with his Lego robotics kit for a school science fair project. Last month, tech giant Intel Corp. invested in his startup, Braigo Labs, making the 8th grader the youngest entrepreneur to receive venture capital funding. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

IN the first article of this series, we talked about the fundamental building blocks of a new technology venture:  inventions and teams.  It is a fact that this talent generally wants to be paid.  Almost all technology ventures need significant capital to grow their operations.1  Unless the founders can contribute significant personal cash, something I would not recommend even if possible, that money needs to come from external investors.  In this article, we will talk about the different sources of investment, their requirements, and typical valuations and terms.

Image: http://www.tandemlaunch.com

The strong performance of the national economy in 2014 helped drive the national unemployment rate down from 6.6 percent in November 2013 to 5.5 percent in November 2014. Most U.S. metro areas have benefitted from the improved national situation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that, from November 2013 to November 2014, unemployment rates declined in 344 of the nation’s 372 metro areas (92 percent). However, in many of these regions the lower unemployment rates have been a function of declining labor forces, rather than strong job growth. During the same 12-month period, the size of the civilian labor force increased in just 233 metro areas (63 percent).