In years to come, we could well find ourselves topping up our boards with liquid nitrogen at city-wide charging points, just as we fill up our cars today.

Marty McFly wouldn’t be surprised. Lexus recently announced it had fulfilled the dreams of Back to the Future Part II fans everywhere by building a working hoverboard.

Image: http://mybroadband.co.za 

Trying to lose weight? Your nervous system may be working against you

When you have one free evening and two competing impulses—to work out and to binge watch—which do you usually follow?

You’ll be relieved to hear that choosing the couch is only human. Humans are inherently lazy, which may be a trait left over from our ancestors’ days of conserving energy for the next hunt. Unfortunately, a small new study published in the journal Current Biology finds that even when we do choose to move, our bodies naturally do it in the most economical way possible—which is bad news for anyone trying to lose weight.

I got the following question from a friend yesterday.

“I’ve had a few conversations recently about how individual seed investors are getting kind of tapped out – for a variety of reasons, but in general it’s not that easy to find people who are still actively investing. I don’t recall your having blogged about this – are you seeing it too? Lots of talk about Series A crunch but maybe there is a seed crunch too?”

I blasted out a response by email, which follows. If you are an active angel, I’d love to hear what you think.

I’m not seeing much evidence of this – yet …

An "iconic tool of doctors" is getting a 21st-century upgrade, said Steve Lohr at The New York Times. Eko Core is a digital device that attaches to a conventional stethoscope and records and amplifies heart sounds, sending the audio and sound-wave images to an iPhone app. From there, the data can be shared with hospitals and clinics.

Image: http://theweek.com 

A yearlong, Universitywide conversation on the topic of cultural competency began Sept. 9 as the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) launched the 2015-16 President’s Symposium and White Paper Project. Olivia D. Carter-Pokras, PhD, professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Maryland, College Park School of Public Health (UMCP-SPH), delivered the opening lecture in the speakers series.

Image: Olivia D. Carter-Pokras, PhD, professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Maryland College Park School of Public Health 

This year has been dubbed “the year of crowdfunding” because of the exponential growth and rapid changes occurring in that market. And, until now, donation-based and rewards-based crowdfunding (offering products and merchandise in return for donations) have been the two most popular vehicles for entrepreneurs using this concept to fund their startups and other projects.

Over the past 50 years, innovation has been traditionally fostered in corporate campuses and suburban corridors, such as Silicon Valley and Research Triangle Park, that have been relatively isolated and accessible only by car.

But as a recent Brookings Report on the “Rise of Innovation Districts” points out, there is a new model of innovation emerging: one in which leading-edge anchor institutions (such as universities) and companies connect with start-ups, business incubators, and accelerators in physically compact, transit-accessible, and technically wired communities that offer a mix of office, housing, and retail.

Finding your entire team in the same office is a rare occurrence these days. Even small teams may be dispersed across town, working out of their homes or across the world in different time zones. Modern communication tools, including WebEx, Skype and video conferencing are a good start, but virtual teams remain a productivity nightmare for many companies.

Image: http://blog.startupprofessionals.com 

Dallas-Fort Worth used to be a powerhouse for venture capital pouring into Texas. But with Austin-area startups attracting twice as much on average in the past five and half years, many DFW entrepreneurs and advocates are repeating a very familiar phrase: show me the money.

If you ask the North Texas investor and entrepreneurial community, they will say three things: The need for large amounts of capital has declined due to the lean startup movement, angel investment has filled many of the venture capital gaps that existed in previous years and venture capital resources in DFW are actually on their way back.

Corporate venture capital is booming. While concerns over venture capital markets becoming irrationally exuberant abound, large corporations show no signs of tempering their venture investing activities. In the first quarter of this year, venture capital funds funded and operated by corporations accounted for nearly 17% of total venture capital dollars invested, more than double its share five years ago. In aggregate, corporate venture groups invested $5.4 billion across 775 deals in 2014.

Billionaire physician-entrepreneur Patrick Soon-Shiong seems to be orchestrating an entire M&A ecosystem within his own entities.

Two more Nant companies reporting mega-funding: NantOmics has raised $150 million and NantCell has raised $100 million, both from a single investor, according to two SEC filings (here and here). These startups fall under the umbrella company NantWorks that was launched by Soon-Shiong in Los Angeles in 2011.

When most people think of John Shahidi two words come to mind. Bieber & Mayweather. Yes, that Bieber (67 million Twitter followers, 73 million on FB) & that Mayweather (6.4 million Twitter followers, 12 million on FB). The reason being – John Shahidi counts both as investors and friends.

Jodi Goldstein, the managing director of Harvard’s Innovation Lab, brags that “when Zuckerberg came back to visit, he said ‘Maybe I wouldn’t have dropped out if the i-lab had existed.’” Opened in 2011—five years after Zuckerberg left Harvard to focus on theFacebook.com, an early draft of Facebook—the i-lab is 30,000 square feet of flexibly outfitted space located on Harvard’s Allston, Massachusetts, campus, replete with resources such as grants, lectures, and accelerator programs. Like Stanford’s trendsetting d.school, it is open to faculty and students from every department on campus, and is meant to foster creativity and invention—code for entrepreneurship.

Image: Students at Harvard's i-lab. (Harvard Innovation Lab/Evgenia Eliseeva) 

Research involving editing the human genome, including research with human embryos, is essential to gain basic understanding of biology and germ cells and should be permitted, according to one of the first global meetings to debate the controversial new techniques.

The bold statement was published today (Thursday, Sept. 10) by the Hinxton Group, a global network of stem cell researchers, bioethicists, and experts on policy and scientific publishing, who met in Manchester, England, September 3–4.

Image: NIH

Most aspiring entrepreneurs believe that a great idea alone will assure business success. Experts argue that it’s more important to have a great plan, and personal business acumen. Hardly anyone mentions selling principles. Yet in this age when customers have a thousand alternatives, and are overwhelmed by a multitude of messages, sales efforts can make or break a business.

As the health care system increasingly values efficiency and outcomes, Internet of Things applications are changing medtech strategy, business models, and operations. But in the IoT ecosystem, medical-device companies share space with players from adjacent industries; some will be competitors, others collaborators.

For all of its importance and impact, the Internet of Things (IoT) enables, rather than determines an organization’s strategy. The latest issue of Deloitte Review features a special section on the IoT and its associated possibilities and perils. It also includes articles on how IoT can be used to reshape supply chain management and create and capture value. The latest issue also takes a look at jobs in the era of cognitive technologies; the industry outlook on the future of additive manufacturing; innovation at the water-energy-food nexus; and the theory of relativity in improving financial performance.

Have you been part of a professional association? Several exist that innovators should know about. Professional organizations provide knowledge, an opportunity to network, a place to get answers to questions, and general guidance for career growth. They also serve the purpose of having a safe place to grumble with sympathetic people who have “been there and done that” before. I have been a member of several professional organizations and three stand out as having contributed most to my knowledge as a product manager and innovator: first the Project Management Institute, then Product Development and Management Association, and most recently, the Association of International Product Marketing and Management (AIPMM). AIPMM provides value to product manager, marketing managers, and innovators. To learn more about the association, I interviewed the president, Therese Padilla.

In a fact sheet released ahead of President Obama’s visit to Macomb Community College in Warren, MI, this week the Obama administration announced new steps to expand apprenticeships and continue other efforts around workforce development and free community college. Notable initiatives announced include: $175 million grants to provide apprenticeship opportunities to 34,000 individuals; the launch of Heads Up America, an independent campaign to raise awareness about the importance of community colleges; and, the creation of the College Promise Advisory Board to further the administration’s efforts to make two years of community college free to responsible students.

When my wife and I began dating, I remember the picture I painted for her. We were standing on a rooftop in San Francisco when I whispered to her, “Imagine sitting on a beach far, far away. The royalties I collect on my products are supporting us. We can live anywhere! We won’t be constrained by a typical nine to five.”