The pandemic has had all sorts of unexpected consequences, from a boom in sourdough-bread baking to more people listening to nostalgic music on Spotify. Less noticed is a once-in-a-generation surge in startups. The government regularly releases figures on new-business formation, derived from applications for tax registrations. And “high-propensity” business applications—those displaying characteristics typically associated with firm-creation and the employment of staff—recently reached their highest quarterly level on record (see chart).

COVID-19 has upended the world and our global society at a pace and in a manner that are both unprecedented. In this era of uncertainty, start-ups play an ever more important role by bringing to market innovative solutions for tackling the challenges and mitigating the negative impacts caused by the pandemic. These days, however, such solutions do not originate solely in Silicon Valley or London; they are coming from other regions of the globe with strong start-up ecosystems and unique values and cultures.

The U.S. remains the entrepreneurship capital of the world, but its hold on that distinction is in danger, according to Steve Case.

Case, the co-founder of America Online and CEO of venture capital firm Revolution, has some thoughts on how we can fix that--and it involves focusing less on the startup hubs of Silicon Valley, New York City, and Boston. Revolution's Rise of the Rest fund invests exclusively in startups located outside those three places. Case discussed the topic during a Thursday panel at the Fast Company Innovation Festival that also featured Minnesota senator and 2020 presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar.

This year, our planet has been setting records with extreme wildfires, storms and spiking temperatures. Now, it's set another record: The hottest September since record-taking began over 30 years ago.

The globe was 0.05 degrees Celsius (0.09 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer this September than it was in September 2019, the previous record-holder, according to a statement from the Climate Change Service, which is part of the European Union's Earth Observation Program known as Copernicus.

Entrepreneurs are often seen as confident, successful people who never have doubts. They’re decisive about everything, always know what to do and never have regrets. All of which isn’t true. 

Doubt is a natural part of being human — and entrepreneurs aren’t immune to it. In our efforts to be better, create better products and deliver as much value as possible to our customers, we feel there’s always something missing. We worry about the path not taken or the what-if of every situation.

Our day-to-day life is dependent on products, applications and services that make our life easier and better. And with the new technologies dominating every sphere our lives, the role of designers has changed manifolds in today’s world. There is no doubt in the fact that designers are directly responsible for defining societies, cultures and their outlook in a progressive world.

The 2020 BIO Alabama Conference wrapped up its final day with panels and keynote speakers including biotech innovation, incubators and accelerators, and remarks from the 18th U.S. Surgeon General. In total, the conference delivered over 70 presenters in over 30 sessions.

Image: Dr. Karim Budhwani of CerFlux Inc. gave a talk on innovation and new knowledge using a superhero mural to make points. (contributed)  - https://alabamanewscenter.com

European peer-to-peer lending platforms and investors are set to learn the date for new harmonised crowdfunding regulations across the continent within weeks.

The European Parliament this week adopted the latest text on cross-border crowdfunding rules agreed by the European Capital Markets Union (ECMU) in July.

The rules will apply 12 months after the text is published, which is expected in the coming weeks.

All the fundamentals are aligning for the life sciences industry, as Covid-19 accelerates already growing demand for real estate in the sector.

Rents are rising for lab space, vacancies are plunging and research and development, and employment and new development are expanding further, thanks to strong venture capital investment. 

Despite recent challenges, venture capital firms are still seeking out investment opportunities across the country. Since our last analysis of most active VCs in June 2020, we've seen shake-ups across 6 states. Our graphic maps out the most active VC investor in every US state.

Image: https://www.cbinsights.com

Due to the pervasive Internet, the scope of most successful startup teams today has become global. Also, more people are only available to work remotely, especially with the current pandemic. The traditional model for hiring permanent employees who can grow their career with your company just doesn’t work, and can jeopardize your business before it even gets traction.

Image: https://blog.startupprofessionals.com

The title of this article poses a question that is likely on the minds of many people who work in the oil and gas and chemicals industries. A recent Rigzone article presents one firm’s attempt to answer that question by way of a projection, and it generated considerable interest among Rigzone’s downstream readership this past week. Keep reading to learn more about the forecast, along with other topics that resonated with Rigzone’s downstream audience in terms of page views.